Lee Waters: Thank you. For parents with pushchairs or people in wheelchairs, pavement parking can be not just a nuisance, but a danger. I have accompanied a blind person on a journey around their housing estate and when faced with a car taking up most of the pavement, their guide dog did as it was trained to do—it led them onto the road, rather than try and squeeze through the small gap. This is an...
Lee Waters: Llywydd, thank you for allowing me to make a point of order. In my opening contribution to the debate on 20 mph, I correctly said that, last year, 80 children were killed or seriously injured in road collisions in Wales. In my closing contribution I misread my notes and used the figure of 800. I hope you'll accept this was a reflection of fatigue, not an attempt to mislead. I'm grateful for...
Lee Waters: So, I do think we need to look afresh at our approach. We are going to be continuing to work closely with local government and with the police to work through the practicalities of this, and the pilots that John Griffiths asked about will be developed with them in a range of different settings. So, Russell George, we will definitely want one of those to be in a rural setting. The geographical...
Lee Waters: Diolch, Llywydd, and can I thank Members for that thoughtful discussion? I think, with one exception, there was support in principle for the proposal we've brought forward this afternoon. But Members are right, it's the job of the Senedd now to scrutinise the detail of this, to stress-test it, to kick the tyres, if you like, to make sure that this is as strong as it can be, and I'm certainly...
Lee Waters: Diolch, Llywydd. Eighty children were killed or seriously injured in Wales in the last year that we have figures for—80 children, 80 families whose lives will never be the same again. Whilst we have made progress on reducing deaths on our roads in the 21 years of devolution, despite our considerable efforts, there are still 4,000 accidents that result in injuries every year in Wales. The...
Lee Waters: I think David Melding rightly identifies the difficulty we face here. The amount of public funding going into bus operators has not reduced. What obviously has reduced, as passengers have stayed away from public transport, is the so-called farebox element of their business model, and that model has come under an immense strain in the face of the coronavirus. Now, we have worked very closely...
Lee Waters: We've put in place significant packages of financial support for bus and rail operators, as well as funding local authorities to introduce measures to improve safety and conditions for sustainable and active modes.
Lee Waters: Well, I think, seeing a parkway at Felindre as an active travel measure is a bit of a stretch, Llywydd, but, certainly, as part of a broader network, it would have a benefit, and we've said that all along. What we don't want is to create a piece of infrastructure that is not linked in to a broader network. And certainly, Alun Cairns, when he was Welsh Secretary, was very keen in playing...
Lee Waters: Well, I share the Member's interest in getting this proposal accelerated. I've had a long interest in developing a Swansea bay metro and I am frustrated at the progress to date. It's one the reasons why we've asked Transport for Wales, as part of the remit letter, to take a role in developing these proposals forward. There has, as I say, been work going on within the region by the local...
Lee Waters: Yes, indeed. We have been funding Swansea Council, Llywydd, to develop, with the region, a package of proposals to develop a south Wales metro. We have funded that to the tune of some £2 million in the last few years, and we're now looking to accelerate that by involving Transport for Wales to take forward the next stage.
Lee Waters: Well, certainly we're interested in innovations and we'll be keen to look in detail at this example, and there are more low-tech innovations closer to home that have been developed. Edwards Coaches, for example, have been experimenting with plastic shields on their buses to try and get more passengers safely on them. And we're looking at all of these. As ever, the economics of the bus...
Lee Waters: Well, thank you for that. I acknowledge that Lynne Neagle has been calling for this move for some time, but as the First Minister has set out in some detail earlier, these are difficult judgments and nuanced judgments with a balance of risks. We've been liaising closely with the trade unions, with the operators and with equality groups to work through the detail of this and how to make it...
Lee Waters: [Inaudible.]—to scale up public transport, Llywydd, the safety and well-being of all staff and passengers remains our priority. On 8 July, we updated our guidance for operators, helping them to understand how to provide safer workplaces and services for workers and passengers.
Lee Waters: I have allocated £15.4 million to local authorities to introduce measures to improve safety and conditions for sustainable and active travel modes and to achieve sustained changes in future travel behaviour. Newport County Council will receive £600,000 of this.
Lee Waters: Llywydd, the stay local law is now lifted, and we are working very closely with the management of Cardiff Airport to secure its future. So, we'll oppose the motion, Llywydd. We're grateful to Plaid Cymru for their amendment, which we will support. And I say to the Conservative Party in Wales, 'Get serious'. Diolch, Llywydd.
Lee Waters: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'd like to begin by adding my thanks to the transport workers, from airport workers allowing vital PPE to be delivered to Cardiff Airport, bus and train staff, who've helped key workers to deliver services, bike shop staff who've helped to encourage an uptake in cycling, to highway workers who've helped carry out vital repairs. Their hard work throughout the crisis...
Lee Waters: Formally.
Lee Waters: Absolutely. Many people have told the Welsh Government about the daily stigma they have faced, which can be a prohibitive factor for them to make positive change, or patients being fearful of discussing their weight with a healthcare professional, as Jenny Rathbone has said. We will ensure that there is increased compassionate care within the NHS and that services are supportive and enabling....
Lee Waters: I shall.
Lee Waters: Diolch yn fawr. I'd like to thank Jenny Rathbone for keeping the spotlight on this important issue, from the work that she is doing on the cross-party group on food and the cross-party group on active travel as well as the work in her own constituency. She is continually highlighting the causes and consequences of obesity and is an important voice in our Senedd on these matters. As she...
