The Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Darren Millar MS, has today called on the Green Party to come clean about what he described as a “deeply anti-motorist agenda hidden in plain sight in their own manifesto”.
It has been widely reported that the Greens support cutting speed limits to as low as 55mph on major roads. But Mr Millar said that was only part of the picture.
He warned that buried in their Welsh policy document are plans that would make it harder for people to own and use cars altogether.
The Green Party’s own policies explicitly aim to reduce car ownership and shift people away from using their cars. They also propose planning rules that deliberately limit parking provision as a way of discouraging car use and want to reduce the 20mph speed limit to just 10mph in some areas.
At the same time, they oppose new road building and want to move towards car-free city centres.
Darren Millar MS said:
“Many people in Wales rely on their cars to get to work, take their children to school, access medical appointments, and support their town centres. The Green Party's plans will be a disaster for them.
"They will make it harder to own a car, harder to park, and harder to drive.
"Reducing car ownership, restricting parking and pushing towards car-free town and city centres amounts to an anti-motorist agenda that would hit working people and rural communities the hardest.”
Mr Millar warned that restricting parking would have serious consequences for local economies.
“If you reduce parking in our towns, you don’t reduce demand you just drive people away.
"That means fewer customers for high street shops and more people forced to shop online, putting local businesses at risk.
"At a time when our high streets are already struggling, the last thing we need is policies that make it harder for people to visit them.”
He added that under Wales’ new electoral system, voters should be clear about the potential consequences.
“Under the new voting system, no single party is likely to win outright.
"That means smaller parties can end up holding the balance of power.”
The Greens have made clear the direction they want to take and if they strike a deal with Plaid Cymru, these policies could become reality in Wales.
"A vote for the Greens, or for Plaid Cymru, risks opening the door to more restrictions on drivers, fewer roads, and policies that make everyday life harder for working people.”
Mr Millar concluded:
“After years of Labour mismanagement from the 20mph speed limit to the refusal to build new roads, people have had enough.
"Wales needs better roads, practical transport solutions and policies that support workers and businesses, not an ideological war on motorists."
Notes to Editors:
The Wales Green Party’s policy document ‘Policies for a Sustainable Society in Wales’ states:
TR 600: Many people currently see cars as the primary means of transport. We seek to alter this perception.
TR 601: Our other policies will support a move away from people feeling they need to own their own car.
