4. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on efforts to improve road safety in north Wales? OAQ52271

Yes. The road safety framework for Wales sets out the actions we and our partners will take to achieve our casualty reduction targets. In April, I announced funding of over £4.5 million for north Wales through our transport grants, to improve safety, reduce congestion, create economic growth and promote active travel.

Thank you. Between April and May of this year, in just two weeks, seven individuals have lost their lives on the roads in north Wales. Last week, sadly, there was another fatality. Now, despite the recent launch of the annual Operation Darwen summer motor cycle safety scheme in north Wales, at least five motor bikes have been involved in these tragic incidents, each one absolutely devastating for the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives. BikeSafe is an extremely good scheme and has been running in north Wales for quite some time. I was just wondering, Cabinet Secretary, given these highly publicised deaths that we've heard of—I was just wondering whether you would consider improving the funding for the BikeSafe scheme so that training may be provided for free across mid and south Wales, because, of course, when accidents of this nature happen, it isn't always north Walians who sadly lose their lives; this actually affects the whole of Wales. I just feel that when you have such a good initiative as BikeSafe operating in north Wales, with a little extra funding, it may be able to provide a reach so as to minimise the impact of death on our roads in north Wales, but so too across the whole of Wales.

Can I extend my deepest sympathies to the families of those who have died on the roads of north Wales in recent weeks? We have seen a significant number of, particularly, motor cyclists who've died on the roads of north Wales this year to date, and I'm keen to make sure that we use the mid-term review of the road safety framework to enhance not just the provision of GoSafe cameras on the roads of north Wales to ensure that motor cyclists are riding safely, and that drivers are also driving safely, because it's not always the fault of motor cyclists when accidents happen—. Now, the mid-term review of the road safety framework showed that good progression—good progress, rather—was being made with the targets for an overall reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured, but there was one particular statistic that stood out that was deeply alarming, and that concerned the continued rise of death amongst motor cyclists.

I can inform the Member that, in addition to the BikeSafe scheme, we have now begun discussions with a national not-for-profit road safety organisation about the potential for their Two Wheels motor cycling courses to operate in Wales, and we're also looking at working with the education department on the potential to include road safety within the health and well-being area of learning and experience. It's vital that we don't just look at solving this problem today, but we look at solving the problem for many years to come, and so the shorter term objective will be to drive down the number of motor cyclists that are killed or seriously injured through enhancing the provision of courses. Longer term, we wish to ensure that young people, once they reach an age where they can ride on a motor cycle, have had the right education and training that should enable them to ride safely.

Residents have been campaigning for the speed limit along Fron Park Road in Holywell to be reduced to 30 mph for some time now. They've been campaigning for it for the sake of the safety of residents and pedestrians and road users. The road's a residential road, with parking along it adjacent to schools and in a number of side roads. It's a daft situation, to be honest: the speed limit heading into that area of Holywell is at 30 mph leading into the town, then it goes to 40 through the top of the town and then it changes to 60. Now, I know that—. The speed limit was recently reviewed, and the limit's been left at 40, which really, really doesn't make any sense to the residents, and it didn't make any sense to me either. The wrong decision was made there, and it's the residents who have to live with it. I know you won't want to comment on a specific case, so I'm using Holywell as an example, but, as a matter of principle, do you agree with me that residents should have the final say on the speed limit along their road?

It's absolutely vital that residents, under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, are consulted on matters that relate to their safety and well-being, and that includes, of course, speed limits within their communities. This Welsh Government is supportive of the implementation of 20 mph zones and, where appropriate, the reduction of speed limits from 30 mph to 20 mph, for example, outside of schools. Now, I am aware of the area that the Member refers to. I am aware of the variation in speed limits within a very close proximity. I'll take the matter up with the local authority, because it was not our responsibility, it was the local authority's responsibility, to take this work forward. I'll report back to the Member with an explanation from the local authority of why that particular decision was made and to review whether there will be a further analysis of speed limits within the area in the coming months.