Sam Rowlands, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, has accused Welsh Government of being totally out of touch with the needs of people in his region.
Speaking in a Welsh Conservative debate on the Welsh Government’s road review Mr Rowlands, Shadow Minister for Local Government said:
I would like to highlight the sheer impact that this review will have on residents who I represent. As we regretfully know, North Wales is set to miss out massively due to this review. We know that 16 projects were lined up for North Wales, 15 of these will now either be stopped or scrapped altogether. All major road building and upgrade projects across my region have been stopped.
This review, for my residents, is absolutely staggering. Amongst the scrapped projects are upgrades to the A483 Wrexham bypass, the A494 Lôn Fawr, Ruthin and Corwen roads, the A483 Halton roundabout, the A55 at junctions 15 to 16 and 32 to 33, as well as the third Menai crossing.
The Welsh Labour Government will again tell us that this road building ban is vital to protect the environment and reduce carbon emissions, but what they again fail to understand is that, for many of my residents in North Wales, private road transport is the only practical transport option, with around 84% of people in Wales relying on car or motorbike to go about their ordinary daily lives, and with these vehicles getting cleaner and greener with a rapid shift away from the internal combustion engine.
This roads review outcome would've been received with much more warmth if we had sufficient and appropriate levels of public transport in my region of North Wales. But the people in my region know that this simply isn't the case, and as evidence of this, we know that 11,000 train services were cancelled by Transport for Wales over the last three years, and over £2 million was paid out in compensation to those passengers since 2018.
The final point I'd like to raise is the sheer lack of engagement by the roads review panel with the public, elected representatives, local authorities, businesses, the third sector and others during the course of the review.
The scrapping of the road building projects that have been announced in the road review could have a dangerous impact on the people of Wales. It's a backward step in how we go about our daily lives. Instead of slowing Wales down, the Welsh Government should grip the wheel and get Wales moving again with a pro-growth, pro-business, pro-worker programme that works for drivers.
Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru’n dal i siomi pobl y Gogledd meddai Sam Rowlands AS
Mae Sam Rowlands, Aelod o’r Senedd dros Ogledd Cymru, wedi cyhuddo Llywodraeth Cymru o fod yn gwbl ddall i anghenion pobl yn ei rhanbarth.
Wrth siarad mewn dadl gan y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig ar adolygiad ffyrdd Llywodraeth Cymru dywedodd Mr Rowlands, Gweinidog Llywodraeth Leol yr Wrthblaid:
Hoffwn dynnu sylw at effaith aruthrol yr adolygiad hwn ar drigolion rwyf yn eu cynrychioli. Fel y gwyddom yn anffodus, bydd y Gogledd ar ei golled yn sgil yr adolygiad hwn. Rydyn ni’n gwybod bod 16 o brosiectau ar y gweill ar gyfer y Gogledd, nawr bydd 15 o'r rhain naill ai'n cael eu hatal neu eu dileu’n gyfan gwbl. Mae pob un prosiect adeiladu ac uwchraddio ffyrdd mawr ledled fy rhanbarth wedi cael ei atal.
I’m preswylwyr i, mae'r adolygiad hwn yn gwbl syfrdanol. Ymhlith y prosiectau sydd wedi’u dileu mae uwchraddio ffordd osgoi Wrecsam, yr A494 Lôn Fawr, ffyrdd Rhuthun a Chorwen, cylchfan yr A483 Halton, yr A55 o gyffyrdd 15 i 16 a 32 i 33, yn ogystal â'r drydedd bont dros y Fenai.
Bydd Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru yn dweud wrthym ni unwaith eto bod y gwaharddiad hwn ar adeiladu ffyrdd yn hanfodol i amddiffyn yr amgylchedd a lleihau allyriadau carbon, ond yr hyn nad ydyn nhw’n ei ddeall, unwaith eto, yw i lawer o’m trigolion yn y Gogledd, mai trafnidiaeth ffordd preifat yw'r unig opsiwn trafnidiaeth ymarferol, gyda thua 84% o bobl Cymru’n dibynnu ar gar neu feic modur i fyw eu bywydau arferol bob dydd, gyda'r cerbydau hyn yn troi’n lanach ac yn wyrddach gan droi cefn yn gyflym ar yr injan hylosgi fewnol.
Byddai'r canlyniad hwn i’r adolygiad ffyrdd wedi cael croeso llawer cynhesach pe bai gennym ni ddigon o drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus briodol yn y Gogledd. Ond mae'r bobl yn fy rhanbarth i'n gwybod nad yw hyn yn wir, a thystiolaeth o hyn yw ein bod ni'n gwybod bod 11,000 o wasanaethau trên wedi'u dileu gan Trafnidiaeth Cymru dros y tair blynedd diwethaf, a chafodd dros £2 filiwn ei dalu mewn iawndal i'r teithwyr hynny ers 2018.
Y pwynt olaf yr hoffwn ei godi yw'r diffyg ymgysylltu llwyr gan y panel adolygu ffyrdd gyda'r cyhoedd, cynrychiolwyr etholedig, awdurdodau lleol, busnesau, y trydydd sector ac eraill yn ystod yr adolygiad.
Gallai dileu'r prosiectau adeiladu ffyrdd sydd wedi'u cyhoeddi yn yr adolygiad ffyrdd gael effaith beryglus ar bobl Cymru. Mae'n gam yn ôl o ran sut rydyn ni'n byw ein bywydau bob dydd. Yn lle arafu Cymru, dylai Llywodraeth Cymru roi ei throed ar y sbardun a chael Cymru'n symud eto gyda rhaglen o blaid twf, o blaid busnes, o blaid gweithwyr, sy'n gweithio i yrwyr.
