Written question WQ82621

To make streets outside schools safer, many are now are subject to a 20mph speed limit. However, it is proposed to take this further and make 20mph the default speed limit in Wales from April 2023, which will also encourage active travel and reduce car use. This will mean many children’s journeys to and from school will be safer, as it will be on streets subject to a lower speed limit.

I set up an expert task force group to tackle the problem of parking on pavements in Wales. It investigated several options and concluded the most efficient and quickest solution was to introduce subordinate legislation, which would add the offence of obstruction in respect of the pavement to the list of parking contraventions in the Traffic Management Act 2004, providing enforcement powers to local authorities. The task force group’s report can be found at: https://gov.wales/welsh-pavement-parking-task-force-group-report.

The full response to the task and finish group’s recommendations and how we will progress them can be found at https://gov.wales/welsh-government-response-recommendations-made-pavement-parking-task-force-report.

A working group involving all stakeholders is currently being set up to draft new enforcement guidance for local authorities where it is proposed to introduce legislation in the summer of 2022 so local authorities will be able to take action against vehicles that cause an obstruction on the pavement. This is as much about changing hearts and minds as it is about hard enforcement, and we will be developing a communications campaign rooted in values to make the case for change.

The Welsh Government has awarded £6.4m to local authorities through the Safe Routes in Communities Grant for 2021-22. The grant aims to increase levels of active travel among children travelling to school and in the wider community and improve the environment for walking, cycling and scooting around schools.

The Active Travel Fund also includes an active travel schools project in Cardiff for which they have been allocated £1.2m for the delivery of both physical infrastructure changes as well as behaviour change elements around a package of four schools in Cardiff.

In addition, we have allocated £3.5m of Road Safety Capital funding for 2021-22 to deliver interventions and physical schemes aimed towards reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured in Wales by targeting high risk and vulnerable casualty groups. Schemes also seek to enable the increased uptake of active travel as well improving the liveability of communities.