Transport by bicycle in Cardiff, Wales
Cycling in Cardiff, capital of Wales, is facilitated by its easy gradients and large parks. In the mid-2000s between 2.7% and 4.3% of people commuted to work by cycling in the city. In 2017 12.4% of workers cycled to work at least 5 days a week. However, cyclists in the city are deterred from cycling by poor facilities and aggressive traffic, according to research by Cardiff University.
As the busiest city, Cardiff is statistically the most dangerous place to cycle in Wales. Between 1999 and 2008, 1,000 cyclists were injured on the road, 20% of all cycling accidents in Wales, although the number of injuries to cyclists continues to fall.
The Cardiff cycle network is over long with an additional completed each year.
Council policy.
According to their Cycling Strategy (see below), Cardiff County Council aims to encourage citizens to cycle more, citing the improved health through increased fitness, reduced pollution and congestion of the local environment, economic gains through cycle tourism and leisure, independence for those people who cannot or do not wish to use a car, and the fact that cycling can be the quickest and most convenient form of transport in urban areas such as Cardiff. In 2002 they appointed a full-time Cycling Officer.
The council's Transport, Infrastructure and Waste service aims to ensure that an increase in cycling is matched with a reduction in the number of collisions involving cyclists.
Cardiff Council also provides off-road cycle training for school pupils to develop basic cycling skills based upon the National Cycling Proficiency Scheme. Training covers the Highway Code, negotiating obstacles, turning left and right, emergency stops and basic cycle maintenance. More than 1,500 children participate in this course every year in Cardiff, according to the council's Cycling Strategy.
The council produces a free map of the city, available from its offices or from cycle shops, highlighting cycle paths, lanes and suggested cycle routes.
Strategy.
The council's Cycling Strategy was adopted in 1998. The 2007 update showed that 2.7% of people living in Cardiff cycled to work in 2001, an increase from 2.6% in 1991. However, an Omnibus survey showed that in 2003 and 2005, 3.6% and 4.3% of people cycled to work respectively. Although, the number of children cycling to school fell from 5% to 2% since 1989–91. In the strategy, the council intends to:
Cycleways.
Cardiff Council are in the process of developing 5 cycleways across the city. This falls in line with its strategy to provide far more segregation from motorised traffic for cyclists.
While work on the routes has already broken ground, some have criticised both certain design flaws and how long it is taking for consultations to be published, with only two published within as many years. While some routes are essentially brand new, others are facelifts or changes of priority for current routes, such as Cycleway 3 on Lloyd George Avenue, and Cycleway 2 on Newport Road.
The proposed Cycleway routes are:
Cycle facilities.
Cycle Shops.
The 2011 Cardiff Council cycle map listed 12 cycle shops (down from 14 in 2009) in the city: in Canton, Cathays (Crwys Road), Cathays (Woodville Road), Gabalfa, Grangetown, Llandaff North, Llanrumney, Pontcanna, Rhiwbina, Roath (Broadway), Roath (Newport Road) and Whitchurch. Braddicks on Broadway, Roath, closed in January 2015 after 70 years trading.
Cycle lanes.
Some roads in the city provide distinct cycle lanes to the left of the vehicle lane. According to the Cardiff Cycle Map, these include:
Bus and cycle lanes.
There are also lanes that cyclists share with buses, motorcycles and taxis, in which it is illegal to drive on in any other motor vehicle. Such lanes are on:
Segregated / off-road cycle paths.
Segregated cycle facilities can be a shared pavement with pedestrians, running alongside a road or through a park for example. This is denoted by a blue circular sign showing a bicycle and pedestrians. A cycle only route is denoted by blue circular sign showing only a bicycle. Much of the "Taff Trail, Ely Trail" and "Rumney Trail" are segregated from traffic. Other such routes in the city include:
Cycle parking.
There are bicycle stands for parking in locations including the following:
Cycle hire.
Pedal Power is a charity with their main bike centre in Pontcanna offering cycle hire facilities. Cycle training and cycle assessments are also available.
OYBike.
In March 2009 the Welsh Assembly Government and Cardiff Council announced plans to introduce a free cycle hire scheme, with bike racks placed around the city, allowing people to pick up bikes and ride them to another point, where they would leave the bike. Money would also be put into creating more strategic cycle routes and cycle lanes. The system, similar to those in other large cities, launched in September 2009, and included 70 bikes and 35 hire points (initially 7) around the centre and the south of the city. The stations (in 2010) were: Central Station; Cardiff Castle; Central Library; Queen Street Station; Churchill Way; City Hall; eastern Queen Street; Cardiff Bay Station; County Hall; and Cardiff Bay Visitors’ Centre. It was necessary to register before using a bike. The first half an hour was free after which a small hourly fee was payable. The scheme, which was part of a £28.5 million plan to encourage residents in the capital to use sustainable transport and ease congestion, was welcomed by campaigners.
The cycle scheme run by OYBike ended in December 2011 after funding was removed by Cardiff council; the operator did not have other sponsors so the bikes along with their smart locks were removed from the city centre.
Nextbike.
In June 2017 Nextbike was announced as the new provider of a public bike hire scheme for Cardiff. This would integrate new technology into the bikes, rather than the docking stations. Fifty bikes went 'live' in March 2018, with an official launch in May 2018 when the numbers would increase to 250. The bikes could be rented via a website, a telephone hotline, or by downloading a mobile app. Standard charges were £1 for every half hour period. Annual subscriptions were also available. Almost 7,800 people were registered for the scheme by June 2018. Nextbike has been both popular and successful, with Cardiff Council backing the scheme.
Nextbike has begun to introduced electric bikes across Cardiff, where users can rent and return electric bikes.
In 2021 Nextbike secured a sponsorship deal with OVO.
In December 2023, Nextbike announced that they would pull out of Cardiff due to high rates of theft and vandalism.
Cycle refurbishment.
Cardiff Cycle Workshop, a bike workshop launched in July 2010 in Ely, refurbishes and repairs unwanted cycles, saving old bikes from the landfill and revitalises them for new owners at cheaper prices. Cardiff Cycle Workshop has an agreement with Cardiff Council for cages to be placed in the waste facilities in Fairwater and Grangetown for members of the public to leave their unwanted bicycles. Then the bikes are refurbished, checked for safety and have parts replaced. The bikes are then sold for anything from £10 to £150. Three year funding has come from the Big Lottery Fund.
Cycling routes.
Cross city north cycleway.
Cross city north cycleway began as a temporary cycleway along Cowbridge Road East, North Road, Boulevard de Nantes, Dumfries Place, and Newport Road. This runs around the city centre, connecting to cycleway 1, cycleway 4, and the Taff Trail. It will eventually also connect to cycleway 2 and cycleway 5.
Cycleway 1.
Cycleway 1 is a bidirectional cycle track under development. It will eventually link the city centre to the suburb of Lisvane, with connections to the University Hospital of Wales, Heath High Level railway station, and Heath Low Level railway station. As of 2021, a section on Senghenydd Road had been completed, with construction under way on an extension to the University Hospital of Wales, costing £6,000,000. In 2023, that section was completed.
Cycleway 4.
Cycleway 4 is a bidirectional cycle track. It will eventually link the city centre to Llandaff, Danescourt, and Plasdwr. As of 2021, a section in Sophia Gardens has been completed, with consultations ongoing for an extension to Llandaff.
Ely Trail.
The off-road "Ely Trail" is under development in the west and south of the city as of 2010, funded by the County Council, Visit Wales, and Countryside Council for Wales. So far completed is the northern section through St Fagans, Fairwater and Ely, and the southern section running from Leckwith to the south along the River Ely through Grangetown, finishing at the Cardiff International Sports Village. However, these sections are yet to be connected.
The route is connected to Cardiff City Centre via an off-road north-south route through Butetown. The "Taff Trail" at Cardiff Bay can also be joined from the trail via Grangetown and Butetown.
Llys Tal-Y-Bont Cycleway.
The Llys Tal-Y-Bont Cycleway is a bidirectional cycle track approximately 0.5km long. It runs from a connection with the Taff Trail and the North Road Cycleway to the Excelsior Industrial Estate, with a connection to a bike park. Originally, this route was a 2m wide shared path, but work in 2020 upgraded it to a 2m wide path for pedestrians and a 4m wide separate path for cyclists. This also makes use of an existing underpass under Eastern Avenue.
North Road Cycleway.
The North Road Cycleway runs from the city centre to Birchgrove. Upgrade work on an existing route began in 2018, and a 2020 upgrade to a large section of the cycleway means that it is both off-road for nearly all of its length and has a maximum width of 4 metres. The cycleway is separated from pedestrians for the newer section near the city centre. The route has been criticised for being too close to trees for much of the route, potentially leading to increased leaf litter.
Rhymney Trail.
The off-road "Rhymney Trail" is being developed by the Council as a commuting and recreational route along the Rhymney River in the east of the city. Currently completed is the section between Llanedeyrn and Rumney. The Cardiff Cycle Map shows the route running off-road from Llanedeyrn Interchange, bypassing Llanrumney to the west, briefly joining Newport Road (B4487), and then heading south of Rumney to Wentloog Avenue (B4239). However, an off-road section also runs north-south through Pentwyn from Llanedeyrn.
Taff Trail.
The 55-mile long "Taff Trail" runs from Cardiff Bay through Pontypridd and Merthyr Tydfil to Brecon, forming part of the "Lôn Las Cymru" – the National Cycle Network "Route 8" to Holyhead.
The route begins at Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff Bay and runs mostly off-road through the city for north around Grangetown and the City Centre, joining the River Taff in Bute Park before heading north-west through Llandaff and Radyr, leaving the city at Tongwynlais.
Route 88: Coastal route.
National Cycle Route 88 is a coastal cycle route being constructed from Newport to Margam Country Park, Bridgend, via Cardiff.
Pont y Werin.
Pont y Werin (Welsh for "The People's Bridge") is a pedestrian and cyclist bridge spanning the River Ely between Cardiff Bay and Penarth. This forms a key part of Route 88. Costing approximately £4.5 million, Pont y Werin crosses between the Cardiff International Sports Village and Penarth, allowing the public to travel to the Sports Village via Cogan railway station.
Opened on 14 July 2010, the bascule bridge completes the Cardiff Bay circular walk and cycle route, and incorporates a 20-metre opening section to allow river traffic to pass. The whole bridge is a shared space for pedestrians and cyclists, and is not wide enough for segregation.
Penarth.
In 2010 it was announced a commuter route for cyclists would be installed, aiming to improve transport links between Penarth and Cardiff Bay.
Integration.
Cardiff rail network.
Cycling is integrated into the city's urban rail network, which is operated by Transport for Wales Rail. Most trains have spaces for two cycles. However they are not permitted on services from Caerphilly, Radyr (except the City Line), Cadoxton, and Ebbw Vale Town to Cardiff Queen Street or Cardiff Central between 07:00 and 09:30, or services in the reverse direction 16:00 to 18:00 on weekdays. Outside these times, carriage is still at the discretion of the guard. Folding cycles can be carried folded-up at any time.
There is cycle storage at Cardiff Central station on all platforms, at the front and rear entrances to the station, and in the Riverside car park.
National rail network.
Cycles are also permitted free of charge on the wider national network provided they can be safely stored in the designated areas and reservations through the train operator are recommended. Bikes must be carried in the designated area of the train and can't be stored in aisles