4. Will the First Minister make a statement on road safety in Pembrokeshire? OAQ(5)0188(FM)

The road safety framework for Wales sets out the actions we and our partners will take to achieve our casualty reduction rates on our roads. The framework will be reviewed once again following the release of the 2016 casualty statistics.

I’m grateful to the First Minister for that response. Road safety is a problem for walkers in lower town Fishguard, and despite positive assurances from previous Ministers, and although a feasibility study was undertaken in 2012-13, the current Minister has asked for another study to build a footbridge. I’m sure that you’re familiar with that part of the town and that it’s important to improve safety in that part of the town. So, what assurances can your Government give to the people of that area that a footbridge will truly be built during the term of this Assembly, rather than having commitments on endless feasibility studies, and what funding will be available for this kind of project?

The Member mentions Cwm Gwaun—I’m not aware of any footpath there. I know that there is a problem with Newport to Llwyngwair, if that’s what he’s talking about. In terms of Newport and Llwyngwair, the work is progressing on that. On the issue that he himself has raised, may I write to him on the issue with greater detail so that he can ensure that those details are available to his constituents?

I thank the First Minister for his answer on that. I just wanted to widen this slightly to road safety issues that certainly have been raised with me, and I’m sure many other Members, particularly relating to safety around schools. It’s often the case that, even with the provision of zebra and pelican crossings, the safety of children travelling to and from schools is a concern. Ideally, the council would employ school-crossing patrol staff at schools, but, with the cost of that clearly prohibitive, councils need to prioritise their spending without this provision. But does the First Minister agree with me that, as part of their obligations under Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013, there is an opportunity for local authorities, when preparing their maps, to think proactively about addressing road safety concerns in the schools that are in their respective areas?

Absolutely. The point of the active travel Act is, of course, to encourage more safety, that much is said, but also, of course, to ensure that local authorities see walking and cycling not just as forms of recreation but as modes of transport, so that more people can be tempted out of cars. Of course, that’s of benefit not just to traffic but to themselves, as individuals, in terms of their health. It was at the very heart of the active travel Act—John Griffiths, of course, is there; he’s somebody who’s very passionate about the Act, and we want to see local authorities ensure that, in the future, cycling and walking are seen as ‘normal’, as they would put it—normal modes of transport alongside other more traditional modes.

It’s difficult to reach the state of normality that you talk about, First Minister, when cycling accounts for 1 per cent of all journeys taken in Wales and in Pembrokeshire, and being killed or seriously injured on a bicycle is 33 per cent. Therefore there is a huge mismatch there between the journeys taken by those on cycles and those who are killed or seriously injured. It’s particularly true of younger people, where you have a target of a 40 per cent reduction, and you’ve only reduced the number that are killed or seriously injured by 28 per cent. It’s a reduction, but you haven’t reached your target. So, what further steps are you going to take to improve road safety in Pembrokeshire and beyond, particularly for cyclists and young people who have to make use of the roads?

Of course, one of the things that the Wales Act will give us is power over speed. On some roads, it would be worth, in my view, considering whether the speed should be reduced in order to safeguard cyclists. There is a risk in cycling, because, obviously, a cycle isn’t as large as a car, but, obviously, we don’t want people to be at an excessive risk. Others would not agree with me on this, but to me it’s important that we have cycle-only paths. Others believe—and I understand the argument—that cyclists should have the same rights on the road as cars. But for many people they don’t have the confidence to go on the road and mix with cars. To me, the development we’ve seen recently—for example, with the Church Village bypass in Rhondda Cynon Taf, where a cycle path has been put in as something entirely usual—that is one way forward in order to ensure that people can use cycles, ultimately, in a way that they believe is safe.