Furious drivers are fuming that they can’t drive uphill or travel with sheep because of 20mph speed limits in Wales.
Drivers say that the new limit, which replaces the 30mph cap, has devastated some of their businesses.
The new limit could severely damage the economy according to a report by the Welsh government which found that the measure brought in to make the roads safer could cost the country’s £4.5billion.
There are also fears about the environmental cost with drivers claiming they are spending more time at higher revs in lower gears as they travel up the multitude of steep hills.
As a result, there are growing calls for the limits to be reversed before lives, businesses and livelihoods are lost.
Speaking to the Telegraph, the Wellness Pharmacy’s Phil Bullen said the new speeds are creating limits to the number of prescriptions they could deliver per day.
He said: “Where before we were able to get all the deliveries out in one day, now we can’t because we have to drive slower. Deliveries for stock from our wholesale drug manufacturers are coming an hour later than before.
“We have to tell customers that if a prescription is going to be at 9am, it won’t be ready until 11 o’clock. We were probably doing about 30 [deliveries] a day before. We’re managing to get into the 20s but we definitely can’t do more than 30.”
On the environmental impact, resident Darrell Ingram said: “You put it in a lower gear and you’re causing more pollution by driving slower. We’re supposed to be fighting against that.”
When the Labour run Welsh government brought in the plans there were claims that the new speed limit would only add on average one minute to journey times.
However, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has disputed this. The OSR’s director general for regulation, Ed Humpherson, wrote a letter to the government to say more could have been done to support drivers.
In response, a spokesperson for the Welsh government said: “We welcome the letter from the Office for Statistics Regulation.
“The figure referred to is supported by a technical document that explains how population, car journeys and distances travelled data were used within the calculation. We have taken OSR’s advice and have made this additional information available online.”
While the move has caused controversy, some of its supporters say it is only a matter of time before drivers adapt.
Speaking to the BBC, Christine Nicholls said: “I feel safer crossing the road. If they brought this law in a long time (ago), this generation of drivers would be used to it and for those driving a long time, it’s a lot to get used to. It’s got its pros and cons.”
Fellow resident Joanna Davies added: “By schools and hospitals, it’s a good idea. But if you’re driving at 20mph on a normal road, it’s causing mayhem.
“Congestion has got worse. I don’t think there’s many people for it around here and the buses are late too as they’re going 20mph as well.”
