Is this the END of 20mph Britain? As Wales becomes first to scrap detested speed limit - experts give their verdict on whether local councils will follow suit across the rest of the UK

The Labour government's determination to scrap its broad 20mph velocity limits successful Wales conscionable a twelvemonth aft they were introduced has sparked anticipation for the remainder of the UK. 

Wales' Transport Secretary Ken Skates admitted the argumentation was truthful unpopular adjacent his ain household had signed the petition against it. 

Celebrity lawyer Nick 'Mr Loophole' Freeman - celebrated for helping celebrities bushed postulation cases - has said the celebrated determination volition hopefully person a knock-on effect connected the remainder of the UK. 

Welcoming the news, helium said: 'Ever since its inception I've called for Wales to scrap [the] 20mph velocity limit... Pleased to perceive this present happened.

'Shame [this] doesn't make a legally binding precedent for [the] remainder of [the] country. But hopefully bully consciousness volition prevail.' 

Drivers crossed the UK previously shared their misery aft the 20mph velocity limits were imposed by their section councils - with drivers forced to crawl from A to B. 

Natasha Asghar, the Welsh Conservative shadiness transport minister, besides welcomed the quality - but said the changes indispensable beryllium brought successful quickly.

She said: 'While I admit that Labour and the Cabinet Secretary look to beryllium listening to the nationalist connected 20mph, it is unclear who volition beryllium seeing these changes and however rapidly they volition beryllium implemented.'

The nonaccomplishment of this experimentation makes it overmuch little apt that determination would ever beryllium a 20mph broad bounds successful England.

And galore took to X to explicit their delight that the argumentation is present dead. 

Though successful Scotland, Humza Yousaf was inactive discussing implementing the prohibition successful Scotland earlier helium was ousted successful May this year.

'Councils, who are already stretched owed to Labour's fund cuts, volition beryllium near to benignant retired the messiness the authorities has made of their 20mph argumentation and I cannot spot determination being galore important changes arsenic a result. 

'£5 cardinal is being fixed to councils successful Wales, who person to bid for backing and determination does not look to beryllium a timeline successful place, which volition undoubtedly pb to sheer frustration for drivers from each corners of Wales.' 

Cllr Andrew Morgan, person of the Welsh Local Government Association, said: 'These are not casual decisions for councils and information remains our priority. There volition request to beryllium a precocious level of assurance that, if and wherever the bounds is raised backmost to 30mph, it volition not effect successful the precise risks the argumentation was designed to mitigate.' 

The transport curate admitted 'errors person been made' with the scheme, which is acceptable to beryllium reverted successful September this twelvemonth with the instauration of caller guidance crossed the country. 

This volition let section authorities to rise the velocity bounds to beryllium backmost to 30mph connected definite roads 'outside municipality centres and agrarian residential roads with nary adjacent facilities'. 

They volition besides beryllium accrued connected large routes, specified arsenic autobus corridors, with minimal cyclist and pedestrian postulation and connected immoderate municipality roads. 

It comes aft much than fractional a cardinal signatures were added to a Senedd petition opposing the divisive argumentation aimed astatine reducing c emissions.

Skates told the the devolved Senedd parliament: 'Errors person been made, but the caller guidance volition alteration america to close them, and it's my anticipation that [with] this guidance we volition statesman to spot the process this autumn of changes to 20mph areas.' 

He added that portion the velocity bounds connected immoderate routes could besides beryllium reduced, the fig of these is 'likely to beryllium dwarfed, though, by the fig of roads that would revert backmost from 20 to 30. 

'That process volition statesman successful the autumn,' helium said. 

'Signage changes, I imagine, volition beryllium made by the extremity of this year, going into the adjacent calendar year. 

'And it's my anticipation and anticipation that by this clip adjacent year, it volition beryllium settled.' 

Skates revealed that it would outgo £5 cardinal to revert the roads backmost to 30mph, which is conscionable nether a sixth of the £32 cardinal it outgo for the archetypal scheme. 

The argumentation was introduced successful September past year, with the committedness that little velocity limits would pb to less collisions and radical injured.

The Welsh Government provided backing to Wales' 22 councils for caller signs required to alert drivers of the velocity limit. 

It has seen fierce absorption from the Conservatives successful the Senedd, who person branded it a 'waste of clip and resources'.

He said that portion the argumentation had been successful Labour's manifesto during the past Senedd election, helium understood that radical successful Wales 'lead engaged lives' and bash not 'spend their evenings flicking done the programme for government'.

RAC roadworthy information spokesperson Rod Dennis told Mail Online: 'This determination volition delight a large galore drivers successful Wales, but it's a shame truthful galore roads that should person ever remained astatine 30mph were unnecessarily converted to 20mph.

'More nationalist wealth present needs to beryllium spent changing signs backmost astatine clip erstwhile funds are already stretched. 

'We are precise supportive of 20mph limits being implemented successful places wherever there's a greater beingness of pedestrians and cyclists arsenic they are proven to trim roadworthy casualties, but erstwhile utilized connected roads that are intelligibly amended suited to 30mph, there's a hazard drivers don't obey the bounds and their effectiveness is undermined.

'Among those who admit to speeding connected 20mph roads, RAC probe shows fractional (50%) of drivers accidental they bash truthful due to the fact that they consciousness the bounds is inappropriate. This compares to conscionable 28% of drivers who accidental they transcend the 30mph bounds for the aforesaid reason.'  

Earlier this twelvemonth vigilante drivers rebelled against the instauration of the 20mph velocity limits aft groups trashed much than 150 signs crossed the country.

Since September, determination person been aggregate reports of 20mph signs being vandalised crossed Wales, with 1 motion successful Carmarthenshire having been snapped successful half, portion others person been sprayed successful achromatic overgarment to fell the 20 figures.

Carmarthenshire County Council said it was becoming 'increasingly concerned' aft 'a spate of incidents' towards roadsigns - including 20mph ones.

Gwent Police figures amusement 2 recorded incidents of vandalism to velocity signs since September, starring to 1 idiosyncratic being arrested and charged.

The unit recorded 8 incidents of velocity bounds motion vandalism successful the 5 years earlier that.

Since the instrumentality went into force, Monmouthshire Council reported 22 incidents of vandalism to its 20mph signs. 

All councils said Welsh Government backing for caller signs screen anticipated repair costs.

The Welsh strategy to trim the default velocity bounds for 'restricted roads' from 30mph affects 7,700 miles of road. 

The velocity bounds simplification to 20mph affects 'restricted roads' - those with 'street lights spaced nary much than 200 yards apart, usually located successful residential and built-up areas'.

According to its ain interaction assessment, the 'main economical dis-benefit' of the caller authorities 'relates to accrued travel times from little mean conveyance speeds'. It states that this could effect successful an economical deed of up to £9 cardinal implicit 30 years.

But the past Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said the 20mph velocity bounds would prevention lives and the outgo was 'outweighed' by reduced interaction connected the NHS and exigency services.

Mr Drakeford has said 'the grounds is incontrovertible' that 'driving much dilatory successful built-up municipality areas saves people's lives' and that it volition prevention the NHS successful Wales £92 cardinal arsenic a result.

He cited a akin strategy successful Spain, saying it had chopped municipality deaths by 20 percent.