11. The Restricted Roads (20 mph Speed Limit) (Wales) Order 2022

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:06 pm on 12 July 2022.

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Photo of Natasha Asghar Natasha Asghar Conservative 5:06, 12 July 2022

And I really fail to see how air quality will be improved by forcing higher fuel consumption, thereby creating more emissions. Vehicles today are designed for maximum efficiency and fuel economy at particular speeds, and it will not benefit the environment if cars are stuck on gridlocked roads pumping out pollution day after day.

Presiding Officer, more people die on roads from drink driving, so I'd be 100 per cent behind the Welsh Government delivering an effective plan to discourage people from doing so and ultimately stop driving recklessly once and for all. There is a long-standing suspicion that the Deputy Minister's pilot scheme was insincere and just a simple smokescreen for plans that were already a done deal. How can anyone be certain that the results of these scheme are even accurate when they were conducted during lockdown?

I urge the Welsh Government today and everybody here who's going to be casting their vote to listen to the concerns of local residents and businesses, owners of various properties as well those who are on the roads consistently before permanently imposing these damaging and counterproductive 20 mph limits on communities across Wales and think long and hard. Twenty is not plenty. Minister, if you're really serious about road safety, then bring in the 20 mph in areas that they are really needed and please spend the money on deterring drink drivers off our roads once and for all. Thank you.