Rail alternatives weak in relation to M4

One of the most radical transport decisions in recent years was the scrapping of the M4 widening in south Wales by the Welsh Government. It marked a key move away from the road-based policies that have dominated transport decisions for decades. Instead, the Welsh Government set up a commission to investigate alternatives to the M4 widening – and it has just published its preliminary findings.

The hope was that some of the journeys currently undertaken by motorists would switch to rail, but the report highlights the difficulties of doing this. While there is a good network of rail lines in the area, the network is not easily accessible to many people, such as those on new developments that are far from a station.

While services between the major conurbations, such as Cardiff, Newport and

Bristol, are frequent, they are not useful for those people who do not want to get from city centre to city centre. Many local services only operate once per hour, and are crowded at peak times, making them unattractive to all but a few regular commuters.

While this report covers a very specific local area, its message is far wider. Its findings show that it is difficult to get people to use rail - and indeed buses - after decades of planning and transport policies have moved in the wrong direction.

Getting people on to public transport requires coherent planning and a long term vision that can only be done by local bodies. Wales is fortunate in that it has its own government, but the underlying message of this report is the need for genuine, wellfinanced devolution to local bodies that are prepared to think long term.