Wales sets out transport investment priorities, with petrol and diesel cars bottom

The Welsh Government has outlined how it plans to invest in transport, with cycling and walking schemes prioritised and petrol and diesel cars bottom. Credit: PA Images

The Welsh Government has outlined its priorities for investing in transport over the next 20 years, with petrol and diesel cars at the bottom of the list.

Cycling and walking schemes will be the highest priority under the plans, with public transport in second place and ultra low emission vehicles third.

Other private motor vehicles are at the bottom of the list, in a bid to stop travelling by car being seen as "the easiest way to get around for most people".

It comes ahead of a suspected acceleration of the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040 to 2030 by the UK Government.

Many Welsh towns and cities have seen roads closed and pedestrianised during the pandemic, including Castle Street in Cardiff, a major road in the middle of the capital.

Castle Street in Cardiff became pedestrianised during the pandemic. Credit: PA Images

The proposal is part of a 20-year vision named "Llwybr Newydd - New Path" to cut carbon emissions from transport.

The sector makes up 17 per cent of Wales' total carbon emissions, according to the Welsh Government.

Ambitions for the plan include:

  • Reducing the need to travel

  • Making sustainable transport more affordable and appealing

  • Supporting innovation

Ministers have recently outlined their long-term ambition for 30 per cent of the workforce to work from home or remotely, by giving people more choice over where they do their job.

The increase in home-working caused by the pandemic has seen fewer vehicles on Welsh roads. Credit: PA Images

The transport minister, Ken Skates, said the country's transport system is "at an important moment in its development".

He added: "Our climate is in crisis, new technology is disrupting the way we think about travel itself and coronavirus is severely testing the financial and economic foundations of public transport models.

"Our new strategy - Llwybr Newydd - sets out a commitment to a major reduction in transport emissions so we are all playing our part to address the crisis we face.

"It shows how promoting social justice and tackling the climate emergency will be at the heart of our work, particularly in the context of a pandemic which is fundamentally changing the way we live, work and play.

"The shift towards a greener transport system is already under way, with record levels of investment in active travel and public transport."

Deputy minister for transport Lee Waters said: "We've reached the point where travelling by car is seen as the easiest way to get around for most people.

"If we are to succeed in tackling climate change that has to change, but it's going to take a big effort to encourage people to consider alternatives.

"We will only succeed in persuading people to alter their habits if we make the alternative to using the car more attractive. And that's the task our new transport strategy sets itself."

A consultation on the proposals will run until 25 January next year.