I'm very grateful for the opportunity to speak in this debate brought forward by a cross-party group of Assembly Members. Alongside the future generations Act, the active travel Act is a truly ambitious and important piece of legislation and one that, as has already been said, we are all rightly proud of. It is a made-in-Wales Act that we all need to make sure is properly supported at all levels if we are to achieve its full and exciting potential for Wales. So, it is of course disappointing to see that levels of cycling and walking are in decline, and there are indeed a number of clear external societal and socioeconomic factors that are contributing to this. But I would like to focus my attention particularly on the issues around air pollution, as this is a particular concern for society and a concern for my constituents. It must be tackled on all fronts, and with all the mitigations in our power.

In Islwyn we are fortunate enough to have a number of dedicated cycle routes, in particular making use of a number of disused railway lines that link our disparate communities and allow cyclists to take in some of our fantastic, unique stunning scenery of our Gwent Valleys. However, we must make sure that our roads are also a healthy and safe place to walk and cycle. Indeed, it is perfectly understandable that people may be averse to cycling on, for instance, the Hafodyrynys hill, which has received notoriety of late given the evaluated high levels of air pollution. Yet if we are truly to tackle this pollution, getting people our of their cars, as has already been said by many in this Chamber, must be a key feature of our national and local approach, and we cannot hide our head in the sand. The billions less to the Welsh block grant equate to that passported issue for our local authorities, and that passported issue is of a lack of capacity at a local level, both financial and human. Indeed, we should be doing nothing to make congestion worse, and pollution in this area, in Hafodyrynys, indeed must be looked at carefully, and is being looked at. We must do the opposite, and therefore in planning we must look at this also in terms of the quarry that is being proposed for this particular area, so I do say 'no' to that.

So, I welcome the work that the Welsh Government is doing to improve our public transport network in the Valleys, but we need to make sure that this is linked with active travel networks that are integrated, smart, useable, affordable and healthy. So, for instance, at the bottom of Hafodyrynys hill is the former site of Crumlin railway station on the Cardiff to Ebbw Vale line, and if we were able to transform and reopen the station here, it would be an ideal and unique opportunity to alleviate pollution in a very congested area, if people were able to walk or cycle straight to the station, meeting many of our strategic well-being and active travel goals in one fell swoop. So, I hope that Welsh Government will continue, and I know it will, to listen to a number of the serious points raised across party lines in this debate, to fully support the active travel needed to increase active travel journeys. So, I'll be interested to hear in particular what the Welsh Government is doing to support active travel across the south Wales Valleys. Indeed, our unique topography has its own unique challenges, but also unique opportunities for active travel. I’d also be grateful to hear how active travel is being used alongside wider strategic efforts to tackle air pollution in Wales and for the common good of all in my constituency. And I would echo that we can and we must, and I hope we will, do better.