Welsh road building projects scrapped

All major road building projects in Wales have been shelved due to environmental concerns. This includes the third Menai bridge and the red route in Flintshire.

The announcement follows a year-long review and is part of the Welsh Government's National Transport Plan.

The Welsh Government has responded to the Roads Review, which was set up in June 2021 by the deputy minister for climate change and a large number of the 55 road schemes that were assessed have been scrapped.

A panel of experts reviewed road schemes in development across Wales to establish if they were in line with Welsh Government policy and if they they could assist in tackling the climate and nature emergencies.

Following recommendations from the panel, the government will now only consider future road investment for projects that: reduce carbon emissions and support a shift to public transport, walking and cycling; improve safety through small-scale change; help the Welsh Government adapt to the impacts of climate change; and provide connections to jobs and areas of economic activity in a way that maximises the use of public transport, walking and cycling.

Deputy climate change minister Lee Waters said: "Our approach for the last 70 years is not working.

"As the review points out the by-pass that was demanded to relieve congestion often ends up leading to extra traffic, which in time brings further demands for extra lanes, wider junctions and more roads.

"Round and round we go, emitting more and more carbon as we do it and we will not get to Net Zero unless we stop doing the same thing over and over.

"When Julie James and I took up our new roles, we made clear that in this decade Wales has to make greater cuts in emissions than we have in the whole of the last three decades combined.

"Greater cuts in the next ten years than the whole of the last 30 - that’s what the science says we need to do if we are to future-proof Wales.

"The UN General Secretary has warned that unless we act decisively now we face a ‘climate catastrophe’.

"If we are to declare a Climate and Nature Emergency, legislate to protect the Well-being of Future Generations, and put into law a requirement to reach NetZero by 2050 - we simply have to be prepared to follow through."

Tim Birch, senior policy and advocacy manager at Wildlife Trusts Wales, said: “It is clear that the Welsh Government has recognised that business as usual is not an option when it comes to road building across Wales – the climate and nature emergencies must be urgently addressed. Tackling the emissions from the transport sector, which currently makes up over 15% of the total carbon emissions in Wales, is critical in the fight against climate change. Building more roads to accommodate more cars not only damages the climate but destroys vital habitats for wildlife. That’s why the decision by the Welsh Government to set stringent conditions on any new road building is a very important step.
 
“These conditions include a need to ensure that any future road building does not lead to an increase in the release of carbon from vehicles. But critically, it seeks to ensure that any future roads do not destroy ecologically valuable sites. This step will hopefully see the end to damaging road schemes.”

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