All new road building projects in Wales should be shelved
The Welsh Government would be to stop all new road-building projects while its new global warming ministry conducts a wide-ranging review.
Transport now comes underneath the Welsh Government's climate change ministry and it is putting a hold on all road-building projects that have not started although it examines whether the money should be spent in different ways, for example public transport. Read more on which the Welsh Government is planning the following 5 years.
Any projects where work has started will continued, but the announcement being made today by deputy climate change minister Lee Waters stop projects such as the Deeside "Red Route", the Llandeilo bypass, and a third Anglesey crossing.
It's understood the freeze will not affect projects which have already commenced construction like the A465 dualling.
Find out more: Anger over lb300m road project that will destroy ancient woodland
The Deeside "Red Route" is a arrange for the A55 in Flintshire which would include a new eight mile dual carriageway. There was opposition from individuals who said hello would cut through ancient woodland and bring about climate change.
The Welsh Government announced in March it had been refusing to finance the M4 to A48 link in the Vale of Glamorgan.
The lb66m scheme was halted at that time economy minister Ken Skates who said "the scheme is not consistent with our grant criteria or even the transport policy framework".
The Welsh Government isn't yet publishing information on the review but says it will consider "shifting spending" towards better maintaining existing roads, rather than building brand new ones, and look at all proposed road investments, whether funded directly by the Welsh Government or indirectly by grants. An external panel is going to be setup.
When he announced his five year plan for what he wants the federal government to attain, First Minister Mark Drakeford said developing a new climate change department with minister Julie James in the helm was a part of an agenda to place "environmental surroundings at the heart of our decision-making.
“In my new government, the environment doesn't only have a seat at the Cabinet table, it will be considered in most we do.”
Mr Waters can make a statement towards the Senedd unveiling his plans.
Ahead of this, Mr Waters said that he expects the review is within a year and say some of the schemes paused today would get the green sensational looking said not doing anything is not an option.
"I don't think people realise the total amount we must do. Since 1990 we've reduced emissions by 32% by no more the decade we have to more than double that and it's up again by 2040," he explained.
"We actually do have to ramp up what we have been doing. In Ten years, we need to achieve more than the last 30 and in those years we have done the relatively easy things, there is no low hanging fruit. If we're likely to hit this target we're going to have to do things differently."
Asked what he'd tell individuals who face regular congested zones on the roads where schemes have been halted, he explained: "I would let them know to look at the WalesOnline story on flood projections. If we do nothing, we are facing catastrophic consequences for our communities. A lot of this really is likely to be uncomfortable change and it's not really simple and easy , I'm not pretending there's simple answers. There will be tensions and will be contradictions, we have to make it simpler for people to do things that help us tackle climate change.
"For most of us, the reality is that using public transport is difficult and isn't attractive and we have to change that to learn effectively. We can't do this if we're spending all our money on road building. We have reached the point where we must confront the fact we can't carry on doing what we usually have done".
Haf Elgar, Director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said: “The Welsh Government is right to put a freeze on new road building projects.
"To become a globally responsible nation and play our part in rapidly reducing climate-wrecking emissions, we should pull the plug on new high-carbon infrastructure.
"Providing people with an alternative to the vehicle would help fix the Welsh transport system and combat the weather crisis. A transformation from the nation's walking and cycling infrastructure is urgently needed, in addition to vastly improved and affordable trains and buses."
Future Generations Commissioner Sophie Howe said: "An over-reliance on the car has led to increased noise, poorer air quality, time wasted in traffic as well as an unacceptable burden on communities living near our most congested roads, often in areas where fewer people drive an automobile.
“As we move away from building new roads, Welsh Government needs to work quickly to improve alternatives – listening to communities and making it simpler for more individuals to make public transport and active travel their first choice.
“We're visiting a shift from the car – driving licenses in younger individuals have decreased over the past 25 years – there is however work to be done to make trains and buses and active travel a viable option for everybody.
"We want an inexpensive, integrated, reliable, efficient and low carbon trains and buses network, that's connected to things like healthcare, in rural areas especially, and housing, with safe and simple use of walking and cycling."
