North Wales Transport Commission will identify alternatives to car journeys

The Welsh Government has launched a new transport commission that will develop a pipeline of transport schemes for north Wales.

The announcement follows recommendations from the Welsh Government’s Roads Review Panel and the recently published Union Connectivity Review by Sir Peter Hendy, which called for a multi-modal review of the A55 corridor.

The year-long review, led by Lord Terry Burns, former Permanent Secretary of the UK Treasury, will develop recommendations for road, rail, bus and active travel across the whole of north Wales.

The North Wales Transport Commission follows the model set-up after the cancellation in 2019 of the M4 relief road in south Wales.

Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Lee Waters said, “This does not mean the end of road building, but it does mean a greater emphasis on looking after the roads we already have as well as investing in alternatives to give people a real choice.

“If we are serious about facing up to the Climate Emergency, we have to be willing to do things differently, and critically to give people across north Wales genuine alternatives to using their cars for most journeys.

As well as looking at the A55 corridor, the North Wales Transport Commission will look at improving sustainable transport options in rural areas. This, says Waters, will need a shift of investment towards public transport, adding “I’m very pleased Lord Burns has agreed to lead a panel of local experts to set out a detailed list of projects that will be needed to make this a reality.”