7. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Transport

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:24 pm on 29 September 2021.

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Photo of Jenny Rathbone Jenny Rathbone Labour 5:24, 29 September 2021

A pleasure to be taking part in this debate. I just want to refute one or two of the things that the Conservatives have already said. I just want to question this holy grail of the positive impact of the removal of the Severn crossing tolls. Perhaps Peter Fox might remember how much it increased the pressure on housing in the areas around Monmouthshire, next to our border with England, because, obviously, it was more attractive for people who were living in the Bristol area to come and live in cheaper housing in Wales. So, obviously, that potentially increased a lot of the commuting traffic, which obviously increases our carbon emissions. Clearly, I respect the fact that it, obviously, had a reduction in the costs for people who had to go and work the other side of the border because they weren't able to get suitable work in Wales, but, nevertheless, there has been considerable cost to the removal of the tolls on the Severn bridge, which is fully recognised in the report of the West of England Combined Authority, of which Cardiff is a member. It talks about the major cost to the region of the increased congestion, which they regard as £300 million a year, and that removing the Severn bridge tolls is likely to have worsened the problem. So, they are now considering demand-management measures, such as charging on both sides of the Severn to raise revenue for sustainable transport alternatives. 

I'd also just like to correct Joel James on the idea that, somehow, Cardiff has become the biggest growing city in the UK as a result of the reduction in the tolls. It was already the fastest growing city in the UK before the tolls, and, hopefully, we will have a slightly reduced growth, because of the impact that all this traffic is having on illegal levels of air pollution. Why on earth would we want to rule out tolls as a policy lever if we discover that air pollution is a major cause of dementia? I'm referring back to the debate we had earlier. We have to have it in the armoury in case we need it, because we cannot go on submitting our population to illegal levels of air pollution. 

I'd just like to remind you of a quote from your very own leader. 'Humankind needs to grow up and come of age', said Boris Johnson. Well, I think the Welsh Conservatives need to grow up and come of age. We have a climate emergency, and that means we have to change our ways. Let me just spell out to you what that means. Evidence to the climate change and environment committee from Sustrans reminded us that the switch from diesel and petrol vehicles isn't going to be sufficient to meet our carbon emissions reduction targets, which you, the Tories, have voted for. So, even if all new cars are ultra-low emissions by 2035, we are still going to have to reduce our actual car mileage by 58 per cent between 2016 and 2035 if we are going to avoid the disaster of not meeting our carbon reduction targets. So, we are going to have to do things differently.

I'd just like to ask Joel James how he travelled to the Senedd today, because, if we don't change our ways, we can't expect other people to—