English: Let me say from the outset to everyone here that I am 100 per cent in favour of taking action to improve road safety here in Wales. The Welsh Conservative group really have no problem in seeing reduced speed limits on roads where there is large pedestrian activity, such as outside busy places of worship, schools, playgrounds and high streets where cars are permitted. As Edmund King, the president of the AA, said, '20 mph limits work best where they're needed - outside schools or hospitals, or places where other vulnerable road users may be encountered.' End of quote. However, I alongside the Welsh Conservatives, strongly believe that the speed limit should remain at 30 mph here in Wales. It is evident from the sheer number of letters and e-mails that I and my colleagues have been inundated with over the past few weeks that the trialling of the 20 mph speed restrictions is causing major problems on busy commuter roads, and is undeniably a problem faced by communities all across Wales. From Buckley and Mold in the north to Caldicot and Abergavenny in the south, people have contacted me in their droves to express their concerns. The 20 mph speed limit has caused traffic congestion, frustration for drivers, and ill feeling amongst residents - quite the opposite of what the intentions are behind this policy. The Department for Transport published a report on 20 mph speed limits in 2018. They concluded that the 20 mph speed zones have made no impact on road safety, and drivers have only reduced their speed by 0.7 mph in these zones. Also, speed was not the most common factor involved in road accidents. The biggest contributing factor to accidents was, in fact, a failure to observe on the part of both motorists and pedestrians. There is also the potential additional hazard that drivers that are frustrated by traffic congestion and slow speeds will exceed limits and drive without due care as soon as they leave these 20 mph zones. Sustrans have said that a default 20 mph speed limit could save around six lives per year, but we can do more. Let me just tell you how: it's a fact that in Wales we have the highest percentage of drink-drive casualties in Britain, according to Department for Transport figures. Official figures show that drink driving rose from 110 to 130 in Wales from 2019 to 2022. Personally, I find it very hard to take on board any stats during the COVID lockdown because it's not a true representation of what our roads have actually looked like over the years. So, Minister, as much as I believe each life is important, you don't have to be a mathematical genius to see how many lives would be saved if the Welsh Government provided more funding, more resources and more guidance to support and combat drink driving. The UK Government has invested nearly £20 million into the THINK! drink-drive campaign since 2007, helping to save almost 1,000 lives. Why not invest some of that money, say by freezing the road improvement programme, into tackling this problem? I'd really like to see how exactly the Welsh Government will enforce this blanket 20 mph speed limit once it's in place. Even the taskforce group's report confirms that the implementation of the default 20 mph speed limit will be complex, expensive and require a substantial ongoing commitment for policing as well as the new costs of road signage and speed cameras. Now, this particular 20 mph zone, per say, will be a nightmare for the police and road safety organisations to enforce. While we're on the subject of cost, how much money will the Welsh Government give to local authorities to implement this programme? I don't understand how the councils couldn't have just had their own discretion to introduce them where they're essentially needed, and ultimately we as a Government could have just supported them and encouraged them in any way that we could have to basically put them where they're the most needed. You mentioned exceptional circumstances, Minister. Why couldn't we have had exceptional circumstances for the 20 mph speed limit, as opposed to having it in place when the 30 miles is going down? Now, Minister, what consideration, I'd like to know, has been given to the effect of longer journey times on public transport passengers and businesses? Whether those people are trying to get to work or parents trying to pick up their children from schools, or even driving instructors who've contacted me in their droves, to tourists visiting Wales, ultimately, their journey times are going to be longer. So, rather than encouraging more people to get out of their cars and use the bus, this policy is going to have the opposite effect, as we just don't have a strong public transport infrastructure here in Wales yet. We have rightly heard a great deal in this Senedd about the cost-of-living crisis from Members all across the board. None of us can deny that it's worrying to all of us. The Welsh Government has projected the cost of this roll-out of 20 mph all across Wales is going to be £32.5 million. Frankly, I can think of a multitude of ways and better things to spend taxpayers' money on here in Wales than this. Businesses that rely on road haulage and delivery vans, already badly hit by the increase in the cost of fuel, face further unnecessary expense due to this Welsh Government policy.
Welsh: Gadewch i mi ddweud o'r cychwyn cyntaf wrth bawb yma fy mod 100 y cant o blaid cymryd camau i wella diogelwch ar y ffyrdd yma yng Nghymru. Nid oes gan grŵp Ceidwadwyr Cymreig unrhyw broblem o ran gweld cyfyngiadau cyflymder is ar ffyrdd lle mae gweithgarwch mawr i gerddwyr, fel y tu allan i addoldai prysur, ysgolion, meysydd chwarae a strydoedd mawr lle caniateir ceir. Fel y dywedodd Edmund King, llywydd yr AA, 'Mae terfynau 20 mya yn gweithio orau lle mae eu hangen - y tu allan i ysgolion neu ysbytai, neu leoedd lle y gellir dod ar draws defnyddwyr ffyrdd eraill sy'n agored i niwed.' Diwedd y dyfyniad. Fodd bynnag, yr wyf i, ochr yn ochr â'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, yn credu'n gryf y dylai'r terfyn cyflymder aros ar 30 mya yma yng Nghymru. Mae'n amlwg o'r nifer fawr o lythyrau a negeseuon e-bost yr wyf i a fy nghyd-Aelodau wedi cael eu llethu ganddyn nhw dros yr wythnosau diwethaf fod treialu'r cyfyngiadau cyflymder 20 mya yn achosi problemau mawr ar ffyrdd prysur i gymudwyr, ac yn ddiamheuol mae'n broblem a wynebir gan gymunedau ledled Cymru. O Fwcle a'r Wyddgrug yn y gogledd i Gil-y-coed a'r Fenni yn y de, mae pobl wedi cysylltu â mi yn eu heidiau i fynegi eu pryderon. Mae'r terfyn cyflymder o 20 mya wedi achosi tagfeydd traffig, rhwystredigaeth i yrwyr, a theimlad gwael ymhlith trigolion - i'r gwrthwyneb i'r hyn yw'r bwriad y tu ôl i'r polisi hwn. Cyhoeddodd yr Adran Drafnidiaeth adroddiad ar derfynau cyflymder 20 mya yn 2018. Daethant i'r casgliad nad yw'r parthau cyflymder 20 mya wedi cael unrhyw effaith ar ddiogelwch ar y ffyrdd, a bod gyrwyr ond wedi lleihau eu cyflymder 0.7 mya yn y parthau hyn. Hefyd, nid cyflymder oedd y ffactor mwyaf cyffredin a oedd yn gysylltiedig â damweiniau ffyrdd. Y ffactor a gyfrannodd fwyaf at ddamweiniau, mewn gwirionedd, oedd methiant i arsylwi ar ran modurwyr a cherddwyr. Mae perygl ychwanegol posibl hefyd y bydd gyrwyr sy'n cael eu rhwystro gan dagfeydd traffig a chyflymder araf yn fwy na'r terfynau ac yn gyrru heb ofal priodol cyn gynted ag y byddant yn gadael y parthau 20 mya hyn. Mae Sustrans wedi dweud y gallai terfyn cyflymder diofyn o 20 mya arbed tua chwe bywyd y flwyddyn, ond gallwn ni wneud mwy. Gadewch imi ddweud wrthych chi sut: mae'n ffaith mai yng Nghymru bod gennym ni'r ganran uchaf o anafusion sy'n yfed a gyrru ym Mhrydain, yn ôl ffigurau'r Adran Drafnidiaeth. Mae ffigurau swyddogol yn dangos bod yfed a gyrru wedi codi o 110 i 130 yng Nghymru rhwng 2019 a 2022. Yn bersonol, rwy'n ei chael hi'n anodd iawn ystyried unrhyw ystadegau yn ystod cyfnod clo COVID gan nad yw'n wir gynrychiolaeth o sut mae ein ffyrdd wedi edrych mewn gwirionedd dros y blynyddoedd. Felly, Gweinidog, cymaint ag y credaf fod pob bywyd yn bwysig, nid oes rhaid i chi fod yn athrylith fathemategol i weld faint o fywydau fyddai'n cael eu hachub pe bai Llywodraeth Cymru yn darparu mwy o gyllid, mwy o adnoddau a mwy o arweiniad i gefnogi a mynd i'r afael ag yfed a gyrru. Mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi buddsoddi bron i £20 miliwn yn yr ymgyrch yfed a gyrru THINK! ers 2007, gan helpu i achub bron i 1,000 o fywydau. Beth am fuddsoddi rhywfaint o'r arian hwnnw, er enghraifft drwy rewi'r rhaglen gwella ffyrdd, i fynd i'r afael â'r broblem hon? Hoffwn weld sut yn union y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn gorfodi'r terfyn cyflymder cyffredinol hwn o 20 mya pan fydd ar waith. Mae hyd yn oed adroddiad grŵp y tasglu yn cadarnhau y bydd gweithredu'r terfyn cyflymder 20 mya diofyn yn gymhleth, yn ddrud ac yn gofyn am ymrwymiad parhaus sylweddol ar gyfer plismona yn ogystal â chostau newydd arwyddion ffyrdd a chamerâu cyflymder. Nawr, bydd y parth 20 mya penodol hwn, er enghraifft, yn hunllef i'r heddlu a sefydliadau diogelwch ar y ffyrdd ei gorfodi. Tra ein bod ni ar bwnc cost, faint o arian y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei roi i awdurdodau lleol i weithredu'r rhaglen hon? Dydw i ddim yn deall sut na allai'r cynghorau fod wedi cael eu disgresiwn eu hunain i'w cyflwyno lle mae eu hangen yn y bôn, ac yn y pen draw gallem ni fel Llywodraeth fod wedi'u cefnogi a'u hannog mewn unrhyw ffordd y gallem er mwyn eu rhoi yn y bôn lle mae eu hangen fwyaf. Fe wnaethoch chi sôn am amgylchiadau eithriadol, Gweinidog. Pam na allem ni fod wedi cael amgylchiadau eithriadol ar gyfer y terfyn cyflymder o 20 mya, yn hytrach na'i gael yn ei le pan fydd y 30 mya yn gostwng? Nawr, Gweinidog, pa ystyriaeth, hoffwn wybod, sydd wedi'i rhoi i effaith amseroedd teithio hirach ar deithwyr a busnesau trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus? P'un a yw'r bobl hynny'n ceisio cyrraedd y gwaith neu rieni sy'n ceisio codi eu plant o ysgolion, neu hyd yn oed hyfforddwyr gyrru sydd wedi cysylltu â mi yn eu heidiau, i dwristiaid sy'n ymweld â Chymru, yn y pen draw, bydd eu hamseroedd teithio yn hirach. Felly, yn hytrach nag annog mwy o bobl i ddod allan o'u ceir a defnyddio'r bws, mae'r polisi hwn yn mynd i gael yr effaith groes, gan nad oes gennym ni seilwaith trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus cryf yma yng Nghymru eto. Rydym ni wedi clywed llawer iawn yn y Senedd hon, a hynny'n briodol, am yr argyfwng costau byw gan Aelodau yn gyffredinol. Ni all yr un ohonom ni wadu ei fod yn peri pryder i bob un ohonom. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi rhagweld y bydd y gost o gyflwyno'r cynllun hwn o 20 mya ledled Cymru yn £32.5 miliwn. A dweud y gwir, gallaf feddwl am lu o ffyrdd a phethau gwell i wario arian trethdalwyr arnyn nhw yma yng Nghymru na hyn. Mae busnesau sy'n dibynnu ar faniau cludo a dosbarthu ar y ffyrdd, sydd eisoes wedi'u taro'n wael gan y cynnydd yng nghost tanwydd, yn wynebu costau diangen pellach oherwydd y polisi hwn gan Lywodraeth Cymru.