Plaid Cymru calls for action as traffic numbers peak

Plaid Cymru has called on the Welsh Government to make public transport easier to use as figures reveal that traffic numbers on Welsh roads has peaked.

Plaid Cymru Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure Dai Lloyd has called for a Wales-wide integrated transport network to make it convenient for people to use public transport to help people become less dependent on their cars.

Figures show that vehicle kilometres on Welsh roads had risen to 28.4, up from 26.76 in 2011.

Dai Lloyd accused the Welsh Government of dithering over potential solutions to the problem, and said that the UK Government’s decision to scrap the electrification of the rail line to Swansea would exacerbate the issue.

Plaid Cymru Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure Dai Lloyd said:

“Anyone who spends hours every week queuing on the M4 in Port Talbot, in the Brynglas Tunnels or on the Britannia Bridge will be unsurprised by the news that traffic in Wales is at record levels. Welsh motorists spend years every year stuck in frustrating tailbacks when they want to be going about their business.

“And this problem isn’t going to go away. The UK government’s inexplicable decision to cancel the electrification of the rail line to Swansea and the Welsh Government’s failure to invest in important projects such as a properly integrated public transport system and the electrification of the north Wales rail line is going to exacerbate the problem. Scrapping the Severn Bridge tolls without improving public transport systems will only push more traffic onto our already congested roads.

“Plaid Cymru has set out plans to invest in a fully integrated Wales’ public transport network to make it easier for people to use it. We need to make it much easier for people opt for alternatives to their cars. Plaid Cymru wants to build on the good work we did when we were in government by upgrading key roads in Wales, and we will continue to fight for the UK Government to honour its promise to electrify the rail line.

“Welsh motorists are spending more and more time in queues, and there is no indication that this will change any time soon. It’s time for the governments on both ends of the M4 to realise that action is needed.”