Welsh government launches guidance to encourage active travel

Welsh Active Travel Act Guidance will help local authorities to plan, design and deliver high-quality walking and cycling routes across Wales.

The new guidance brings together previous advice and feedback from a public consultation, and sets out what is expected from councils when they are designing new infrastructure with Welsh government funding.

The Welsh government is set to invest £75m in active travel this year to provide people with access to high quality active travel routes across the country so they feel safe to cycle or walk.

Deputy minister for climate change, with a responsibility for transport, Lee Waters, said: ‘We know that getting people out of cars for short journeys to cycle or walk is an ambitious agenda, but if we’re to meet our net zero carbon emission target by 2050 we need to take action now.

‘Having the right infrastructure in place is key to encouraging more people to feel safe to walk and cycle and that’s why we’ve committed to investing significant funding in active travel this year.

‘The guidance I have published today sets out our expectations of councils to take bold and ambitious steps when developing new infrastructure, so that more people have the confidence to make a change to the way they travel, benefitting both their own health and wellbeing and helping to reduce the impact on our environment.’

In a recent study carried out by Beaufort, on behalf of the Welsh government, it was found that almost half of people surveyed said they were concerned that roads were not safe for cyclists, with 59% of children commenting that they did not feel their children were safe cycling on local roads.

In related news, the Welsh Building Safety Fund will be used to conduct fire safety surveys of high-rise buildings to ensure safety for residents, according to a Welsh government announcement.

Photo by Alejandro Lopez