Labour ministers have failed to address Wales’ creaking infrastructure say Welsh Conservatives ahead of their debate in the Senedd this afternoon.
Leading the debate, Shadow Transport Minister Natasha Asghar MS will argue that 23 years of Labour’s dogma and incompetence has resulted in Wales’s infrastructure falling further and further behind the rest of the UK.
Recent events in Wales have highlighted the extent of Labour’s failures with concerts in Cardiff leading to 15-mile-long traffic jams, cancelled and overcrowded trains, and depleted bus services.
A YouGov poll found that 22% of Welsh residents believe rail provision is bad in their area with 11% responding that they do not have any local train service at all.
Public transport remains a vital route by which people can travel around for employment or community, with 13% of households in Wales not having access to a car.
The number of people commuting has increased from 1,158,900 in 2001 to 1,353,100 in 2019, a rise of 16.8%. As people begin to come back into the office, Labour ministers need to deal with increasing pressures on both public transport and roads.
The South East Wales Transport Commission report found that the M4 near Newport ranked within the top 50 traffic hotspots in Europe and was the fourth most congested stretch of urban motorway in the UK
Even Labour’s pet project, Cardiff Airport, has been failing as a result of mismanagement. Statistics show a 44% decrease in passenger numbers at Cardiff Airport in 2021 compared to 2020 despite an easing of restrictions.
Welsh Conservatives Shadow Minister for Transport, Natasha Asghar MS said, “From planes to trains to automobiles, 23 years of Labour mismanagement has left Wales’s transport services lagging behind the rest of the UK.
“Three years ago, Mark Drakeford took the decision to scrap the M4 relief road implementing measures that have made very little difference to this day. Last year, Labour froze all road-building projects proving they have no idea what they are doing on the economy, environment, or infrastructure.
“What Wales needs is a government that will focus on the public’s priorities. Rather than pandering to extreme eco-warriors they need to stop with the hollow promises and take decisive action instead of more politicians in Cardiff Bay.
“Labour ministers in Cardiff Bay need to wake up, smell the coffee and address the damage their inaction is doing to lives and livelihoods.”
