The leader of Newport council has said closing junctions on the M4 is not the answer to congestion, warning the plan would deliver only "marginal" improvements while forcing residents to pay a "heavy price."
Dimitri Batrouni, leader of the Labour-run authority, said the closures would increase traffic not only in the immediate suburbs but across other city bottlenecks.
"There's no easy answer, I accept that and there has to be an answer, which I accept. But making Newport and Newport residents pay a heavy price for marginal gain doesn't make sense. It genuinely doesn't, on all different fronts," he said.
Plan details and consultation
The closure plan emerged this week as one of the Welsh Government's proposals to ease M4 congestion around Newport. An 18-month consultation will consider all options, while the government also intends to draw up a five-year plan for shorter-term improvements.
A report by consultants Arup, published the day Wales' transport minister made a statement on the M4 and a new Menai bridge, said closing junctions was the "fastest and cheapest" way to make changes. The plan would mean a full closure of junction 27 and closure of east-facing slips at junctions 25 and 26, potentially permanently or at certain times of day.
The plan would cost £63m, take less than three years to implement, and reduce traffic on the M4 by 4%, the report says. More than 6,500 people have signed an online petition, with Casnewydd Islwyn MS Jayne Bryant and Cllr Batrouni among those opposing the approach.
Fears of permanent closure
Cllr Batrouni said he fears any trial would become permanent. "I fear what they'll do is say, 'oh right, well okay, we hear your concerns, we'll trial it' and then it'll be a never-ending trial," he said.
He said the report admits the changes would put more traffic on Newport roads in certain communities, increasing noise pollution and reducing air quality. Closing the High Cross junction would increase traffic in Rogerstone, High Cross, Allt-yr-yn, and beyond, he said, also affecting people in Caerphilly.
"That traffic, plus the Rogerstone traffic, plus the Gaer traffic, plus the Allt-yr-yn traffic, I would imagine if they want to access the motorway would go through Bassaleg, Bassaleg roundabout, which is already very busy, and Tredegar Park roundabout, which is already busy. So they'd be forcing more traffic through those bottlenecks," he said.
Economic impact and growth concerns
Cllr Batrouni argued the closures would have economic consequences, with people less likely to travel if they feel stuck. He noted Newport is the fastest-growing local authority in Wales and the only one predicted to have under-16 population growth by 2032.
"We are going to be the next engine room, economic engine room of Wales, and this is a really poor time, there's no good time, but this is a very poor time to curtail junctions," he said.
He said the city has grown around the motorway access points, and that a council report suggested junction closures would result in a 20% uptick in local traffic on non-local roads.
The transport minister has said the measures should be seen as affecting the M4 and Newport as a whole. Cllr Batrouni said: "Take that at on face value. So if it's not working now, how does closing junctions help?"
He disputed claims that public transport developments would ease traffic, saying Magor station is a walk-to station with no parking, and that no one from Newport would drive to Maesglas station. He added that Newport train stations would alleviate some pressure, but that is not in the minister's control, being a UK Government matter.
He said Llanwern would be helpful given the 4,000 new housing units planned there, but that Newport needs both road and rail investment. He also noted a shift partly driven by the removal of Severn tolls, with Newport no longer seen merely as between Bristol and Cardiff.
Cllr Batrouni said he believes a new road is needed, something the transport minister says remains on the table. "I appreciate there's huge environmental concerns about that, I'm not dismissing that. That's fine and legitimate and that's a conversation to be had. But if you want to solve the M4 congestion and not keep Newport as a bottleneck, there is only one option and we just need to be all honest about it," he said.
He said even if the closures were popular, they would only take 3% off the roads by the government's own estimates. He is now due to meet council officers to see what the council can do, although any closure decision rests with the Welsh Government, and he hopes to keep political pressure up.
