THE Welsh Government has allocated almost £400,000 of funding to Ceredigion to change speed limits in the county.

In September 2023, the speed limit in built up areas across Wales will be reduced from 30mph to 20mph.

To change signage across Ceredigion, the Welsh Government has provided £391,000 worth of funding to the county council, which must be used by 31 March and can only be used for the changing of speed limits.

During a meeting of Ceredigion County Council’s cabinet, Cllr Catrin M.S Davies, who represents the Ceulan and Maesmawr ward, which covers Talybont and is the cabinet member for culture, leisure and customer services, described the policy as a waste.

She said: “I think that this is an example of a waste of time and money by the government. They need to be held to account.”

Council leader, Cllr Bryan Davies said in response that he agreed with Cllr Davies’ comments.

The 20mph speed limit policy comes into force on 17 September next year across the whole of Wales.

The Welsh Government says the policy will save lives and develop safer communities as well as encouraging people to ‘make more sustainable and active travel choices’.

The Welsh Government says the new legislation will not apply a blanket speed limit on all roads, it will simply make the default limit 20mph, leaving local authorities, who know their area best, to engage with the local community to decide which roads should remain at 30mph.

Cllr Bryan Davies said during a cabinet meeting last week that the policy will have the greatest impact on communities along the A44 and A487.

Welsh Government Minister for Climate Change, Julie James said: “The evidence is clear, decreasing speeds not only reduces accidents and saves lives, but helps improve people’s quality of life - making our streets and communities a safer and more welcoming place for cyclists and pedestrians, whilst helping reduce our environmental impact.

“We know this move won’t be easy – it’s as much about changing hearts and minds as it is about enforcement.”

A petition against the proposed speed changes has gained more than 40,000 signatures.

Adie Drury, a resident in Buckley, north Wales, which was one of eight communities where the 20mph speed limit was trialled, set up the petition. He said: “It is causing chaos, people avoiding the area and people having to take new routes.

“Many of these roads aren’t suitable for a 20mph speed limit. They are busy access roads on steep hills.

“Lorries are struggling to get up the hills in such a low gear and sticking to such a low speed downhill is hard on the brakes.

“This is doing nothing to reduce emissions, instead there will be more pollution from more cars struggling in a lower gear for a longer time. “It has caused bus delays, making environmental commuting more inefficient than it was before.”

A Public Attitude Survey showed that most Welsh adults (61 per cent) were content with the current speed limit for their streets, but when asked directly whether they would support a speed limit of 20 mph in the area in which they lived, four in five Welsh adults (80 per cent) said they would, compared to one in five (20 per cent) who would not.