, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
It's worth saying, as well, that roads aren't just used by motorised vehicles—
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
It does, and I agree entirely that the state of a lot of pavements is not acceptable. This is why I want to make sure that councils have more freedom and flexibility.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
It's the whole envelope that I'd like to—
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
There's a lot of bidding going on.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
I'm going to bring in Peter to explain some of the nuances around this. On the strategic road network, we're looking at in excess of £1 billion. But that figure needs to be explained more fully, because that relates to a gold-plated maintenance programme. On…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
Yes. I think the Lugg review is a grand piece of work, I really do. It's not that well publicised, but those who know something about it, I think, recognise that it was a superb review.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
Newtown is a great example as well.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
Well, it has, but in the past people still would have driven into Mold; it's just that they would have waited slightly longer and contributed more carbon to the atmosphere.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
Let me just identify a few more examples as well, if that helps. What is wanted in Llanbedr is a good example, I think. There's the Mold bypass. Okay, we're going back a few years now, but before the Mold bypass was built, freight had to go through the centre…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
Yes, an example.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
I'm talking about making sure that you target, and this is what we want to do—we want to make sure that this policy is finessed sufficiently to ensure that you are drawing from local roads traffic that should be on a strategic road network—
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
Yes, it does exist, but it's not always bad is the point I'm trying to make. If you're trying to make sure that you have an effective public transport system—a bus system that can operate reliably, on time—you have to have the road network for it. And so…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
Entirely, I believe, and I'll outline why I think it's consistent. If we're going to get people out of cars, we're going to have to make sure that we get people onto public transport. Public transport first is my view. And we're not going to get people onto…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
We're being as creative as we can. But projects like the third Menai crossing, certainly, was never taken fully off the table, because there was a recognition that Wylfa Newydd might well go forward. So, we're really, really serious about looking at road…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
Yes, I do want to look at the third Menai crossing, particularly given the prospect of a new nuclear reactor on Ynys Môn. So, it's very, very much part of our consideration. That said, we're taking forward recommendations from the North Wales Transport…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
I can identify more, but—
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
Yes, you're right—you're absolutely right. Current EVs are heavier than cars with internal combustion engines, and that's something that we've talked about, actually, for years. We were talking about it when I was last in the role, and how that would impact…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
Yes, again, this is why I asked how long I've got, because I could talk for ages about this. So, EVs are really interesting because, actually, Toyota, it looks like, have cracked the problem with trying to develop dry-cell batteries. Now, if that's the case…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
Well, we're looking at that at the moment, and I'll be coming forward with—. Anything that we do on it, I will come forward with a statement in the Chamber.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
Right. It was Mark Drakeford, a few years ago, who once reminded me that political parties often fight the last election, and that's so true. And I think also there's a risk that, as a politician, as a decision maker, you're making decisions on the basis of…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
I think I've already said that in the past, that they should, and I remain committed to the process of devolution, to making sure that decisions are made at the most appropriate level. We have in place now CJCs. We've got the regional transport plans that are…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
And it has not really often been said that that was one of the main reasons why the policy was introduced, because the process of introducing individual TROs was becoming so bureaucratic and so costly that it had to be cheaper to do what we've done—less…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
And I've spoken with a number of officials, actually, about the potential to be able to package—whatever the term is, the official term—or to bulk them, or package them together, for a single TRO, rather than doing it on a street-by-street basis.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
Yes.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport
I think we're looking at being able to—. Is it—? I forget what the term is that local authorities use. Is it 'bulk' them, or something?
