8. What has the Welsh Government done to collate the starting points and destinations of the 43 per cent of vehicle journeys around Newport of less than 20 miles? OAQ(5)0104(EI)

We have undertaken roadside surveys and postcard surveys at the Severn crossings and we’ve also made innovative use of mobile phone technology to understand trips made in and around Newport.

It would obviously be very interesting for all of us to see this, because, clearly, it’s a crucial piece of information if we’re going to get the modal shift of people with the investment that we’re hoping we’re going to make in the metro. Obviously, there’s a wealth of evidence that people will only shift if there is either improved journey times and/or an improved cost for their journeys. I just wondered if you could say anything more about that, given that you have got the information and we haven’t.

Yes. The Member is absolutely right. Data gathered from vehicles in terms of discovering their origins and their destinations will inform us in terms of understanding how people move around the region. Data collected as part of the M4 project will be used to inform development of the metro, and rightly so, because we need an evidence-based vision for the metro development. Rail ticket sales and other industry data are also an important source of information in planning transport interventions, and will inform the business case and also the design of phase 2 of the metro.