The Welsh Government is a long way from achieving the step-change in active travel it set out more than a decade ago, a spending watchdog has found.
The Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013 aims to increase the amount people walk, cycle or wheel for everyday journeys, with duties placed on both ministers and local authorities.
Audit Wales found councils spent a total of £218m on active travel infrastructure and facilities between 2018 and 2023, with annual spending increasing from £20m to £46m in that period.
This year, the Welsh Government allocated £65m to active travel initiatives.
But Audit Wales found that despite this increased spending, active travel rates had not improved in recent years.
In 2022-23, 51% of people said they walked at least once a week for active travel purposes and 6% cycled. The figure for walking compares with 60% in 2019-20 while cycling rates have remained broadly static.
The watchdog said the building of physical infrastructure had not been accompanied by a strong enough focus on raising awareness and behaviour change.
Audit Wales also said the Government’s monitoring did not go far enough to track progress or assess value for money, with the Act’s reporting requirements not being met consistently.
Auditor general Adrian Crompton said: ‘The Welsh Government needs to reflect on why, in over a decade, the Active Travel (Wales) Act and the arrangements to support delivery have not yet had the desired impact.’
The Welsh Government said it would respond to the recommendations ‘in due course’.
