Can I thank the Government for bringing this debate today, because it gives us all in this Chamber the opportunity to scrutinise the evidence against which the 20 mph is to be implemented? I wish to state at the outset that I support 20 mph limits around schools and other vulnerable places. I of course acknowledge that none of us wish to see anyone killed or indeed injured on the roads of Wales, and if the evidence were definitive, then I would support these rules. However, the evidence is far from proven. Indeed, there is much evidence to suggest that the imposition of this speed limit will not result in a reduction in accidents, whether fatal or otherwise, or a reduction in harmful emissions—the two reasons this imposition is to be implemented. For instance, in Bath and North East Somerset, where they've spent £804,000 on implementing 20 mph speed limits, they reported that the number of fatalities and injuries have actually increased in seven of the 13 zones where it was implemented.

The report commissioned by the Welsh Government states that the greatest number of fatalities occurred on roads with 30 mph limits, but failed to mention that the average speed of the cars in these accidents was, in almost all instances, far higher than 30 mph, which means, of course, that the drivers defy a 30 mph limit, and this would imply that they would also defy a 20 mph limit. These lower limits will in no way deter those who break speed limits by substantial amounts—what has caused much of the anti-social behaviour referred to by the Deputy Minister.

Even such an august motoring organisation as the Automobile Association says that councils are wasting money because 20 mph limits are not making our roads safer. I would suggest that such an organisation has far deeper knowledge of roads and road usage than that which could be elicited in a few months' research, whoever was conducting that research. 

There's also no evidence to prove that 20 mph limits will alter driving habits. Police forces have, in fact, failed to enforce the limits, believing it would be a waste of resources. They go on to say that enforcement is reactive and should not be used as a preventative measure to achieve vehicle speeds. Prevention has to rely on public support for compliance by the majority and enforcement has to be guided by proportionality. The organisation 20's Plenty for Us have criticised reports that have failed to provide evidence to the contrary. 

Can I now turn to the supposed benefit of a reduction in emissions resulting from a reduction in speed from 30 to 20 mph? No less an authority than the UK Department for Transport have reported that their research shows that emissions at 20 mph are greater than at 30 mph. Indeed, emissions continue to decline as speed increases until about 50 to 60 mph, and then start to rise again. So, given the fact that vehicles will be going slower through an area and thus at that location for longer, we will have a double-negative effect on emissions, in fact causing greater pollution than was the case with a 30 mph speed limit.

Can I now turn to the implementation of these measures? The report was keen to point out that a blanket piece of legislation, covering the whole of Wales, would make it easier, and therefore cheaper for councils to implement. However, it will be down to individual councils to decide which 30 mph areas will be excluded from the 20mph. In other words, despite the fact that the report says it makes almost no difference to the times of getting from one part of an urban area to another, it is accepted that, for reasons as yet not defined, there are certain roads in urban areas that will not be subject to the 20 mph rule. 

The problem here lies in the fact that any given council will, quite naturally, be risk averse in whether a road should remain at 30 mph or not. They will be only too aware that, should a fatality occur on a particular road that retains its 30 mph or maybe even a higher speed limit, they would very likely be criticised or even sued for not implementing the 20 mph. So, we are likely to see a situation where every urban road throughout Wales will see a 20 mph restriction.

Herein, alas, lies another conundrum for our councils. What constitutes an urban road? For instance, in Torfaen, does the road from Blaenavon to Pontypool constitute an urban road? There are, of course, many thousands of such roads across Wales. When we see a blanket adoption of these speed limits, it will indeed be a blanket, with almost every road in Wales subject to this ridiculously low speed limit. 

Lastly, I want to turn to the practical aspects for the driver of keeping to this speed limit. Firstly, almost all speed control devices on cars will not operate lower than 30 mph. So, putting on speed control is not an option, even if it is fitted and, of course, most cars do not have this function anyway. So, it is down to the driver to control his speed to 20 mph. 

I frequently use two areas, which introduced this speed limit—Usk and Caerleon—and I find that I am constantly monitoring the speed indicator and, given that the other cars in front of me are often breaking the limit by a mile or two, as indicated by the flashing speed-control indicators, it would seem this difficulty is universal. This, of course, has the adverse effect of not monitoring the road as one would normally, thus having an adverse effect on road safety. 

Llywydd, the 30 mph limit was introduced when cars had steel bumpers and cable brakes. Today's cars are designed to cause less injury and with braking systems that are far superior to those, even a few decades ago. There's only one way to stop road accidents, and that is for all of us to return to walking. This constant reduction in speed could be applied to our motorways. A 30 mph speed limit on these would save far more lives—