Labour accused of declaring ‘struggle on motorists’ over 20mph zones

Labour has been accused of declaring war on motorists after the Transport Secretary backed the rollout of more controversial 20mph speed zones and low-traffic neighbourhoods.

In comments set to irk drivers, Louise Haigh said she would allow local areas to decide whether to install what critics dub ‘anti-motorist’ measures.

She said she wanted to ‘end the culture wars’ over transport policy, and hoped ‘unprecedented’ levels of financial backing for active travel would be announced in the Budget.

Low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), which include pop-up cycle lanes, wider pavements and closing streets to cars, have been hailed as a success by many councils.

But they have divided communities – with critics saying they are often imposed with little consultation and push traffic elsewhere, worsening tailbacks and increasing pollution. 

In some places, their introduction has sparked violence – with vigilantes dismantling them.

Shadow transport secretary Helen Whately said Labour seemed unable to take a ‘common sense approach to transport’.

Louise Haigh (pictured) said she would allow local areas to decide whether to install what critics dub ‘anti-motorist’ measures.

Low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), which include pop-up cycle lanes, wider pavements and closing streets to cars, have been hailed as a success by many councils (file image) 

Shadow transport secretary Helen Whately said Labour seemed unable to take a ‘common sense approach to transport’.

She said: ‘There’s a time and a place for 20mph speed limits. But Labour don’t seem to get that not everywhere is a town centre.

‘Walking and cycling simply aren’t feasible for millions of journeys people take every day, and punishing drivers won’t change that. Labour’s blanket 20mph speed limit in Wales has been a disaster. People hate it and it’s often just ignored.

‘Labour seem unable to take a common sense approach to transport. Unions are good and drivers are bad seems to be their mantra.’

In Labour-run Wales, ministers last year imposed a blanket 20mph limit on ‘restricted roads’ – which are 30mph by default in England – affecting 7,700 miles.

But a poll this week found seven in ten (72 per cent) of people opposed them. 

The YouGov survey found only a quarter support the policy, and four in ten drivers admitted to exceeding the limit ‘most’ or ‘all the time’.

The Tories had pledged to end the ‘war on motorists’ – with plans to stop ‘over-zealous’ councils from unfairly hitting drivers with a growing array of fines.

They also said last autumn that they would change Government guidance so town halls would have to ‘properly listen’ to local opposition to LTNs.

But Ms Haigh told Bloomberg that traffic speed limits would now be ‘entirely up for local areas to decide’.

‘It was completely wrong for the previous government to say that they would dictate that from Whitehall,’ she said.

‘There’s no way me, sitting in my office in the DfT, can say, ‘This road in Chester should be a 20 mile per hour road or not’. It’s completely ridiculous.’

She said if local authorities want to adopt 20mph speed limits then ‘that’s got my support’.

A woman holds a sign during a protest against 20mph speed limits in Cardiff, Wales on September 23

Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said: ‘The move to implement more damaging 20mph zones by Labour was inevitable.

‘We know that Labour began the war on motorists in Wales under the Labour Welsh Government, which Keir Starmer called his blueprint for what a UK Labour Government would look like.

‘The economic cost of these policies is measured by the billions, and we urge Labour to end the war on motorists.’