Farage pledges to make M4 relief motorway a ‘toll road’
Emily Price
Reform UK will make the M4 relief scheme it has proposed a “toll road” if the party gets into power in Wales, Nigel Farage has said.
His comments came during the launch of his party’s Welsh manifesto at the International Convention Centre in Newport on Thursday (March 5).
Farage and Reform’s Wales leader Dan Thomas unveiled policies including scrapping the default 20mph speed limit and ending Wales’ status as a Nation of Sanctuary.
The transport section of Reform’s Welsh manifesto also pledged to “build the M4 relied road”.
The manifesto states: “The failure to build the M4 relief road has imposed huge costs on commuters, freight, and the wider Welsh economy.
“We will seek private funding or, as a national economic priority that also benefits England, funding from a Reform instituted British Sovereign Wealth Fund to finance the work as part of wider commitment to developing a Severnside economic zone.”
As Farage was stepping off the stage in Newport, he told BBC Wales his Welsh leader Dan Thomas wanted to “get private capital in, make it a toll road, and give the people the option of doing it”.
“Not much of the expenditure here would have to come from taxes,” he said.
The Welsh Conservatives hit out at Reform saying Welsh motorists should not be charged to use the M4.
The Senedd Tories have also pledged to build an M4 relief road if the party wins the May 7 election.
‘Vital’
The party proposes to fund the project through a combination of existing budgets, borrowing, and UK Government support.
Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Sam Rowlands, said: “People in Wales are already paying the price for years of poor transport decisions, so the last thing motorists need is the prospect of being charged again just to use a vital piece of infrastructure like the M4.
“The Welsh Conservatives have been clear that Wales needs better transport links, not new tolls.
“Our manifesto commits to delivering major road improvements, including an M4 relief road, upgrading the A55 and dualling the A40 to Fishguard, to ease congestion and support economic growth.
“Motorists and businesses rely on the M4 every day. The priority should be improving the network and tackling congestion, not introducing new charges that would place yet another burden on commuters, families and businesses across south Wales.”
Newport Conservative Leader Cllr Matthew Evans added: “How many motorists would pay the toll?
“How many would simply continue on the existing M4 or even detour through Newport’s A-Roads to avoid paying the toll?
“What private finance company is going to come up with £1.5 billion to fund building the relief Road?”
‘Hard working’
A spokesperson for Welsh Labour said: “Reform have admitted they want to put up costs. They’d build a road and make hard working people pay for it every single day.
“We in Welsh Labour are tackling the cost-of-living, keeping costs down for people by pledging a cap on all bus fares, lowering energy bills and giving a pay-rise to the lowest paid workers.
“All on top of freezing rail fares and having a £14bn plan for Welsh rail which will directly help traffic and travel around Newport.”
The M4 relief road scheme previously proposed by the Welsh Labour Government was designed to bypass traffic congestion on Wales’ busiest road near Newport by building a new motorway on the Gwent Levels.
Cost
However, the six-lane scheme was axed in 2019 by former first minister Mark Drakeford who raised concerns about the potential environmental and financial cost which had spiralled to £1.6bn.
It followed a public inquiry overseen by former planning inspector Bill Wadrup, who concluded that a scheme from Junction 23 to Junction 29 was in the public interest and that environmental objections were overstated.
At the time, Welsh Government ministers argued that austerity and the impact of Brexit meant the project was too expensive.
Drakeford later said he would not have gone ahead with an M4 relief road even if it was affordable because of the impact on the Gwent Levels.
His decision was welcomed by environmental charities.
In 2020, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson repeatedly promised to fund and deliver the M4 relief road project.
However, with road building in Wales the responsibility of ministers in Cardiff Bay, Johnson could not have a say on it.
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Considering how expensive and behind schedule the A465 project head of the valleys road was, any new project will be concluded in an era where we may not need cars any more.
They said that about trains in the sixties when they ripped up lines believing we’d be in flying cars by now. But it was the swinging sixties.
I was around then, and there was no mention of flying cars, unless as a joke. Unless you can show a reference I will have to conclude that you made it up.
Why else would you rip up so much of the network? They didn’t believe it was needed and they knew traditional roads couldn’t cope with everyone eventually having a regular car. Flying cars is the only alternative.
When I used to use the M6 toll (a lot) it was always empty. Cost too much, company paid my way but wagons stayed on the non toll.
And private funding means his US chums get it.
You’d put cameras outside the new road to toll all through traffic whichever route they took so no-one would take the slower option. Exemptions for locals and people doing business in Newport would avoid any local penalty. Free travel overnight would reduce lorries and help those counting the pennies.
Charging for the old route as well. Sweet. Way to hammer everyone.
They did it with the second Severn crossing. The original was supposed to have been paid off by 1975.
Those counting pennies would have to travel at night? This would MURDER trade in South Wales and result in an exodus. It’s a stupid idea. Everyone would just clog up the A48
Trade is already being murdered by congestion.
If it’s like the M6 toll, we’ll be saddled with tolls for the next 50 years.
Someone will earn off it, it will not be us.
The M6 non toll remains clagged to hell so effective option it will not be.
This is the only way to get it built but it’s a vote loser for Reform. Paying for roads is more offensive than twenty in their core support.
Toryform arguing with itself to present a ‘Bullsye’ scenario of ‘come and look at what you would have won’. On a day when i enjoyed a jam free, two direction journey through the Brynglas tunnels, the bulls**er Farij was in the ICC at J24 selling his snake oil. This conjoined, false warring organisation is more likely to wrac the tubes of the tunnels to cut Cymru off than help it so DO NOT FALL FOR IT.
I understood that in their manifesto from the last elections labour intended to impose congestion charges on the A470 from Merthyr to cardiff and the M4 around Newport. As far as I am aware these proposals have not been removed.
” A Severnside economic zone” had me more worried, as in the past we have seen how the unionist parties want us to be part of a “greater west England region”. Bristol airport for ” the West of the country” being an example of their thinking
That is the main thrust of their intention to break our country up into chunks that can be joined up with the adjacent bits of England. Any left over bits to the west would be reduced to energy parks, leisure activities and …. prison camps for dissenters and asylum seekers/migrants.
Fundamentally, the relief road was never built due to the impact on the Gwent Levels. That issue is still there and with it would probably come some major law suites. I suspect, it would be extremely hard to get any private company financing as a result.
Tolling could fund a more expensive version with less environmental impact. At the top end of the budget a tunnel under Newport would have zero impact on the Levels.
Tunnel under Newport? How about a flyover from Bristol to Swansea?
HS2 has almost 30 miles in twin bore tunnels but the point is simply that the environmental concerns are linked to cost and a tolled proposal could afford to spend more on mitigation.
The rail tunnel under the Severn pumps out 50 million litres of water a day. How much would it cost to pump out water from tunnels going under the Gwent levels?
Only because they hit a spring.
Built and run by his dodgy mates.
So we have all the environmental damage of a relief road, but if it is as successful as the M6 toll road, we will have no benefit in terms of reduction of congestion.
Farage talks about “two tier Keir” but he is literally planning to create a two tier society. The rich will have their own roads, hospitals, schools etc…