SOME of you may have seen Week in Week Out this week on the M4 relief road planned for Newport.

I have made no secret of my concerns regarding the proposed black route which will see a six lane motorway cut through the heart of the Gwent Levels.

Yes, there is no denying that there needs to be a solution to the congestion faced daily on the M4 at Newport, but I don’t believe that the current proposal is the answer.

The Welsh Government published it’s south east Wales Metro plan, designed to step up connectivity within the region in October last year.

The Metro project has been allocated £62 million both for the planning work and to deliver other improvements to public transport in the region. The initial schemes include: rail infrastructure improvements, station upgrades, park and ride schemes, improving bus routes and introducing walking and cycling schemes.

This is a scheme that has the potential to benefit thousands of people throughout South East Wales. These improvements will make it easier for people to travel for work, to enjoy social activities and link our Valleys to the rest of the European road and rail network.

There are communities in Blaenau Gwent who are crying out for better connections to help boost their employment opportunities. We have seen first-hand the significant impact the success of the Ebbw Valley line has had and the overwhelming success of the service. It’s time we do all we can to open up these opportunities to everyone.

The relief road is important, the M4 is very important to the economy of south Wales and issues need to be resolved. However, as revealed in the Welsh Government’s own economic impact assessment of the black route, there is no significant benefit to our area, no benefit to communities north of Cwmbran and the benefits are restricted to the M4 corridor, a large section of which is over the Severn Bridge.

The environmental impact is huge and I don’t believe the proposed benefits outweigh these environmental concerns.

While we iron out the issues I believe make the proposed M4 relief road black route an unviable option, we need to prioritise the metro plan and ensure that people throughout South East Wales reap the benefits.