During a Welsh Conservative debate on transport connectivity in the Senedd today, Gareth Davies MS highlighted what he described as “decades of stagnation in Wales’ road infrastructure.” He argued that transport links are essential to economic growth and community links, enabling people to travel to work, businesses to move goods, and rural and urban areas to remain connected.
Mr Davies criticised the Welsh Government’s transport policies including the introduction of a default 20mph speed limit, the cancellation of the M4 relief road after significant spending on planning, and the Welsh Government’s decision to freeze all road building projects across Wales, referencing continued congestion on major routes and warned that these policies have contributed to weaker transport infrastructure compared with other parts of the UK. He also pointed out Wales has some of the most congested road infrastructure in Europe.
Mr Davies also raised issues with transport connectivity in North Wales, citing prolonged disruption to the Menai Bridge, the lack of major road investment in Denbighshire since the construction of the Rhuddlan bypass in the 1990s, and delays to restoring the Llannerch Bridge linking Trefnant and Tremerichion following storm damage in 2021, despite his continued work with the authorities to find a solution. He also highlighted ongoing safety and congestion issues on parts of the A55, which he said have not been adequately addressed.
Commenting following the exchange, Gareth Davies MS said:
“It is deeply frustrating for people in North Wales to see vital transport links neglected year after year while congestion worsens, the population rises, and communities are left dealing with the consequences.
“For too long, the political choice to freeze all road building projects and imposing blanket policies like the default 20mph limit have prioritised ideology over the practical needs of workers, businesses, and local economies, with all of us across North Wales paying the price.
“The Welsh Government should scrap the default 20mph limit, invest properly in road infrastructure, upgrade the A55, and commit to delivering a third Menai crossing so that North Wales can grow and stay connected to the rest of the country.”