Is it todo or to do. It is not to-do, which is a list of things, although the Collins online dictionary would have you believe it is hyphenated like Merriam-Webster, the trusted American dictionary. Oops this is even boring me so much that I almost went to sleep.
Anyway, at the time of writing the reaction against the imposition of a 20 mph limit for most 30 mph roads in Wales is causing a bit of a todo. 244,000 have signed a petition which asks the Welsh Government to ‘rescind and remove this disastrous law’. In 2019 the population of Wales was 3.136 million so on my calculation about 8% signed the petition leaving 92% who did not. This could have been for a variety of reasons, but hope the majority who did not sign agree that this is a good move.
So let us consider why they see this as a disastrous law. For this we must rely on snippets from the BBC. Despite the recent bad press about the BBC I still think it is pretty unbiased except perhaps the judges on Strictly.
Firstly the wording of the petition, ‘disastrous’ really! A flood is a disaster, an earthquake is a disaster. My online dictionary has the meaning, ‘sudden accident or a natural catastrophe that causes great damage or loss of life’. Hardly a disaster when it’s intention is to save lives and reduce injuries. Back to the snippets.
A bed and mattress shop owner in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, said his deliveries were taking an hour-and-a-half longer than before, ‘I am getting less and I’m losing more time in my life’. Really if you look at the difference 20 mph to 30 mph that would mean that that additional 1.5 hours equates to a previous 3 hour day and now it is now 4.5 hours on the previous 30 mph part of his journey. Really that does not ring true to me. Unsubstantiated claim.
Someone claimed that Wales’ new speed limit is ‘destroying companies and putting so much stress on people’ and this is also unsubstantiated.
A Mr Jones says the new speed limit will affect his work-life balance which is also an unsubstantiated claim on what will happen in the future!!
Why quote these unsubstantiated claims when there is so much substantiated information to feed off of.
There is much in the way of how 20mph limits can reduce deaths and injuries compared to the previous 30mph limit. The Welsh Government’s website in its frequently asked questions section says that a public health study suggests a default 20mph speed limit in one year could,
- provide 40% less casualties
- save 6 to 10 lives
- have 1200 to 2000 people avoiding injury
It will also makes streets safer encourage walking and cycling make communities safer improve heath and wellbeing and reduce noise pollution.
It also states that although the cost of introducing it is £32 million (one off cost) but it will save the Welsh NHS £92 million each year. Although the figure of £4.5 billion as a cost to the Welsh economy has been quoted by the detractors to the move, the Government estimates an increase of only 1 minute on journey times. Wonder where the £4.5 billion figure came from!
I suppose there will always will be people who will see a new speed limit as an infringement of their civil liberties and unfortunately the Conservative Government seem to agree.
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