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The Welsh Assembly last night passed what it calls the Active Travel (Wales) Act, which will see a duty placed on local authorities to plan a network of walking and cycling routes and then work to deliver them.
The Active Travel (Wales) Act also calls on Welsh Ministers and Councils to promote active travel and provide annual updates to the Welsh Assembly. Proposed routes will have to fall in line with pre-approved design guidance from experts in infrastructure.
Sustrans Cymru has led the campaign for legislation on active travel in Wales over the last six years. National Director Jane Lorimer said, “The passing of this legislation shows that Wales’s leadership is serious about making walking and cycling the normal choice for more of our everyday shorter journeys.
“Not only can we cut congestion in our towns and cities, but by getting more people walking and cycling we can save the NHS in Wales tens of millions in tackling preventable diseases caused by our lack of exercise.
“This is an historic day for Wales – change won’t come overnight, but the framework is now in place to make us a cycling nation.”
