4. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport: 'Llwybr Newydd: a new Wales transport strategy'

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:22 pm on 23 March 2021.

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Photo of Lee Waters Lee Waters Labour 4:22, 23 March 2021

You were doing so well there. Up until the last point, I was encouraged. Whenever I hear David Rowlands welcome laudable aims, I'm waiting for a big 'but', and we got the 'but' at the end with his campaign against our effort to try and save children's lives from being killed unnecessarily on the road. Certainly, the evidence that came out of our own review on 20 mph default urban speed limits did not support the view that they significantly increased emissions.

Just to go through some of the other points, the loan has been agreed with Blaenau Gwent council, it has been committed to the task at hand, and we're working closely with them. I do agree with his point on the gradual shift out of car use towards alternatives, and it is clearly not something that applies to every journey. We're not saying that people must never use cars again. Clearly, the car is the most practical option for some journeys, but, for most journeys—the research is quite clear on this—sustainable transport is a realistic option, providing the infrastructure is in place, the services are in place, and the information and the incentives are in place to encourage people to make that shift. There are bags of evidence and experience of where that can happen. Where there's a will, there's a way. There's no need for punitive language; this isn't a punitive choice. Done properly, this can enhance and improve people's lives and improve people's journeys, reduce people's stress and improve people's health—bus users walk more than car users. So, it is good for a whole range of public health targets that we have. He is right to say that it's not going to be suitable for all, but we don't need it to be done by everybody to achieve our targets. As I say, we're talking about a 5 per cent reduction in car mileage by 2030; this is not beyond what can be achieved, for sure.

His point on electric cars being expensive is also a sound one. This is why we want to make sure that there is an affordable and realistic alternative through public transport. I think what we really want to see is for people not to need to have multiple cars per household. So, things like car clubs and car sharing, for example, instead of a second or third car in a household, are realistic things that that can bring people along the behaviour change spectrum with us in a way that doesn't feel like it's making their choices restrictive. In fact, it's giving them extra choices and freeing up money for them, because a car is the second most expensive capital purchase a householder will make next to a house, as I'm sure Caroline Jones has just discovered.