Wales 20mph limit: Lee Waters admits more common sense needed

Waters also spoke of opposition to the policy, acknowledging it had been “greater and lasted longer than what we anticipated”.

“I don’t think we prepared the ground enough and don’t think people anticipated on what a big change this will be,” he said, adding it could “take time” for people to accept the policy.

“It took a long time for people to get used to seatbelts, took a long time for people to get used to [a ban on] smoking in public places – but we haven’t gone backwards on any of those policies, and I don’t think we’ll go backwards on this.”

Waters also said the government should have done “far more to make people realise how big of a change this was and how it would apply in their communities”.

He added he was confident “the data and evidence shows that it will save lives, and in time it will settle down”.

The Welsh government said collisions on local roads had “reduced significantly.”

“We will continue to monitor the long term trend but things are heading in the right direction.”

It added it recognised some roads should revert back to 30mph and “that will happen as a result of our review”.