Andrew RT Davies criticises Wales' new 20mph speed limit
The Welsh Government was "wrong" in its description and deliverance of its near-blanket 20mph speed limit, Welsh First Minister Vaughan Gething told Express.co.uk.
It comes after Welsh Labour announced that some roads in the country will revert to 30mph following widespread backlash.
Transport Secretary Ken Skates said the changes will address the concerns that "a lot of people" have raised "on a consistent basis".
The implementation of the limit cost the Welsh Government around ￡32million, a loss of money that will be a bitter pill for the Senedd to swallow.
Mr Gething, who was elected to the top job in March, said: "Having decided there's a strong case on safety grounds to make changes to the speed limit, and then how you do it and communicate it, I think the way we went about describing what we were doing, we got wrong."
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READ MORE Furious locals rage over 'stupid' 20mph law as Welsh Labour 'ignoring' public
Vaughan Gething pictured in Holyhead with Labour leader and Prime Minister hopeful Sir Keir Starmer (Image: GETTY)
However, he refused to accept that the reversal was a U-turn, saying: "As a government, you need to have to use and listen. There's always a challenge in politics. If you pause, listen, and then change what you're doing, lots of people will say you've done a U-turn and come after you.
"But if you're not prepared to listen, people will say you're a government with a tin ear. I think we've done the right thing, that will take the policy to a place where it needs to be changed and it will be changed."
Almost half a million people had signed a Senedd petition opposing the policy, which was brought in under former first minister Mark Drakeford.
Express.co.uk previously reported on the outrage felt by people living in Wales at the limit, and how it had negatively affected their day-to-day lives.
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Protests erupted across the country in reaction to the 20mph limit which will now be reversed (Image: GETTY)
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Asked whether he would have rolled out the policy so quickly if he were first minister this time last year, Mr Gething said: "There's a danger trying to recast the history you've been through, and my focus is on the situation we have with six months experience of the rollout and wanting to make sure that the public is listened to, and we get to do something that can save lives."
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Though many opposed the policy, others have welcomed it with open arms. Cyclist groups say it has made riding on roads less dangerous, while others have urged the government to roll it out to areas not covered to help make their communities safer.
With the reversal, there could now be hundreds of changes to the speed limit across Wales. It will come with a hefty price tag, however, and some estimates put the bill at a staggering ￡5million to reinstate previous speed limits on signage.
Mr Gething said the Welsh Government will work with local authorities on capital costs.
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