Mark Mansfield
Transport campaigners have criticised Welsh Labour’s renewed support for an M4 relief road, warning that the financial and environmental concerns behind its cancellation have not gone away.
Transport Action Network (TAN) Cymru said public transport improvements should take priority in tackling congestion around Newport, ahead of a Senedd debate on Wednesday, October 21.
Labour’s motion calls on the Welsh Government to begin work on a new relief road and rule out closing junctions 25, 26 and 27.
Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates has backed an amended version of the previously proposed black route south of Newport.
TAN Cymru transport campaigner Gwynfor Edwards said: “A new motorway is the wrong answer for Newport. Building more road capacity risks generating more traffic, while the financial and environmental concerns that led to the scheme being scrapped in 2019 have not gone away.”
Mr Edwards called for the South East Wales Transport Commission’s recommendations to take priority.
“The South East Wales Transport Commission set out a better way forward, with public transport alternatives that could improve connectivity between Cardiff and Newport, including new rail stations,” he said.
“These options should be prioritised before committing to another major road scheme.”
However, the group backed Labour’s opposition to junction closures.
“Ruling out junction closures, however, is the right decision. Closing junctions would simply push traffic onto local streets,” Mr Edwards said.
“Whatever Members decide, people in Newport deserve more than another delay. They need a clear timetable, a properly funded plan and practical action to tackle congestion.”
Then first minister Mark Drakeford cancelled the relief road on cost and environmental grounds. His government subsequently established the commission, also known as the Burns Commission, to examine alternatives.
The current Plaid Cymru government has ruled out reviving the black route but announced an 18-month study into other roads-based options, after which it intends to select a preferred scheme.
Ministers say a review found that no single measure would resolve congestion and that road improvements were needed alongside other changes.
A five-year programme will include motorway maintenance, changes to traffic management, targeted road and junction improvements, and measures to encourage freight operators to use alternative routes such as the A465.
Public transport plans include accelerating delivery of Cardiff Parkway and Magor and Undy railway stations, improving access to Severn Tunnel Junction station and better bus connections between Newport and Cardiff.
‘Beyond capacity’
Deputy Minister for Transport Mark Hooper said: “Alongside that work, we are taking action to reduce peak-hour traffic by up to around one in ten vehicles.
“Every vehicle taken off the road helps on a motorway that is already operating at or beyond capacity at the busiest times.”
Options outlined earlier this month included closing junction 27 at High Cross and the eastbound slip roads at junctions 25 and 26.
The report estimated that a relief road could now cost around £3 billion. It also warned that the former route was no longer protected through the planning system, meaning development could make it harder or more expensive to build.
‘No other option’
Mr Skates told BBC Wales that other measures would not adequately resolve congestion.
“That means that there is no other option on the table other than a relief road if we wish to solve the problem of congestion on that route,” he said.
He argued that circumstances had changed since 2019 and that further work would be needed to address environmental concerns.
Plaid Cymru MS Peredur Owen Griffiths, who represents Casnewydd Islwyn, described Labour’s position as “hypocrisy”, accusing the party of reversing a decision it had made in government.
TAN Cymru also pointed out that, just seven months ago, Mr Skates had backed public transport measures while serving as transport minister and said the relief road “had been and gone”.
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