The new but very old-fashioned Welsh Government is still scratching around for a solution to congestion on the M4 at Newport – after ruling out demand management measures before its latest review had even started.
Junctions on the M4 in Newport could close, and a new bridge built across the Menai Strait, as part of Welsh government plans for two notorious transport bottlenecks.
It will also begin an 18-month project looking at a range of “roads-based” options for the M4, that could include a new motorway or expanding the Brynglas Tunnels.
In a feat of extraordinary chutzpah, deputy minister for transport Mark Hooper announced the 18-month discussion with the words:
People want action, not endless discussion.
According to the Welsh government, the review carried out by Arup
found that congestion continues to cause unreliable journeys and disruption, and that no single intervention can solve the problem on its own.
However the review itself states clearly
Demand management measures, such as tolls and road user charging, are also outside the scope of the review as they are not currently being pursued by the Welsh Government.
That’s pretty circular. It’s not on the agenda because it’s not on the agenda.
The Welsh Government said that in addition to kicking the “roads-based” solution into the long grass, “a practical programme of improvements will be taken forward over the next five years to deliver shorter-term benefits”. These include:
• Investment in renewal and maintenance of the existing strategic road network motorway and infrastructure.
• A delivery plan to improve how the motorway is operated and managed, targeted improvements to roads and junctions around Newport, and measures to improve freight resilience by making better use of alternative routes such as the A465.
• Continued investment in public transport, including support from Transport for Wales to accelerate delivery of Cardiff Parkway and Magor and Undy stations, improved access to Severn Tunnel Junction railway station, and enhance bus connectivity between Newport and Cardiff.
The BBC reports, as I have, that the most controversial of these measures is possible junction closures on the M4.
It adds that while ministers have ruled out the black route for a new motorway south of Newport along the Gwent Levels,
it is understood that the study could still include a new motorway south of Newport.
The same old trap of trying to accommodate too much traffic in a climate emergency, rather than reducing it.
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