THE PETITION opposing the change of speed limit throughout Wales has now passed 450,000 signatures.

As of September 17, the majority of residential roads in Wales have changed from 30mph to 20mph.

The Welsh Government says the move will help save lives and also hope that it can encourage people to walk or cycle to work.

But, as with during the trial period in areas like Buckley, the change has been met with strong opposition throughout Wales. 

So much so that a petition against the change has so far gathered 456,266 signatures (correct at time of writing).

The petition, started by Mark Baker on September 13, has broken the record for the highest number of signatures for a single petition in Wales.

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That has smashed the previous record holder - which was a petition calling on supermarkets to be allowed to sell "non-essential" items during lockdown, which reached 67,940 signatures.

The current petition calls on the Welsh government to "rescind and remove the disastrous 20mph law".

So, what happens next after such a response?

Well, the Petitions Committee considers all of those that get more than 10,000 signatures for a debate in the Senedd chamber - but a debate is not guaranteed.

There is no requirement for anyone signing a Senedd petition to live in Wales, therefore, as has been the case with the one opposing the 20mph, it can be signed by people from outside of the country.

So far, people from over 60 countries worldwide have signed the petition.

The person who organised the petition, Mark Baker, will have been sent an email once the 10,000 signature mark was passed to notify him of the milestone.

However, he has decided to let the petition run until its closing date of March, rather than end it early to gather as many signatures as possible.

This means that a debate on the matter is unlikely to take place until at least the Spring time of 2024.