PRESS RELEASE

Transport Action Network (TAN) Cymru has condemned Welsh Labour’s u-turn and support for a new M4 relief road around Newport.

Welsh Labour has tabled a motion¹ which asks the Welsh Government to begin work on a new road and rule out closing junctions 25, 26 and 27. It will be debated in the Senedd on Wednesday 21 October.

TAN Cymru calls for a better approach to tackling congestion in Newport, warning that building a new motorway would bring significant financial and environmental costs without addressing the underlying problems of road traffic.

Instead, TAN Cymru is urging decision-makers to prioritise the public transport alternatives identified by the South East Wales Transport Commission², including new rail stations between Cardiff and Newport.

Gwynfor Edwards, Transport Campaigner for Transport Action Network (TAN) Cymru, said:

“A new motorway is the wrong answer for Newport. Building more road capacity risks generating more traffic, while the financial and environmental concerns that led to the scheme being scrapped in 2019 have not gone away.

“The South East Wales Transport Commission set out a better way forward, with public transport alternatives that could improve connectivity between Cardiff and Newport, including new rail stations. These options should be prioritised before committing to another major road scheme.

“Ruling out junction closures, however, is the right decision. Closing junctions would simply push traffic onto local streets.

“Whatever Members decide, people in Newport deserve more than another delay. They need a clear timetable, a properly funded plan and practical action to tackle congestion. The focus must be on delivering solutions that work for local people, not revisiting the same costly and damaging proposals.”

– ENDS –

Notes to Editors

1. The Welsh Labour motion (NDM9335) is here: https://record.senedd.wales/Motion/9335 ↩︎
2. Welsh Labour, under Mark Drakeford, cancelled the M4 relief road in 2019, and set up the South East Wales Transport (‘Burns’) Commission which examined and recommended sustainable public transport proposals to tackle congestion on the M4 around Newport. These are being progressed by the Burns Delivery Unit. Just seven months ago, Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates (when he was Transport Minister) backed the public transport solutions and said the M4 relief road “had been and gone”. ↩︎

The Welsh Labour motion comes after Deputy Minister for Transport Mark Hooper announced a new 18-month study on 6 October 2026 into “roads based solutions” to the M4: https://www.gov.wales/plans-third-menai-crossing-and-roads-based-solution-m4-around-newport-announced-today

The Future Generations Commissioner for Wales has also condemned the decision to look at “roads based solutions” for the M4, and urged the Welsh Government not to “take Wales backwards”