A three per cent increase in the number of people commuting by car has given fresh impetus to a Welsh Assembly Government push to end schemes inaccessible by foot or bike.
Statistics Wales's state of the environment report reveals that the number of people commuting by car rose three per cent to 82.6 per cent between 1999 and 2008. Across the UK the proportion has remained at around 70 per cent, while the proportion of journeys to work on foot or bicycle fell by three per cent over the same period to 10.2 per cent.
The figures come after Welsh environment minister Jane Davidson vowed to act if councils disregard planning advice to allocate sites for development that can be reached without a car.
Sustrans Cymru director Lee Waters said: "We have wonderful policies on integrating transport and land-use planning, but car-dependent developments still go ahead."
DLP Planning senior planner in Cardiff Matthew Hard added: "Planners are often not considering the provision of non-road links at the outset of developments. Too frequently they are an afterthought.”
The news comes as ambitious plans have been announced for Swansea Waterfront to make the city one of Britain’s major maritime centres, and improving the links between the waterfront and the rest of the city is seen as essential in reviving the fortunes of Swansea’s city centre.
As part of the plans, new cycling and walking paths are to be established along the Tawe waterside, which is also to be spruced up with statues, surfacing and lighting. The pathways will be networked to the rest of Swansea’s city centre as part of overall plans to create better links between the centre and its waterfront.
The council and the Welsh Assembly Government will jointly fund the project, which is seen as a major part of the council’s city centre framework, a blueprint for development of the city up to 2020.
The framework envisages a “European boulevard” leading from the middle of the city to the sea, and more connections between the city, its civic centre and the showpiece Swansea Waterfront.
Radar tells me their closing speed, if they are slowing and how far away. Then I decide to say a prayer. The change of light pattern is incidental.
Quite so, which is why our village 20mph zone covers the whole residential extent. Of course, enforcement is another thing..
£4.
No, that's very doubtful while proper testing would be fully destructive.
In that £1000 exactly scenario, beginners should probably be made aware that pedals will be extra.
What's wrong with dropping down on to the Millenium Bridge, or the swing bridge, then the brief, but satisfying climb back up the hill? #training....
The relatives might of course disagree, but in general I'd countenance a relatively light sentence* if only we could fix it so that those who...
Id forgotten that I got a second hand set of project two's for my getting to work bike over twenty years back.
My bet is that all these tires popping off are from people with bad pressure gauges or they're simply just putting too much air in on purpose. ...
David9694 - you were right! These new autonomous vehicles really are conspiring to run out of control!...