It's infuriating enough that the widespread imposition of a 20mph limit in urban areas in Wales has been twisted into becoming "the latest culture war battlefield" - but all the more so when you consider its numerous significant and tangible gains, not least in terms of lives and money saved. Will Hayward recently set out the facts in an article for the Guardian, his bafflement at the level of vitriol the move has generated both evident and understandable.
However, rather than responding in the most obvious way - simply calling out the anti-woke wankers whingeing about the infringement of their right to mow down pedestrians and bleating on about a police/nanny state - he suggested that the Welsh government is in part to blame: "Evidence-based policy does work, but you have to own it, explain it and stay the course. It costs political capital, and politicians need to be brave. In a world where facts and evidence matter less and less, it is all the more vital that we stand by that evidence to take our nation forward."
In other words, if those behind the decision had had the courage of their convictions and actually taken the trouble to spell out in words of one syllable why the reduced speed limit was coming into force, and what benefits it would bring, it might not have become such an absurdly contentious and politically charged issue.
I'd like to think Hayward's got a point, but the reality is that the populist right can find a reason to be triggered by absolutely anything. Ironic, really.
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