The difficulties the Welsh Government faces if it wants to make all residential areas 20mph and ban pavement parking

The Welsh Government has revealed intends to make all Wales' residential streets 20mph, and ban pavement parking nationwide.

Mark Drakeford's Labour government really wants to make our streets safer and much more environmentally-friendly and discourage driving towards environmentally-friendly ways of travel.

The ideas to make all residential areas 20mph and ban pavement parking wherever possible are found in Mr Drakeford's programme for government, see more about that here, and as yet there is no detail on how they'd operate in practice.

However it's clear that bringing the guidelines in and which makes them operate in practice is not necessarily likely to be straightforward.

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Many cities like Cardiff have 20mph zones but residents say that they're widely ignored. So when it comes to pavement parking, there are lots of streets where residents state that they will have nowhere to park near their house if pavement parking is banned. Others believe their road is simply too narrow to fit in the pub safely, which doing this would cause congestion.

In Kelston Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff, residents routinely park on their pavement and state that if they had to park on the road it would be a "nightmare".

Mark Diggins, 51, said: “I understand the issue but there are plenty of roads, not just in Cardiff, where if everyone was to park on the highway, traffic would be a nightmare. People park on the pavement for two reasons: to protect their cars and stop traffic.”

Edward Fish, 77, added: “There isn't any alternative to parking on the pavement. Where else are we able to park our car on the narrow road? There isn't enough room on the drive for cars.”

Mel Jones, 67, said: “On this road we need to park on the pavement. It's too small to park on the road, and also you can't fit two cars on the drive.”

Nicola Callan said: “We all attempt to do the best we are able to. This is an A-road with a 30 mph posted speed limit, so it's very busy. And lots of families have more than a single car, so that they can't fit on the drive.

"We have buses coming down the road too. If cars were parked on the highway, they would not fit.”

Dave Jones, 58, said: “There is no way you could ban pavement parking on the road like this one. You should make major changes towards the street, like which makes it one-way, for your to work. It's just too small, and also the traffic could be chaos.”

Campaign groups like Living Streets Cymru state that pavement parking must be banned to ensure the safety of pedestrians and because parking on pavements causes it to be difficult and unsafe for wheelchair users, pushchairs, and people who use guide dogs to navigate the streets.

Rhiannon Hardiman at Living Streets Cymru said: “Pavement parking is dangerous, forcing individuals with wheelchairs, buggies and visual impairments in to the road and into oncoming traffic. We want a default ban in Wales by having an exception allowing pavement parking on specially designated streets.

“Having well-maintained and clear pavements would encourage people of all ages just to walk more, which is vital if we're to make sure we don't go back to the status quo of congested and polluted streets when lockdown restrictions ease.”

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As well as a pavement parking ban, there's ambition to create 20mph the default speed limit in areas across Wales.

Pedestrians are 5 times more prone to be killed if hit at 30mph when compared with 20mph. The idea to make 20mph the default continues to be welcomed by a few.

However you will find concerns that simply getting a 20mph zone doesn't mean individuals will drive at that speed.

Darren Stone, who works at Cyclopaedia on Crwys Road, said: “In along side it streets near here, people definitely do not adhere to the 20mph limit.

“There isn't enough completed to really enforce the guidelines, and this would need to happen before the rollout was successful.”

His colleague, Ian Jeremiah, thought that the new idea would be a positive thing: “I think imposing the 20mph limit will help drivers realise that the average speed around Cardiff is really quite low.

“This could trigger more people choosing not to drive within the city. I personally wouldn't drive in Cardiff.”

Nerys Lloyd-Pierce, chair of Cardiff Civic Society says. “Cardiff Civic Society welcomes the new 20mph limit in areas. Reducing the speed limit will make residential areas a good deal safer for everyone.

“Adding speed bumps and/or rumble strips would help reinforce the 20mph message too. And the issue of enforcement remains. In existing 20mph zones, drivers regularly flout the speed limit, apparently without consequences.”

GoSafe, the Welsh collective for safe roads involving local authorities, police forces, and also the Welsh Government, said that the move will reduce accidents and improve the safety of pedestrians across the nation.

Teresa Ciano, GoSafe Partnership Manager: “GoSafe welcome the introduction and implementation from the 20mph limits in areas across Wales.

"Speed is really a major contribution to collisions on our roads and also the clearer we can be to the motoring public concerning the dangers and risks speeding pose for the safety of pedestrians along with other road users the greater.

"Reduced speed in residential areas will increase the safety and confidence for pedestrians and cyclists and when all motorists play operator, we can make our roads and communities safer for everybody.”

Sustrans Cymru promote using active travel, like walking and cycling, within the use of cars.

Christine Boston, director of Sustrans Cymru said:”Lower speed limits, especially 20mph in areas, save lives. They're shown to lessen the number, and severity, of injuries on the road.

“Sustrans believes speed limits ought to be set having a presumption in favour of safety rather than speed. We strongly support Welsh Government's 20 mph default speed limit in built-up areas to make everyone's journey safer.

“A 20mph limit will also help to lessen the perceived dominance of motor vehicles on our streets helping to create streets and locations that are more attractive for people just to walk, cycle and revel in. They are especially good for probably the most vulnerable people in society, including children and individuals with disabilities.”

Other groups aren't so supportive from the proposals.

A spokesperson for the Alliance of British Drivers said: "This is not a sensble move. It's more essential that drivers browse around them to see what is going on rather than taking a look at their speedometer.

"If the Welsh Government really insist upon doing this it ought to be a controlled experiemnt for any maximum of 2 yrs and if the accident rate has not improved then your speed limit should go back to 30mph.

"Speed limits are 24 hours a day. Will a lorry driver really go 20mph at 5am?"

The Welsh Government announced eight pilot areas for that 20mph limit back in February, with a nation-wide rollout expected in 2023.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "We've already seen the effects current 20mph limits have experienced in lessening speeds and serious incidents on our roads and are currently trialling its wider implementation across strategically chosen communities to help support a national roll out.

"Details on the specifics regarding tackling pavement parking – including terms, enforcement and implementation are available here 40842 Pavement Parking in Wales: Task Force Group Report (gov.wales)."