Leanne Wood AM is supporting the opening up of cycle routes in the South Wales valleys in order to cut down on unnecessary car journeys.
She joined party colleague and prospective candidate for the Cynon Valley, Dr Dafydd Trystan Davies, before he pedalled along the cycle path from the old Abernant Railway Station site in Aberdare to highlight the importance of developing a sustainable cycle network.
Dr Davies launched his bid to get elected to the House of Commons by cycling from Penderyn to Cilfynydd last week, visiting 23 towns and villages and cycling over 35 miles, in a bid to encourage more people to cycle short distances rather than drive.
Last month, Dr Davies also called for disused railway tunnels that run between the South Wales Valleys to be reopened and turned into cycle routes; something which Leanne has also backed.
She said: “I was more than pleased to support Dafydd Trystan today in his campaign to improve the cycling network in the valleys. Not only is cycling really good exercise, it is also a great way to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, so is good for our environment.
“Climate change has not had much attention so far during the election campaign, yet is an issue which arguably poses the greatest challenge for any government. Everyone needs to do all we can to cut down on carbon emissions, and the government should help people to do that. If the cycle network is upgraded in Wales then two wheels will become a more attractive option.
“At Plaid Cymru we believe in a fairer, greener and cleaner Wales, as outlined in our Environmental Action Plan, and the promotion of cycling is one way of achieving this.”
She added: “The idea of opening up the disused railway tunnels is also something that should be seriously looked at. For example, there’s a blocked up tunnel between Treherbert and Blaengwynfi in the Afan valley. If the tunnels in question are in a good state of repair it should cost a relatively small amount of money to reopen them and the benefits to all communities concerned would be felt instantly.
“Travel time between the major towns of Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil could also be slashed due to the existence of another tunnel connecting the two areas. Car travel, which is almost essential for travelling between valleys, is one of our greatest emitters of carbon so I would support the reopening of disused railway tunnels if it can be achieved safely and at a reasonable cost.
“Furthermore, many communities would, I’m sure, feel and be a lot less isolated if some of the old tunnels could be reopened.”
