7. Welsh Conservatives Debate: The roads review

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:00 pm on 8 March 2023.

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Photo of Tom Giffard Tom Giffard Conservative 6:00, 8 March 2023

The Government has a role in encouraging the installation of charging points. It's no coincidence, Jenny, that, in Wales, there are 39 charging points per 100,000 of population. In England, that's 52. There's a clear difference along our border here in Wales as well, and that is through the proactive nature from the UK Government that we're not seeing here in Wales. And if it's about saving money, it's odd that the road building freeze in this review was started before any inflationary pressures were evident. If it's because of balancing the books, it is astounding that it's £180 million the Welsh Government has spent on road building projects that were never started—quite literally roads to nowhere, which can be written off so easily. If budgets are so hard to find, then surely a good saving would be the £30 million the Welsh Government's proposing to spend on a 20 mph road limit. It's been 10 years since the Active Travel (Wales) Act, Llywydd, but it looks like we've gone backwards: bus journeys down, at least 30 per cent of the population in every one of Wales's regions in transport poverty, and sustainable transport pilot schemes, including e-bikes and e-cargo bikes, stagnating, all because of a lack of investment and continually changing policy. However, the panel and the Deputy Minister are wholly relying on active travel and a public transport system in need of dire reform.

Welsh commuters and businesses are continually being pushed towards driving as a reliable form of transport because the Welsh public transport system is failing to deliver. However, instead of having a sustainable and well-used public transport system before banning road building projects, we're now left in this ridiculous situation where road users will be causing more emissions because of a 20 mph speed limit, will be paying even more should a road charging network be introduced in Wales—as the Deputy Minister's indicated he's interested in—and will be unable to efficiently use the electric cars they're being asked to convert to by 2030 because of a lack of charging points. [Interruption.] I've taken enough interventions.

It's quite ironic that the final budget was passed yesterday, as it showed some significant cuts in transport, even in areas where the Deputy Minister wants to focus his attention. Not only has there been a 17 per cent drop in capital funding for sustainable travel compared with the indicative budget, there's been a cut of £10 million to active travel and a cut of £22 million to bus support. That can't be a tenable position to continue alongside a cut to road projects.

So, the thrust of the motion is simple, Llywydd: the roads review has neglected to deliver the transport infrastructure that Wales needs. Instead, the Welsh Government has to ensure the transport network in Wales is able to supply its demand. By failing to do so, perhaps the Deputy Minister's famous words, 'We don't really know what we're doing on the Welsh economy' should now be updated to, 'We don't know what we're doing on the Welsh transport system, either.' Because unless he figures it out, it won't be roads he has to worry about, it'll be unhappy Labour backbenchers telling him to get on his bike.