Cycling plans in Wales at risk, warn campaigners

Cardiff has seen a network of cycle lanes spring up in recent years

Campaigners have warned that changes to the Welsh government's cycling policies are putting efforts to get people on their bikes at "risk".

The Welsh government has spent millions on encouraging people to walk and cycle, with councils bidding for cash to build new infrastructure.

But Transport Secretary Ken Skates has made his priority inclusive travel - including fixing pavements to ensure they are suitable for people with disabilities and implying less of a focus on bike routes.

The Labour minister told the Politics Wales programme he was listening to the concerns of the public, and added: "If our streets are safe for our most vulnerable, they'll be safe for all of us."

Proposed cuts to funding triggered a spat among Labour Senedd members, with Skates' predecessor in the job Lee Waters accusing him of being "deeply disingenuous".

Lobbying behind-the-scenes, by campaigners and others - including, sources say, by Waters during the recent Welsh government budget process - appears to have triggered a re-think on cuts to funding for the next financial year.

From 2026 funding will be devolved to regional transport bodies, with the Welsh government no longer ring-fencing the cash to be spent.

As part of its action on climate change, the Welsh government has tried for years to encourage more people to get around by bike or to walk more under the umbrella of its active travel policy.

According to Audit Wales, Welsh councils spent £218m from the active travel fund or its equivalent between 2018 and 2024.

But reports have suggested the Welsh government has struggled to encourage more people to walk and cycle.

In recent months Skates has told Senedd members his priorities on active travel have shifted.

In January, he said: "We are placing an emphasis in 2025-26 on fixing streets, improving pavements, a focus on walking to and from school."

Gwenda Owen warned there could be other demands on active travel money

Cycling UK's Gwenda Owen said there had been "consistent investment in active travel" over the last few years, with councils able to build capacity and "really plan for the future".

She said programme: "Without that investment in separate cycling infrastructure we risk missing the opportunity to enable more people to choose to cycle."

Ms Owen warned if funding was not ring-fenced "there will be other demands on the money".

"We know that very often politically, walking and cycling does not come on top of the agenda," she said.

Ken Skates has said he wants to focus on inclusive travel

Customers and staff at the Workhorse bike repair café in west Cardiff gave mixed views about the cycle network in the capital.

Head mechanic Jake Curran, 30, said more cycle paths would make him feel safer: "It's nice in Penarth because there's not a lot of road to cycle on but the closer you start getting to Cardiff the more traffic there is. You don't feel as safe when you're riding around Cardiff as I'd like to be."

Jen Allan said she cycled in Cardiff. "For the most part it's OK, I can always find a route that gets me where I need to go in a pretty safe way," she said.

"There's a few where the route will just stop all of a sudden, or will change direction."

Rich Morgan said the cycle network had improved since he began living in the city, but said: "There are definite gaps, disconnections, and cycleways ending."

Jake Curran said Cardiff needed more cycle infrastructure

Skates told a committee in January that concerns from cycle campaigners were "unfounded, not least because we've recently implemented the biggest road safety initiative in 25 years with 20mph".

The comment triggered a strongly-worded social media post from backbencher and cycling advocate Lee Waters.

"Using the drop in casualties on 20mph roads to justify cutting back on active travel infrastructure is deeply disingenuous," the Llanelli Labour MS said.

"Not least because the latest stats show an increase in casualties on roads where the speed limit is over 40mph".

"That's Lee, isn't it," Skates told BBC Politics Wales. "He's hot headed sometimes.

"Organisations like Cycling UK were adamant that 20mph would make roads safer for cyclists, so it's difficult to dispute it."

In January, John Griffiths, MS for Newport East, wrote to Skates on behalf of the cross-party group in the Senedd on active travel, expressing "considerable concern".

In particular, it complained about mooted changes in the Welsh government's budget which they said meant the amount of active travel funding that could be applied for has been "effectively reduced by around 50%", because the number of schemes that could be financed had been reduced.

Griffiths told BBC Wales the government's position had now shifted: "We are very pleased that case seemed to have been listened to by Welsh government, because local authorities will be able to take forward more than one project".

One source said they thought the Welsh government's strategy of outlining its "priorities" meant something that was potentially unpopular but the right thing to do was not at the top of their list.

The source - someone who works in the sector - said there was also concern active travel could get squeezed out when the funding is devolved to regional bodies - and not ring fenced - from 2026-27.

Kirsty James said the RNIB was not against active travel

Some groups have been pushing more inclusive design when it comes to active travel.

Kirsty James, of the Royal National Institute for the Blind People (RNIB), said the RNIB was not "anti-cycling", but welcomed the new emphasis on inclusivity.

She said: "There has been a lack of consistency in inclusive designs in infrastructure and we want it to work for everybody."

The policy and campaigners officer explained that some designs - such as floating bus stops, have been "dangerous for blind and partially sighted people".

"You go into the cycle track and you have conflict."

'We've listened to people across Wales'

Skates told Politics Wales he wanted to see active travel "first and foremost, through the eyes of those who are most vulnerable, elderly people, people who use wheelchairs".

He said his response came "because we've listened to the people of Wales".

"I've heard from the most vulnerable people over the last year that they are scared to go out sometimes," he said, in part because of "creaking infrastructure", and "also because of things like the menace of e-bike misuse".

In an earlier statement Skates said: "We are maintaining the level of funding in 2025-26 to local authorities for transport schemes and I will provide more detail on these next week.

"It was always my intention to protect budgets across the portfolio if funding allowed and given the additional investment made available to me, we can maintain the core funding for active travel at £15m and keep the overall funding to almost the same level as last year."

He said that "60 per cent" of core funding must be spent on "actual change on the ground".

"Rather than spend tax payers' money on administration and consultancy fees, councils will be able to invest in fixing pavements, dropping kerbs, installing seats, improving bus shelters and making streets safer for all, he added.

The Welsh government said it had assumed initially the funding for local government grants would be "significant reduced due to the need to continue investing in rail upgrades".

After additional funding was secured, it was able to restore the fund to a similar level from the year before - from £50m to £45m. It said it did not have to invite more than one scheme application, but additional funding meant more could be brought forward.

Watch Politics Wales on BBC One Wales on Sunday at 10:00 BST, or catch it later on BBC iPlayer.