One response to these tough times is to go without. Many families are cutting back and are making do with less. Some are even taking the extreme steps of skipping meals and switching off the heating and going cold.

Recent figures on car use also confirm that we’re cutting back on the number of journeys we make. But many families feel they have no alternative to running a car in order to do get to their job or to access essential services.

With rising public transport fares, bus routes being cut back, and poor cycling infrastructure in most towns and cities, research shows that people feel sustainable forms of transport are not realistic options for them.

In creating a society that is built around the needs of the car we have effectively forced thousands into private ownership that they simply can’t afford.  Or, worse still, we’ve left them stranded.  Whereas when families spend 10% of their income on heating their home they are considered by be suffering ‘fuel poverty’, new figures show more than a million people across Wales [note [1]] are spending more on transport costs, and yet there is no official recognition of ‘transport poverty’.

When almost half of the entire population of Wales are struggling with the cost of transport then action is called for.  Sustainable transport charity Sustrans Cymru has joined forces with Age Cymru, Save the Children and Citizens Advice Cymru to call on the Welsh and UK Governments to do more to tackle this issue.

Our joint report ‘Access Denied’ demonstrates how people in transport poverty can become excluded and isolated, unable to access vital services and opportunities. Research has shown that two out of five jobseekers say lack of affordable transport is a barrier to getting a job and a quarter of people in Wales feel that the local hospital is one of the most difficult locations to access via local bus services.  People without cars are also twice as likely to find it difficult to participate in leisure activities, which can have a serious impact on their mental health, as well as on crime levels and community cohesion.

We think it’s unacceptable that not having a car in many parts of Wales severely limits your chances in life.  What’s more as fuel prices rise and become more volatile the problem will only get worse.

Addressing transport poverty won’t be easy; it’s a complex problem that will require a range of actions to tackle it.  With the release of these figures demonstrating how widespread the problem is in Wales, many will call for a reduction in prices at the fuel pump.  But this will not end transport poverty: reducing fuel tax and subsidising the costs of petrol and diesel might offer short-term relief to some but it ignores those who do not already have access to a car and would also require Government to take on a huge financial burden that will only grow as the price of oil continues to rise.

Instead, we need to focus on building a transport system that is available to all, not just those who can afford to drive.  Reversing the Government cuts to transport grants, developing better rural public transport services, ensuring public transport is more affordable for all and making walking and cycling safer in Wales’ poorest communities would not only address transport poverty but will also help tackle obesity, increase employment, help children to get the best start in life, and help people retain their independence in later life.

And for us, in demonstrating how walking, cycling and public transport measures can offer genuine solutions this issue, we are able to showcase how our work benefits everyone in our society.  More than this, in providing those on the lowest incomes genuine alternatives to car ownership, we have the opportunity to open up access by bike, public transport and on foot to all, bringing us a step closer to achieving our vision.

Lee Waters is National Director at Sustrans Cymru.  To find out more or support the campaign contact sustranscymru@sustrans.org.uk or Tel: 029 2065 0602.

[1] Transport poverty is inherently difficult to measure but to illustrate how wide-spread the issue is in Wales, we have used, as an indicator of transport poverty, the number of households that would need to spend 10 per cent or more of their income on the costs of running a car (whether or not they are actually running one).  This will include most households that cannot afford a car at all.  For the poorest households, research shows this figure can be as high as 25 per cent (Social Exclusion Unit, 2003, Making the Connections).