I've listened carefully to everyone's contributions this afternoon, and I hear many arguments that are contradictory. One challenge for the Tories is the lack of investment from the UK Government before this Senedd came into existence, because this has been a problem that's been with us over many decades, and although I do have some criticisms of the Welsh Government since the inception of the Assembly, there is a responsibility on the UK Government too, and I think we all have to recognise that.

It's a complex debate, isn't it, because it's about transport on the one hand, but also, as we see, the climate emergency is at the heart of all this, as is public health—they are all inter-related. And although I've expressed concerns earlier in terms of tolls on the A470, I'm not opposed to the concept of tolls or radical action if it is in a broader context. For me, when residents received surveys over the summer, they got in touch with me not to complain that they would have to pay to use the A470—they were concerned about the impact that that would have on communities and air pollution. And their question to me was: 'Well, we live in an area now where everyone says that air pollution is a problem and it's dangerous, so you're going to bring more traffic through our communities?'

The Deputy Minister will be aware that I've written to him recently, asking about the most recent evidence as to how effective 50 mph zones are in terms of that area between Pontypridd and Upper Boat. You brought forward a statement earlier this week, mentioning that there had been a reduction of 47 per cent in nitrogen dioxide levels in these areas, but I can't actually find that data anywhere at the moment, and I would be delighted if I could see that data. Because, for me, seeing the impact of 50 mph zones actually making a difference would actually ease the concerns of those communities currently suffering high levels of pollution. It would alleviate their fears. So, if this data is available, I would appreciate seeing it.

During an earlier debate, the possible link between dementia and air pollution was mentioned. But, in 2018, the World Health Organization published a report on air pollution and child health, and that showed clearly how air pollution can impact on neurodevelopment and cognitive abilities and lead to asthma and cancer in children. Also, children brought up in areas with high levels of air pollution can be at greater risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, later in life.

Therefore, for me, all of this issue around transport is about so much more than the issue of how we travel from one place to another. I would hope that we would all agree, although some arguments have been made today in terms of motorists' rights and the rights of people to use their cars. But shouldn't we all be working towards getting rid of as many cars as possible from our roads? After all, there is a climate emergency. We saw radical action in terms of the COVID crisis; we saw that it was possible to reduce traffic on our roads, that there are alternative ways of living.

I was saddened this morning, crawling from Pontypridd to Cardiff in my car, seeing that the traffic levels were just as bad as they were pre COVID; it was the worst I'd seen since pre-COVID times. And the reason I was in my car rather than on the train was because I had to be in Ynysybwl by 19:45 this evening, and that's the only way that I could ensure that I could get there to attend a meeting with the people I represent.

So, it is a problem in terms of investment in public transport too. And I'm thinking about all of those people who can't afford public transport at the moment. It's a broader problem. We have, in previous debates since May, discussed investment in bus services and so on. I appreciate that the Deputy Minister has emphasised the importance of this, but I think we all have to be agreed, therefore, that we must think holistically. Putting all of these counter arguments as to everyone's rights—well, we will have to make some difficult decisions. Perhaps tolls will be one of those in future, but, for now, it's not an option. We need to look at alternatives, but we need them as a matter of urgency. We can't wait when we have a climate emergency. We need action.