THE Welsh Government has so far received 1,600 responses from members of the public who want to see a better transport network in the Gwent region.

The South East Wales Transport Commission was set up in the wake of the decision to scrap plans for a new stretch of motorway south of Newport – the so-called "relief road".

And last month, commission chairman Lord Burns asked Argus readers to share their thoughts on congestion hotspots and public transport problems, as well as ways to solve them.

Here are some of the main things people have complained about so far, as well as some of the solutions which have been proposed by members of the public:

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Traffic congestion

This has been the most common cause for complaint so far.

One person, commenting on the stretch of motorway between Junctions 25A (Grove Park) and 26 (Malpas), said: "Every day sees long traffic queues here as all traffic heading west has to cope with totally inadequate capacity through Brynglas tunnels. Queues cause pollution - far more so than speed."

Proposed solutions to congestion have included the creation of park-and-ride sites on the edges of Newport, to serve commuter traffic; the widening of the Brynglas Tunnels to create a three-lane motorway in each direction; and – conversely – reducing the motorway to two lanes from Tredegar Park to Coldra.

Plenty of people have also suggested a new stretch of M4 to bypass Newport, but these calls are in vain – the South East Wales Transport Commission will not consider a relief road in its plans.

Slow journey times

"I am not convinced the smart motorways help when it comes to accidents," one person said about the variable speed limit on the M4.

The transport commission has recommended abandoning the variable limit in favour of a fixed 50 miles per hour average speed zone.

Possible solutions to slow journeys include better-designed motorway junctions, a return to a 70mph speed limit around Newport, and to improve the Southern Distributor Road.

Lack of public transport options

One person said this "should be a priority – there is no point telling people to use their cars less when there is no good alternative".

Possible solutions include the immediate re-opening of the Newport to Ebbw Vale railway line, more carriages on trains, and a new railway station in Spytty with park-and-ride access.

Low frequency of bus and/or train services

One commuter from Cardiff to Newport said: "The journeys are generally slow, the buses often don't turn up on time, and at busy times single deckers rather than double deckers are used."

Possible solutions include a system to live-track bus locations, more buses in the evenings, and more bus links to railway stations.