6. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport: Active Travel Integrated Network Maps

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:08 pm on 27 February 2018.

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Photo of John Griffiths John Griffiths Labour 6:08, 27 February 2018

Can I very much welcome the statement, Cabinet Secretary, and your commitment, which I think is very clear? Some of the answers you've given on funding, for example, I think are very welcome. You will have the support, I'm confident, across this Chamber, that you're looking for in terms of the difficult decisions around implementation. 

Could I just say that interest groups, I think, are very clear about the great potential of the legislation, Cabinet Secretary, but there is some frustration around implementation that has already been expressed. There's some concern as to whether local authorities are looking at commuter routes that cross local authority boundaries, for example, and joining up in that way, and concerns about the basic network for modal shift around things like the 20 mph speed limit that you mentioned. We need to make the local neighbourhoods friendly for walking and cycling to get to the new routes and join up in that way.

Can I ask you about behavioural change, Cabinet Secretary? We do need people to have the skills and confidence to make this shift to walking and cycling, and I do believe that schools and workplaces are key to that. As far as schools are concerned, Sustrans Cymru are doing some very good work, but they're only reaching 8 per cent of schools, even though it is effective work because we see a 9 per cent increase in active travel after one year of their work. Cycle training is—