Wales Green Party welcome the decision announced today by First Minister Mark Drakeford that the plans for the controversial M4 relief road have been scrapped, a decision that follows many years of campaigning by the Green Party and many other organisations.
Anthony Slaughter, Leader of Wales Green Party, said ‘This is absolutely the right decision and one that should have made several years ago. At a time when the climate emergency is being recognised at every level of government it would have been an act of criminal folly to go ahead with a road building scheme based on 1970’s transport policy and a betrayal of future generations.
We hope that this decision is followed by meaningful action to create a sustainable transport system fit for the twenty first century. Urgent action is needed to reduce our carbon emissions and tackle the air pollution crisis.’
Deputy leader of the Green Party Amelia Womack, who campaigned on this issue in the recent Newport West by election, added ‘This is fantastic news that the First Minister will scrap the M4 relief road. This is a powerful action to protect our precious biodiversity as well as to ensure we’re tackling our carbon emissions, so we remain below 1.5 degrees of warming.
Drakeford now needs to ensure that there’s proper investment in public transport networks to reduce the volume of traffic and help reduce congestion in the area.’
