NEWS POLITICS

Speed limit drop for Kerry approved

The speed limit on parts of roads going through a Powys village near Newtown will be dropped to 20mph from this Friday.

1 year ago   2 minutes read    3,172 views

The image for Speed limit drop for Kerry approved
 
Share            Listen to the story

By Elgan Hearn
Local Democracy Reporter


The speed limit on parts of roads going through a Powys village near Newtown will be dropped to 20mph from this Friday.

A delegated decision has been made by Powys County Council’s cabinet member for highways, Liberal Democrat Cllr Jackie Charlton to lower the speed limit in Kerry limit along parts of the A489 and the C2012 road in the village centre and near the primary school where those roads are currently 30 mph.


  Other Trending Stories

    A month long consultation on the traffic regulation order (TRO) proposal took place from February 2 to March 1.

    Traffic engineer north, Chris Lloyd said that 20 “representations” had been received by the council during the consultation.

    Mr Lloyd said: “Of the 20 representations received, 11 supported the introduction of the 20 mph speed limit along the A489 through Kerry either over the extent of the A489 as proposed, or over a longer extent through the village.”

    But to extend the TRO to cover the road all through the village, the council would have to go through the whole process and start again.

    Mr Lloyd said: “From analysing the representations received, it is clear that the recent Welsh Government legislation which lowered the speed limit of all restricted roads in Wales from 30mph to 20mph has resulted in a significant number of negative responses to this proposal, with eight being opposed to the general impact and the costs associated with the introduction of that legislation.”

    However, six of the representations suggested that the 20mph should be over the entire length of the A489 through Kerry.

    Mr Lloyd said that some people expressed the opinion that this lower speed should have been introduced last September when the 20mph speed limit legislation came into force.

    Powys County Councillor for Kerry, Conservative Benjamin Breeze backs the proposal.

    Cllr Breeze said: “Having read the representations received during the consultation and the highway traffic engineering team’s responses and recommendations, I would like to continue my support for the speed proposal as originally proposed.

    “I feel strongly that the busier central area of Kerry should be incorporated into
    the proposed 20mph zone which should include the school, shop, chapel,
    church, the two public houses and the busy Common Road junction with its
    restricted geometry and visibility.

    “I’m optimistic that this proposed change will make our treasured community safer for all.”

    Cllr Charlton took the decision on Thursday, March 21 and it will come into force on Friday, March 29.

    The 20 mph speed limit has proved to be controversial with signs in Powys and many other parts of Wales vandalised since it came into force on September 17, 2023.

    Nationally there have been protest marches and to date just under 470,000 people have signed a petition calling for the 20mph limit to be revoked.

    The Welsh Government has said that having a 20mph default speed limit is expected to result in 40 per cent fewer road collisions.

    This in turn would save up to 10 lives and stop up to 2,000 people being injured every year.

    The government has accepted that the policy needs to be “fine-tuned” due to inconsistencies in approach between local authorities across Wales and a review is set to take place.

    You've viewed 1 stories so far!

    All About Newtown is an independent not-for-profit online news and information service for the town of Newtown in Mid Wales. We provide ad-free content, so rely on reader subscriptions and donations to run.

      Donate via PayPal

    Related or similar stories based on this one

    Image for the article Seven things you may not know about Wales’s new 20mph default speed limit
    Seven things you may not know about Wales’s new 20mph default speed limit

    2 years ago

    Image for the article Consultation on 20mph in Kerry to begin
    Consultation on 20mph in Kerry to begin

    1 year ago

    Image for the article Call to change roads back to 30mph
    Call to change roads back to 30mph

    1 year ago

    Business of the Week
    Buck Inn

    High Street

    Follow us

    Connect with us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Google News

         

    Trending
    Donate to us

    We're a not-for-profit community interest company and have no corporate owners. We'd appreciate anything you can give to keep us providing free content.

      Donate via PayPal
    Upcoming Events
    Newtown Outdoor Festival

    28/06/25 10:00am

    Sydnie Christmas

    01/11/25 07:30pm

    Latest Stories
    Reform councillors question allowance increase

    1 month ago

    Senedd rejects Conservative calls for £660m tax cuts

    1 month ago

    Newtown councillor steps down from Cabinet

    1 month ago