Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:02 pm on 29 September 2021.
When the Welsh Government declared a climate emergency in 2019, many of us expected radical action, and in some policy areas we've seen strong ambition on homes, energy, forestry—the list goes on—all tied together by a bold net-zero target for 2050, but we all know that more radical ambition is needed, and more action to underpin it. Today's debate concerns transport, an area of policy where the Welsh Government, I'm afraid, has fallen short despite the fact that 17 per cent of Wales's emissions derive from this area.
Let's talk about tolls, what's already come up. The Welsh Government has floated the idea of motorists in Wales paying to use roads in a bid to tackle air pollution. Obviously, a clean air Act is something that I very much champion, but the Welsh Government has not gone further so far than consulting the public on the issue, suggesting tolls around the M4 around Newport and the A470 around Pontypridd. Following criticism—and I know that this has already come up in the previous contribution—the Welsh Government has said that there aren't any concrete plans for these tolls. And this is difficult—I recognise this is a difficult issue. We all want to get to grips with the climate emergency, it's a very difficult situation, but these tolls, if introduced, would hurt the poorest in society.
We know that tackling both the climate crisis and the pollution crisis requires integrated thinking and ways of encouraging people to change their habits in ways that will bring them with us. Even with tolls in place with the Severn crossing, for example, over several years traffic typically increased by about 4 per cent year on year. Often, what tolls would actually do is drive people to avoid the charges by taking an alternative route through communities, leading to more congestion and air pollution in small towns and villages.
But the problem remains as well that the removal of tolls on the Severn crossing also increased traffic, and therefore increased carbon emissions and air pollution. Data from Highways England has illustrated that following the scrapping of those tolls, there was an 18 per cent increase in crossings over the Severn crossing itself, and a 34 per cent increase over the old Severn bridge. So, tolls or no tolls, emissions go up. Our habits, it seems, are hard-wired.
Now, many people and businesses are still dependent on roads, and a dramatic shift is required to reach net zero by 2050. I would welcome comments from the Deputy Minister about plans to invest in electric vehicles, in charging infrastructure, R&D to improve existing technologies and to develop the technologies of tomorrow. The Welsh Government could explore ideas like electric-only highways and tunnels in areas of high air pollution and congestion. Crucially, Dirprwy Lywydd, we believe that Wales should be an interconnected community of communities, and people across Wales need to be connected to each other by a truly integrated public transport system with a greater reliance on environmentally friendly modes of travel. I recognise that this is an area where the Deputy Minister feels very passionately, but I'm sure that he will agree with me that it will require an even greater investment for the ambition to be met with action. Why not task Transport for Wales with creating an all-Wales rail network connecting the north and the south and enabling rail traffic between the major centres of population? Why not combine rail with a regulated bus service, and why not give local authorities the power to establish their own municipal bus companies? And, of course, we must see the full devolution, with adequate funding, of all rail services in Wales. The current situation for railways just has not worked. Can we really trust Westminster to deliver vital changes in Wales? I think we already know the answer to that.
So, in closing, Dirprwy Lywydd, let's ensure that we take people with us on this journey. Let's not penalise those who can't afford it. Let's instead offer them better transport opportunities. Let's improve public and greener transport infrastructure before thinking of tolls and road pricing on Welsh roads.