The Welsh government has suspended future road building projects as part of a bid to reduce pollution.
An external panel will review all proposed schemes going forwards.
Money saved from not building new roads will instead be used to upgrade existing roads, including creating new cycle and bus lanes, and infrastructure for sustainable transport.
Explaining the rationale behind the new policy, deputy minister for climate change, Lee Waters, told the Welsh parliament: “Since 1990, Welsh emissions have fallen by 31 percent. But to reach our statutory target of net zero emissions by 2050, we need to do much more.
“In the next 10 years, we are going to need to more than double all the cuts we have managed over the last 30 years if we are going to keep temperature rises within safe limits. That means changes in all parts of our lives. Transport makes up some 17 percent of our total emissions and so must play its part.”
Waters added: “We need a shift away from spending money on projects that encourage more people to drive, and spend more money on maintaining our roads and investing in real alternatives that give people a meaningful choice.”
However, Waters also said the government may be open to building new roads that could improve air quality or provide access to new industrial estates.
Sophie Howe, the future generations commissioner for Wales, welcomed the decision: “Wales has for too long been prioritising cars over people. I’m hopeful that this new decision signals more of the radical action that will be taken by the Welsh government’s new climate change ministry.
“An overreliance on the car has led to increased noise, poorer air quality, time wasted in traffic and an unacceptable burden on communities living near our most congested roads, often in areas where fewer people drive a car.”
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