Roath Park cycle route (Phase 1) – Roath Recreation Ground improvements

We are developing a new cycle route from the city centre to the Roath Park area.

The route will provide key benefits such as:

promoting sustainable and active travel to school,
employment, and
connections to public transport.

The route will connect to other cycle routes in the future.

Phase 1 will provide a new segregated cycleway and upgraded footpaths in Roath Recreation Ground between the junction of Wellfield Road and Alder Road.

The scheme also includes:

Improvements to the junction of Wellfield Road, Marlborough Road, Penylan Road, and Ninian Road by upgrading crossing points, a cycle crossing and changes to the signal phasing.
Replacing the priority narrowings on Ty Draw Road with 4 ramped pedestrian crossing points.
Improvements to bus stops and a new northbound bus stop on Ninian Road.
Changes the Penylan Community Centre car park to make space for the cycleway.
Improving the zebra crossing at the Pen-y-Wain Road junction and shared footway for pedestrians and cyclists towards Roath Park Primary School.
Upgrading the footpath around the playing field and gym equipment.
Changes to the zebra crossing at the Alder Road junction and stop through traffic on Alder Road.

You can view the artist’s impression of the Wellfield Road junction (552kb PNG).

The work will start in late February 2024.

You can find out more about the Roath Park cycle route scheme from the project consultation information.

You can find information about the work being carried out by the contractor on Knights Brown’s website or by emailing talktous@knightsbrown.co.uk.

Additional information

Find more information about the scheme.

Turning movements at Wellfield Road junction

We know that some residents are concerned about the changes in traffic movements at this junction.

We are making the changes to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. This includes adding a new traffic light stage for cyclists.

To reduce the impact of adding an extra sequence to the traffic lights, we have looked at different options and decided to ban right turns:

from Wellfield Road onto Marlborough Road, and
from Marlborough Road onto Penylan Road.

This means we can maintain 4 traffic light sequences and avoid longer queues and delays at the junction.

If the current movements were kept in place along with the additional sequence and footway improvements for pedestrians, it would have a negative impact for traffic and for pedestrians at the junction and around the area.

We carried out traffic surveys in February 2024 and they are similar to previous surveys carried out. We believe the impact will be minimal. However, we will monitor the situation.

We are also looking at ways to improve active travel around Marlborough Primary School.

You can find out more about the turning movements decision (2.2mb PDF).

Pleasure Gardens (south-west access)

The current gated access will be widened to improve access for our parks maintenance vehicles.

Although the gates and railings are not listed structures, they do have heritage value. We will make sure:

the changes are done as carefully and sympathetically as possible, and
as much of the original materials are used.

The work will strengthen the railings at this location and the historical nameplate will be moved slightly.

Sports pitches

During the construction period, the number of sports pitches will reduce from 4 to 3. Once the construction is completed, it will go back to 4 pitches. However, they will be in a different arrangement to the current and interim layout.

We have to reduce the number of pitches to make sure:

there is enough space for construction and public use, and
construction can be completed safely.

We will reorientate the pitches, so they are ‘side on’. There is only enough space for 3 pitches in this layout during construction.

We have consulted with the Parks Department, and we are confident there will be enough space to meet demand.

We will bring back the fourth pitch as soon as possible.

Tree update

We are not felling any trees as a result of this scheme.

After an independent assessment, we will carry out pruning works on some trees in the park, including on Ninian Road. This is a combination of:

removing dead branches at risk of falling, and
‘crown lifting’, which keeps the underside of the tree canopy clear of footpaths.

Reasons for pruning relate to:

tree health, and
public health and safety.

We also need to remove 3 trees. These trees have defects which could pose a risk to public safety if left in place. The tree updates map shows the locations of these trees and describes their issues in more individual detail.

Please note that our maintenance work involving these tree removals is not a result of the new cycleway.

We started this work on 15 April 2024.

We are now proposing to plant 3 new trees during the planting season.

The 3 proposed trees are Alnus Glutinosa which thrive in wet conditions. We selected these as part of the SuDS planting work. We will plant 2 of them in a proposed swale along with swathes of other SuDS planting.

We also assessed a small number of saplings at the northwest end of the park, which were due to be relocated. This confirmed that the saplings were no longer alive. We have removed these and will look to replace the saplings in future, when conditions allow.

You can view the tree updates (274kb PDF).

You can view the detailed design drawings (7mb PDF). The drawings may change due to design changes and site conditions.

Contact us

You can contact us by email or post.

Email: transportprojects@cardiff.gov.uk

Transport Programme Team

Room 301, County Hall

Atlantic Wharf

Cardiff

CF10 4UW

My Neighbourhood

Cardiff Council