A man from England said he and his wife will never holiday in Wales again because they are “not prepared to risk” the new standard 20mph limit. David Brown, from Leamington Spa, wrote to the Western Mail to say he was “saddened” that Wales had reduced the speed limit on many roads from 30mph to 20mph, so he would no longer go to Wales. Welsh.

Writing that “Wales’ loss is Devon’s gain”, he said many of his “acquaintances feel the same”. His letter came amid several protests in which 50 people gathered outside the Senedd because of their outrage at the new limit.

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In a letter to the Western Mail, Brown said: “Although I am Welsh, I live in the English Midlands. My wife and I have spent many holidays in Wales over the years, usually staying in hotels but sometimes in a rented house. Now I’m retired. Every year we can take a few breaks and travel until November.

“Unfortunately, we have decided to put our holiday in Wales on hold because we are not prepared to risk a hefty fine and three penalty points for accidentally driving at 35km/h in an urban area. It looks like Wales’ defeat will be to Devon’s advantage. I should add that several of our acquaintances feel the same way. “Wales will be greatly missed.”

Last month, the Chief Constable of Wales Police confirmed he would prosecute drivers for speeding in 20mph zones. Speeds are detailed on the GoSafe website, the Welsh Road Casualty Reduction Partnership, which is made up of 27 partners, including 22 councils, four Welsh police forces and the Welsh Government.

In the FAQ section of their website, they answer the question: “What is the 20 mph limit for fixed and mobile GoSafe speed cameras?” The response said: “GoSafe applies NPCC guidance which outlines limits of no less than 10% plus 2mph. While the public gets used to the changes to the default limit, police chiefs have given us permission to increase it to 10% plus 4 mph. just 20 mph, which means we started chasing at 26 mph with a 20 mph limit.

So far there has been no police intervention in areas where the speed limit has been changed, but a “grace period” for people exceeding the standard speed limit of 32 km/h is coming to an end, police said. law. Speaking in the Senedd earlier this week, Minister Lee Waters said that “average speeds have gone down, most people are complying” but admitted: “They are not complying with 20mph, but the number of people driving the over 48 km/h dropped drastically.” For the latest analysis on the biggest stories, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.

Meanwhile, also writing for the Western Mail, a pensioner described how difficult it was to get a local bus home after a driver claimed a disruption due to the new standard speed limit. Furthermore, writing to the Western Mail, Mr D Cheegee, of Rydifelin, Pontypridd, said: “Dear Mr Drakeford, let me thank you for keeping me safe by introducing the 20mph limit and let me also thank you for in One time I waited 20 minutes for my local bus to take me home.

“I’m eighty years old and sometimes I have difficulty walking with canes. After seeing eight local buses pass my stop with “NO SERVICE” signs, I wondered if they were all on strike. My local bus finally arrived and when I asked what had happened to the two previous buses that were due to arrive, the driver informed me that “due to the 20mph limit, as the local route is now mostly in that category, we sometimes have to get off. ” to passengers halfway and return to our starting point because we cannot keep our schedule to comply with the law.” They have also run out of tachograph hours and must return to the station.

“With this in mind, may I ask if my bus pass is valid for use with local taxi companies or which Senedd department can I send my £10 taxi bill to for a refund? I can also report that, at my age, I have difficulty sitting on a hard seat on the roof of a bus, in wind and heavy rain, and I suffer from hypothermia and numbuminitis.’

A recent survey carried out exclusively for WalesOnline shows that there is strong opposition in Wales to a new 20mph speed limit. The new standard speed limit was introduced in Wales a month ago and new research from Redfield & Wilton Strategies shows there is still considerable skepticism about the policy among the Welsh public.

The Welsh Government claims the new default speed limit will prevent up to 20,000 deaths in Wales over the next decade. It is estimated that the new policy could save the economy up to £92 million a year by reducing the number of deaths and injuries on Welsh roads.