8. What action will the Welsh Government take to improve roads in south-east Wales in 2018? OAQ51507

The national transport finance plan, which was updated in December, is a live document and contains an ambitious programme of integrated transport interventions for south-east Wales.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. The traffic analysis firm INRIX recently reported that there were more than 30,000 traffic jams in 2017 on Welsh roads. They estimated the cost to the Welsh economy was nearly £278 million—a striking figure—you could build two state-of-the-art hospitals with that sort of money. In view of the delays in progressing the M4 relief road project and dualling the A465 Heads of the Valleys road, what action will the Welsh Government take to tackle the problems of congestion on Welsh roads, please?

The Member highlights the need for continued investment in our road network, not just in Wales but on a cross-border basis. We're working with Highways England to make sure that we get good cross-border road access as well. But within Wales, where we have full responsibility, we've initiated the pinch-point programme, with a particular focus on alleviating congestion at pinch points that take traffic from the south to the north and the north to the south. We're also looking at investment in a series of bypasses in Wales, again designed to alleviate congestion, particularly in urban areas. Urban areas suffer as a consequence of high levels of carbon emissions where there is congestion. And we're also looking at improvements to public transport, whether it be to rail or to buses, whilst at the same time integrating all of them as part of one vision for transport in Wales, at which active travel will be a part, so that people can, by foot or by bike, access public transport in a way that is reliable and convenient.  

I thank the Cabinet Secretary.