, Plenary
Topical Questions
As I said, I’m very keen to engage further with them. We’ve engaged a lot; in fact, we’ve saved them from bankruptcy. So, we have relationships with Arriva and we want to see the data. We want to understand the impacts, and we want them to engage with their…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Janet is saying that she only voted for going forward in consultation. That's not true. You should read the motions you vote on, Janet. That is not what the motion said, and I ask you to go back and check what you voted for. It explicitly said in the motion…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Thanks, Carolyn Thomas, for that, and for the work that she's doing in north Wales to try and address practical solutions to these problems. These are not straightforward judgments, because we've heard often in this Chamber those who oppose our policy, but…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Well, I think Llyr Gruffydd has highlighted perfectly some of the flaws in the current privatised bus service that we have, because these companies are commercial companies; they can do, essentially, as they like. We can make pleas to them, but unless we've…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Well, there are lots of challenges facing the bus industry and it's too easy to blame it all on the new speed limit. I'd like to deal with a number of the issues raised in turn, with your patience, Llywydd. First of all, let's remember why we decided to…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Well, we've been clear that we'd like to learn from the introduction of the 20 mph and make improvements. We've always recognised there would be an impact on some bus services, and we're now reviewing the guidance issued to local authorities, and impacts on…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
Diolch.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
Do you want to talk about that, Phil?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
And it's all set out on the GoSafe website. It's quite clear on the approaches.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
Well, the 'Ugain' campaign is starting now, I think. Kaarina, do you want to say something briefly about that?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
So, the behavioural search we had done in advance of bringing this in showed there were three categories of people. One they called 'champions', who would stick to 20 mph come what may, because that was the law and they were fully supportive of it; another…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
Can we give Chris a chance to come in, because we've all dressed up in suits today—[Laughter.]—so it would be a shame for him not to have his chance?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
A very brief answer—it is confusing, Janet, because it's a big change, but essentially we've tried to take a pragmatic approach, because local authorities can only do so much in the time available. So, we're on the movement to a default assumption that it's…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
Could I ask Phil to answer on the guidance on the signs, because he wrote it, and Kaarina to talk about the experience of local authorities?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
It is in process, yes.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
So, as part of the setting local speed limits review that we've announced we're going to do, that's one of the things we're going to look at. So, just to respond directly to your point, Joyce, I've also had correspondence from people who live in villages that…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
I could answer but Phil's come a long way, so I'll let him answer.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
'You can't win' is the general rule in these things, yes.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
Yes. I mean, to be fair to the local authority, Buckley—. They have particular challenges within Flintshire, so they do have a history of litigious former highway officers who challenge them on everything, and so, as a result, they've become very cautious…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
So, Phil did an extra piece of work for them to give them confidence of where to apply the exemptions within the settlement of Buckley, which they are in the process of doing. However, they haven't really applied that same methodology beyond Buckley.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
But what I will say there was a similar issue in one of the other pilots, in Caldicot in Monmouthshire, where there was a section of road that was locally described as a bypass, where people thought it was absurd to be 20 mph, and the local authority…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
So, perhaps Phil can briefly answer on the broader experience of the pilots, but specifically on Buckley, that was a very challenging site to have chosen, and we've made life difficult for ourselves for going for one of the harder ones. But, in a sense, it is…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
Talking to each other.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
Well, we met with the leader of Conwy on Tuesday, as part of the overall meeting, and he is very supportive, I must say. So, they are now, as a result of that meeting, going to be working through officers, in the first place, to learn lessons and to share…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The 20 mph Speed Limit: Scrutiny session with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
Chair, could I ask Kaarina Ruta to talk about the experiences of local authorities, please?
