Written question WQ86726

Ensuring passenger safety on public transport and the safety of those walking and cycling is vital as we encourage more people to make sustainable transport choices.

The British Transport Police (BTP) have primary responsibility for managing crime and anti-social behaviour on the public transport network and the Welsh Government provides funding to deploy additional officers in Wales.

Transport for Wales are delivering improvements to stations across Wales and the Borders which will improve facilities for passengers including items such as CCTV which will help make our stations safer.

From the passenger safety perspective on buses, there are regulations in place that bus companies must abide with in relation to bus capacity and the number of passengers that are permitted to stand at any one time when seating is not available on a bus. Vehicle roadworthiness is also of paramount importance and is maintained through further constringent bus industry regulations around processes and procedures that bus operators must follow when holding a PSV operator licence. This is enforced by the Driver, Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and regulated by the Traffic Commissioner for Wales. Many bus operators also have CCTV in operation on their buses as a deterrent to anti-social behaviour.

While policing is currently a reserved matter, we work closely with Policing in Wales and the Home Office on strategic issues, taking a partnership approach to reducing crime and anti-social behaviour. We also fund 600 Police Community Support Officers for the four Welsh police forces and British Transport Police, which helps protect communities across Wales.

We have significantly increased our investment in the creation and improvement of walking and cycling routes in recent years, with over £50million allocated this year. Our Active Travel Act Guidance sets out the requirements and criteria for these routes, which have safety considerations at their core.

We are providing funding to local authorities to deliver cycle training and child pedestrian training. In 2022/23 we have allocated £670,966 to National Standards Cycle training and £683,837 to pedestrian safety initiatives.

We provide an annual grant of £118,048 to RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) who provide safety advice and run safety campaigns for pedestrians and cyclists.

The introduction of the 20mph default speed limit across built up areas of Wales will further improve the safety of those using active travel modes. Decreasing speeds not only reduces collisions and saves lives, it also improves the quality of life making room on our streets for safer active travel and encouraging more people to get out of their cars to walk or cycle.