Six out of ten regular cyclists feel their journeys are not safe – that’s the stand-out finding of a new survey conducted by an Assembly Committee.
The Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee is looking at the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013 to see what progress has been made by local authorities and the Welsh Government since it came into law. Among other things the Act requires local authorities to map and improve active travel routes to encourage people to walk or cycle more.
As part of its inquiry, the Committee issued a questionnaire to help it to understand how and why people in Wales walk and cycle, and why they don't.
Sixty per cent of regular cyclists said they felt unsafe when cycling. For occasional cyclists the figure was almost three quarters.
People also raised concerns about a lack of connected, designated routes, poor public transport connectivity and poor upkeep of routes and paths.
More than 2,500 people took part in the survey, including more than 500 young people.
Committee Chair Russell George said:
“I’d like to thank all those who took part in our survey. Their opinions will be considered as part of our evidence during this inquiry.
“I was surprised that six out of ten people who cycle regularly said they felt unsafe when travelling. We will be raising these points with witnesses including Welsh Government ministers over the coming weeks.”
Throughout March the Committee will be taking oral evidence from a range of experts, to add to the survey results and comments from the public. The Committee’s call for written evidence closed on 7 February, and submissions can be found here.