MIKE HEDGES AM ASKS WELSH MINISTER FOR INVESTIGATION INTO CONGESTION ON M4 IN SWANSEA AREA.

MIKE HEDGES AM ASKS WELSH MINISTER FOR INVESTIGATION INTO CONGESTION ON M4 IN SWANSEA AREA.

Speaking after the Plenary Session, Swansea East AM Mike Hedges AM said.. ‘ I live close to Jcn 45 and see on a daily basis the congestion around that Jcn and several times a week drive to Cardiff; anyone who uses the M4 in the Swansea area will know that there are real problems every day around Swansea.

I have long believed that we should be looking to provide better public transport through looking at things such as reopening railway station such as Landore. I have also called for the provision of a metro system for Swansea Bay; I am delighted therefore that an in-depth study of traffic flows and congestion has been announced by the Minister. We know these things take time, but this shows that real progress is being made. I look forward to reading the report the Minister reported would be available early in the New Year’

3. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on traffic congestion on the M4 in the South Wales West region? OAQ52617

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Yes. I can assure the Member that we are taking significant steps to tackle congestion and to improve journey time reliability, through our pinch points programme, and through improvements to public transport and supporting local authorities to address, themselves, key local issues.44

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Well, as anybody who listens to Radio Wales in the morning will be aware, there will be a traffic jam between anywhere around about junction 47 to junction 41. This is a sort of standard every morning. Satnavs, of course, are part of the problem, because they generally produce a ‘via the M4’ route if you are going almost anywhere east or west. Can I ask the Cabinet Secretary to undertake an analysis of where traffic is moving between and also to examine how a metro system could reduce this congestion? It’s getting worse, and anybody who is coming in from the west on a daily basis is caught up in it.45

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I recognise that the Member has a very keen interest in junctions between junction 40 to 48 on the M4. It’s an interest that his colleague sitting right next to him also has. [Laughter.] I think it’s fair to say that evidencing the need to invest in transport improvements is absolutely vital, and modelling current and future traffic patterns will help, in turn, inform how we can maximise the benefits of any spend by the Government. Now, I can assure the Member that my officials, and also Transport for Wales, are looking at meeting in early October to discuss how to build the transport model for south-west Wales, and that model will be used to inform the development of the metro, and also the corridor study that is proposed for the M4 to the west of Bridgend. I’m pleased to be able to say that the commission for an initial WelTAG study to examine congestion 46
WelTAG study to examine congestion between junctions 35 and 49 has recently been awarded, and a report is expected later this year or, at the latest, early 2019.