Clean, green transport options a must for Wales. (Eleanor Burnham )

Cymraeg
English

Eleanor Burnham <info@eburnham.org.uk>

Clean, green transport options a must for Wales.

December 5, 2007 12:00 AM

Eleanor Burnham, Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for North Wales, today urged Ieuan Wyn Jones, Minister for Transport for improved rail services and cleaner, greener and safer transport options in Wales.

Speaking in Plenary, Ms Burnham said:

"We must aspire to an affordable, accessible, reliable, clean and fast rail service between North and South Wales. I am a big fan of public transport. The majority of my journeys to the Assembly and back are made on trains. However, a shocking statistic shows that only 60% of the Welsh public use public transport no more than once a year - if at all.

"This is a clear indication that the Welsh transport system is not encouraging environmentally friendly choices amongst the traveling public. It is still cheaper and easier to use a car.

"We need to encourage people to 'go green', however many communities lack safe walking or cycling routes and this failure of the Welsh Assembly Government to provide facilities for safe walking and cycling has an obvious knock on effect on health and wellbeing.

"Healthy living has to be given a helping hand. All you have to do to see the problems is to visit some of Wales' poorest estates and see how they are entirely designed for people with cars. Not only do they lack public transport infrastructure, but all too often, they are not designed with even the most basic safety features to encourage walking and cycling. Pavements without guard rails on busy roads, access routes into estates without pavements at all. It is little wonder that the transport infrastructure is not encouraging healthy living in the poorest communities."

Ends/Diwedd

Contact/Cyswllt: Myrddin Edwards 02920 898345

Release/Rhyddhau: Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Embargo: Nonele