Message to Wales - On Yer Bike (Part 2)

How Welsh Government intend to implement the Transport Strategy 2021

“We need to change the way we travel. We need fewer cars on our roads and more people using public transport, walking or cycling”.

The above statement is taken from the ‘Action Summary’ of the Active Travel Delivery Plan 2024-2027’. It should now be apparent to more and more people that the 20mph default speed limit was not about safety as I have previously written, but was part of a multi pronged attack on the ‘primacy of car transport’ being ‘deeply embedded in all aspects of our thinking and practice’ as former Deputy Minister for Climate Change Lee Waters states in the introduction of the National Transport Delivery Plan 2022 - 2027.

Or, as many prefer to call it - a ‘war on cars’.

Having perused the two aforementioned plans, I thought I’d share with you a few interesting pieces of information to look out for. During 2024 - 2025, Welsh Government will identify a town where they can ‘deliver a wide range of interventions, including in schools, to demonstrate what we can achieve when we fully commit to active travel’. I should imagine this will be a nice little town like Llantwit Major or Cowbridge without logistical issues and where the population is largely law abiding and compliant and with a low ‘boy racer’ demographic.

We should also see ‘pathfinder schemes’ - Transport For Wales will be working with ‘delivery partners’ to establish schemes to develop different collaborative delivery models and strategies to encourage ‘greater modal shift to active travel’.

Street cycle hangars will be piloted in 2024 with Transport For Wales and local authorities, as will making roads ‘more active travel friendly’ through Welsh Government updating its Road Safety Strategy.

“Our goal is to make active travel the first and natural choice for all or part of everyday journeys for many more people.” (Active Travel Delivery Plan)

Will it be the first and natural choice of Members of the Senedd, too? Their offical fleet comprises the following (obtained through a recent FOI request):

Volvo S90 Saloon, 2.0 D4 Auto, Inscription Pro, £35,868

Volvo S90 Saloon, 2.0 D4 Auto, Momentum Pro, £31,678

Volvo S90 Saloon, 2.0 D4 Auto, Momentum, £29,750

Volvo S90 Saloon, 2.0 D4 Auto, Momentum, £29,750

Volvo S90 Saloon, 2.0 D4 Auto, Momentum, £29,750

Volvo S90 Saloon, T8 Auto, Inscription Hybrid, £39,995

Volvo S90 Saloon, T8 Auto, Inscription Hybrid, £41,250

Volvo S90 Saloon, T8 Auto, Inscription Hybrid, £41,250

Volvo S90 Saloon, T8 Auto, Inscription Hybrid, £41,250

Nissan Leaf, Tekna Auto, £27,385

Nissan Leaf, Tekna Auto, £30,096

Nissan Leaf, Tekna Auto, £30,096

In Llwybr Newydd, Wales’ Transport Strategy (which I outlined 18 months ago here ), the stated target for journeys to be made by public transport, walking and cycling by 2040 is a not insignificant amount of 45% of total journeys.

The ATDP (Active Travel Delivery Plan) mentions a 'Vision Zero’ approach to safety. This means that no death or serious injury is acceptable on roads. “This will support the delivery of our legal obligations on accessibility and safety as a highways authority and complement our work on active travel, road space reallocation and speed limits”.

Expect a consultation on new civil enforcement powers to address pavement parking. These have already been set back, following local authorities complaining that ministers were trying to implement too many transport policies at the same time.

A revealing paragraph taken from the National Transport Delivery Plan 2022-2027 states thus:

“We will also motivate people away from private car use through demand management - the Wales Transport Strategy includes a commitment to develop a national road user charging framework. Further work will be undertaken to develop a fair and equitable road user charging framework, including how local authorities can borrow against these future revenue streams to fund transport improvements; and also consider other alternatives such as workplace car parking levies and road space reallocation.”

The devolution settlement surrounding road user charging is complex; it seems that this may be left to individual local authorities who would then have to spend revenue incurred on local transport priorities.

Section 4.2.3.1 of the NTDP states that in the delivery of better bus schemes, Welsh Government will invest in a Pay As You Go ticketing scheme using contactless debit / credit cards. Hardly ‘inclusive’ to those of us who like to pay cash and to budget accordingly. Maybe it could eventually morph into a way of limiting superfluous ‘bus joyriding’ rather than what the government deems 'essential travel’?

It’s always interesting to scour the ‘annexes’ of these reports. In the annexe of the NTDP (Programmes, Projects and Interventions) we learn that BC5 stands for Behaviour Change 5 and is a programme to ‘Deliver national air quality communications and behaviour change campaigns such as Clean Air Day’ and BC6 is the delivery of ‘anti-idling messaging to encourage drivers of stationary vehicles to turn their engines off’. Both will be coming into force between 2022-2027 and beyond.

Last and by no means least, according to the Active Travel Delivery Plan, by the end of 2024, it appears there will be a legal duty placed upon local authorities and Welsh ministers to promote active travel as a way of reducing or limiting air pollution. I tweeted out the highlighted text if you wish to read it and predict that air quality will become a hot topic soon.