Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Lee Waters told the Senedd of the need to “shift away from spending money on projects that encourage more people to drive, and spend more money on maintaining our roads and investing in real alternatives” to help tackle the climate emergency.

He explained that emissions in Wales have fallen by 31% since 1990 but to reach the statutory target of net zero emissions by 2050, “we need to do much more” and that transport “must play its part”.

The review is expected to consider how spending can be shifted towards better maintaining existing roads, rather than building new ones. Membership of an external panel carrying out the review will be announced at a later date. It will be asked to consider setting tests for when new roads are the right solutions for transport problems. 

Responding to the announcement, Friends of the Earth Cymru director Haf Elgar said the Welsh Government is right to put a freeze on new road building projects. “To be a globally responsible nation and play our part in rapidly reducing climate wrecking emissions, we must pull the plug on new high carbon infrastructure,” she said.

“Giving people an alternative to the car would help fix the Welsh transport system and combat the climate crisis.”

Greenpeace UK chief scientist Dr Doug Parr said: “This forward thinking move has Wales again showing a welcome understanding of the needs of a 21st Century economy. Unlike Westminster, the Welsh Assembly seems prepared to question the sacred cows of politics, examine long held assumptions in the light of new evidence and where change is needed, change.

He added: “Despite the advances in electric vehicles more roads still means more traffic, more respiratory illness, more accidents, more CO2, more climate change and ultimately, more regulations and more taxes to fix all the problems roads are creating.”

But the Road Haulage Association’s managing director of policy and public affairs Rod McKenzie told TP Weekly News that “everyone needs roads” and that the announcement of a pause on building highways in Wales was “further evidence of an anti business, anti mobility mindset”.

“There needs to be balance in the debate between the needs of business and the environment – and that can be managed,” he added. “It is not an either/or binary choice.”

Business group CBI Wales director Ian Price said: “The pandemic continues to send shockwaves throughout our economy and new road building projects need to be right for the new normal.”

He added: “Removing bottlenecks helps traffic move more smoothly, reducing local emissions and improving the efficiency of the local economy.”

In related news, think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research says today that the UK Government’s upcoming plan for decarbonising transport must focus on improving people’s quality of life – and this cannot be achieved through a shift to electric vehicles alone.

It says that public transport, walking and cycling need to play greater roles in the UK’s future and that the current approach to decarbonising transport in the UK could see a 28% increase in car ownership and an 11% increase in car traffic by 2050.

It calls for seven day a week public transport connectivity for all rural areas and says town and city centres should aim to be car free by 2030. In addition, a ‘help to move scheme’ should be introduced to provide grants and loans to support people to buy cycles, electric scooters, e-bikes or electric vehicles where they need them.

The group also calls for investment in walking and cycling during this Parliament to increase to at least £6Bn.

IPPR’s environmental justice commission head Luke Murphy said: “The urgency of the climate crisis cannot be overstated. Yet little progress has been made in cutting transport emissions over the past three decades. This imperative for urgent action creates a once in a generation opportunity to put in place a new approach to how we all travel.”

(Photograph: Lindas Photography - Shutterstock)

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