Hitting the road

BBC Wales has 'uncovered' a report published last month by the Assembly’s ministerial advisory group on transport. The 198 page report carries a number of key messages, which are:

High levels of mobility are a feature of a prosperous and inclusive society, as well as an enabler of future economic and social development. The Welsh Assembly Government should seek to facilitate mobility by ensuring that the transport network operates efficiently and effectively.

There is an urgent need to restore capacity and reliability to the main east-west strategic corridors, as well as to tackle urban congestion.

It is possible to put transport onto a carbon reduction pathway without risking future economic growth. In the short-term it should be possible to secure carbon savings of 3 per cent per annum, and it is realistic to aim for a reduction of 80 per cent by 2050. This will be achieved mainly by improved engine technology and a reduction in the carbon content of fuel. Modal switching can make a small additional contribution and deliver other benefits, but is not a scaleable solution.

There is a need to use the existing transport funding more effectively and also to increase the level of resources available. The current approach to supporting public transport for social reasons is rapidly becoming unaffordable and should be reviewed as a matter of urgency.

The organisational arrangements for transport are unnecessarily complicated and the regional transport consortia represent an unnecessary tier in the structure. The Assembly Government should take control of strategic routes into urban areas, as well as all local authority responsibilities for transport planning and delivery.

WAG has also published ministerial responses to the recommendations which, when read in conjunction with the report, doesn’t exactly carry the same stark message that pensioners should get out the Nikes. But that wouldn’t be news would it?

The report is a well laid out and cogent assessment of what the One Wales government needs to address and it deserves better and less sensational treatment by a public broadcasting service. A start might be identifying the membership of the advisory group and their backgrounds.