After looking at some of the blunders and missed opportunities when it comes to transport, it’s time for the “good news” – strategies and policies that the Welsh and UK governments have successfully pursued over the years.
There’ll be a break of a few weeks before the next part, so you can go through the previous pieces to catch up here:
While the Welsh Government – and everyone else involved in delivering transport in Wales – aren’t getting some of the big decisions right (or not doing so promptly), some smaller, local measures are playing their part.
We can all point to big-ticket infrastructure such as a new road, bus station or railway station as a visible sign of investment in transport or sustainable transport, but sometimes the little things can have a big impact. Some measures in Wales include:
- The introduction of a default 20mph speed limit on most urban roads from September 2023. In 2022, a little over half of all road accidents in Wales happened on 30mph roads, with just 6% occurring on 20mph roads2.
- The gradual removal of anti-motorbike barriers/chicanes from active travel routes.
- Support, in principle, for measures such as sewing wildflowers into roadside verges to improve biodiversity (this isn’t popular with everyone and you could view it as an excuse for council cut-backs).
- Projects in schools like “walking buses”, “park and stride” and travel plans, as well as changes to the curriculum to create “healthy, confident individuals who are ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society” (meaning being fully aware of the impact their transport choices have).
- Sustainable drainage is being integrated into new highways infrastructure and residential developments as standard – Wales made it mandatory in 2019.
- Promoting leisure walking routes to and from railway stations, improving active travel facilities at stations and providing additional cycle storage on new trains.
Also, while Welsh roads aren’t “safe” by any means, the number of people killed or seriously injured on Welsh roads fell by 15% between 2015-20221 and since 1999 it’s fallen by around 39%2.
1. Stats Wales, “Recorded road accidents by severity and area”. Available at: https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Transport/Roads/Road-Accidents/accidents/roadaccidents-by-severity-area
2. Welsh Government (26th April 2023). “Police recorded road collisions”. Available at: https://www.gov.wales/police-recorded-road-collisions-2022-html
