Cycling and walking progress ‘painfully slow’ in Wales – report

Wales is making “painfully slow” progress in getting more people to walk and cycle, a review has found.

Experts praised funding levels and “pioneering legislation” but noted there appears to have been no “significant increase” in walking and cycling in more than a decade.

Around one in three journeys are currently carried out by walking, cycling or public transport in Wales.

The Welsh government wants this to rise to 45% by 2040 and said it would consider the report’s findings.

The report, from the independent Active Travel Board, recommends focusing future government funding on one or two towns in each local authority area to ensure greater impact.

It also calls for an overhaul of data collection, pointing to gaps in the information available on how many children walk or cycle to school, for instance.

Since 2013, the government and local authorities have had a legal duty to continuously improve provision for walking and cycling – to help the environment and people’s health – under Wales’ Active Travel Act.

The lack of increase in cycling and walking rates since this act came into force follows a similar warning six years ago.

One initiative that does seem to be making a difference is the launch of Wales’ first 24/7 bike storage facility in Newport city centre.

“We discovered that the risk of your bike being stolen was quite a major barrier to people cycling into Newport,” explained Mark Seymour of The Gap Wales.

The charity has partnered with Spokesafe, an organisation providing bike storage that users can book via an app, to take over an empty shop with support from Welsh government and Newport City Homes.

The facility has been up and running for 18 months, with a recent survey suggesting over half of its users would not have gone into the city centre without it.

“Everybody benefits from active travel – it means there are fewer vehicles on the road, less congestion and pollution and also more parking space for those who need to drive a car,” Mr Seymour said.

Ben, a 20-year-old student, said he valued the hub as a “safe place for bikes, especially at night – otherwise you’re going to lose it”.

“I’ve got a free bus pass but I’d sooner ride the bike into town,” added Jim Corry, 67.

“Why pay for parking and petrol when I can come here and store my bike for £1.50 a day?

“[This facility] has made a big difference and I use it a lot.”

It is one of a number of examples of good practice featured in the report, which says Wales has the potential to become “a global leader”.

The “polarising” change to a default 20mph speed limit on restricted roads is praised, with increased funding for walking and cycling infrastructure also “highly commended”.

Wales is now spending £19 per head of the population on active travel, compared with £12 in England.

But rates of walking and cycling remain “stubbornly low”, the experts warn.

Currently, 51% of adults walk at least once a week, down from 60% pre-pandemic.

And 6% of adults cycle at least once a week, with 10% cycling at least once a month.

Dr Dafydd Trystan, who chairs the Active Travel Board said their report presented “a mixed picture”.

“As I travel internationally both within these islands and beyond, the work of Welsh government on active travel is recognised and celebrated as an example of good practice,” he said.

But he added “the behaviour change we seek is for the most part absent in the available data”.

“We have set the ambition of becoming an active travel nation, but as yet progress on that journey has been painfully slow.”

Deputy chairwoman Rhiannon Letman-Wade, who led the group’s research on schools, pointed to “the excellent work” undertaken by Howardian Primary School, in Penylan, Cardiff – where she said 90% of pupils now travel actively to school.

“It can be done. And there may well be more schools out there, but we aren’t able to track this, because our data is not where it could be,” she said.

A spokesman for the Welsh government said it welcomed the Active Travel Board’s report.

It said it would consider the report’s findings and “respond in due course”.