With its national reputation for good food and service, many travel far to experience the award-winning Blue Anchor Inn in East Aberthaw, which some believe to be the oldest pub in Wales.

The multi-awarding winning pub, situated in the remote village of East Aberthaw, has amassed a dedicated following of customers who use the nearby car park, which is across the road, where a 20mph speed limit is soon to be enforced.

The Welsh Government’s plans to reduce the speed limit on certain restricted roads were approved in July 2022, after a successful trial period, and they will be properly implemented on September the 17th 2023.

The Blue Anchor’ manager Richard Coleman, believes that that the measures are a good idea for the safety of customers: “We welcome the 20mph limit coming to the village – we have a car park that is across the road, and we’ve found that we have had customers having to dodge cars that are going too fast.”

The Welsh Government released a new report to coincide with the anniversary, noting that a large positive – a 64% – increase in vehicles travelling at or below 24mph on the trial roads.

Minister for Social Justice Jane Hutt has been involved in the campaign for years. She reiterated her support for the 20isPlenty campaign, and detailed her belief in the new measures in a statement provided to The DiffDaff: “I’ve long supported the campaign to change the limit to 20mph, and have been pleased to hear positive feedback from people in areas where the pilot schemes have taken place. We’re looking forward to further positive outcomes as the scheme is finally implemented in September.”

The measures are being enforced nationwide on September 17th 2023 – in order to ‘reduce the risk and severity of injuries from collisions, make streets safer for playing, walking and cycling and be better for the environment’.

Councillor Samantha Campbell also played a major role in advocating for local residents, bringing the issue to wider attention. She has been advocating for years.

“I’ve seen already the impact that the changes will have on the local area. In regards to Rhoose, we already have a 20mph zone outside of the local play area, which encourages people to walk and cycle more, not even mentioning the environmental impact.”

Sara Turner is a 30-year resident of East Aberthaw. She works as a florist, but has also been heavily involved in social media group ‘East Aberthaw Community Partnership‘.

“The problem has been ongoing for years with no help from the local council. We’ve been working for about 18 months, and since then have seen many, many issues. Speeding, reckless driving. We in the community have horses, and young children – three born in the last few years.”

A sign from 20’sPlentyForUs could be spotted near a local play area. Rod King MBE, of the organisation, spoke over the phone:

“I think it’s very useful, because while there’s a 30mph limit for most of it (St Athens) – in the central section where the traffic lights are, 30 is just too fast. We’ve had instances of cars overtaking cars in the area and we’ve set up speed awareness groups. I would like to get a 20mph on even more roads, if possible.”