No slow-down for speed limit debate

FOR six months now, 20mph has been the default speed limit on all roads in built-up areas in Wales, making it the first nation to impose a near-blanket limit.

- ROB PARSONS

But should parts of Northern England follow suit? In North Yorkshire there's been vociferous campaigning from the 20s Plenty campaign group for the measure on the vast majority of the largely rural county's 30mph roads, all rejected by the council's Tory administration.

But this week in the Commons, Labour's recently-elected Selby MP Keir Mather claimed Conservatives had used the controversial measure to turn the debate on road safety "into a wasteful, irresponsible and distracting culture war".

Leading his first adjournment debate at Westminster since being elected last year at the age of 25, Mr Mather said Tories "have spent recent months jumping at shadows, fighting anti-motorist policies that do not exist and opposing 20mph blanket bans that have never been proposed"