Report finds progress on active travel in Wales ‘painful’ but backs expansion of bike storage based on launch in Newport
A new report by a Welsh Government body highlights the slow progress in increasing walking and cycling in Wales, despite positive initiatives and funding.
However they highlight one example of successful improvement – the implementation of a £1.50, 24/7 bike storage facility run by Spokesafe and Newport Council on Skinner Street in Newport city centre.
The initiative offers bike storage, charging, lockers, a shower and toilet, and has addressed the concern of bike theft, encouraging more people to cycle into the city. The facility's positive impact is evident, with over half of its users stating they wouldn't have visited the city centre without it.
The Active Travel Board praised increased funding for active travel and the introduction of the 20mph speed limit. However, it also pointed out the lack of significant increase in walking and cycling rates despite the Active Travel Act being in place for over a decade.
The report emphasizes the need for targeted funding and improved data collection. It highlights a success story from Howardian Primary School, where 90% of pupils now actively travel to school, showcasing the possibility of achieving significant change.
by orsalnwd
19 comments
When are the Welsh Government going to wake up ? Cycling and walking are leisure activities and yes it’s great that there are more facilities to encourage what are healthy hobbies. They ARE NOT an alternative to motorised vehicles for the vast majority of people. Wales is a hilly, rural soaking wet country – we are not the Netherlands. So the painfully slow increase in walking and cycling lamented by the Welsh Government is the least surprising thing you will read today.
The reaction in Swansea about a new bike lane sounded like they were closing the road to vehicle traffic rather then just adding in a dedicated bike lane. Too many people can’t think past their car.
As mentioned treating walking and cycling as an “All Wales” issue isn’t very helpful..
In towns and cities walking and cycling can be a perfectly viable option, especially somewhere like Cardiff where it’s mostly flat and there’s good infrastructure. In many places its the only choice as public transport networks are sometimes very illogical.
However outside of those areas its a very different issue. In rural areas 30-45 minute commutes by car are commonplace so walking and cycling are totally unworkable in that case. Also with towns and cities your average 30-45 minute walk takes you past loads of amenities like shops/cafes/supermarkets etc. A 30 minute rural walk might get you half way to town if you’re lucky.
Tbf I cant help but think that the push for walking and cycling was always going to be more of an uphill struggle in Wales, Our cities are small and relatively not all that populous, with a lot of the foot traffic in them comin from people living in surrounding villages travelling in for the day
We have all the ingredients for a sub par public transport network because we just don’t have enough people using the routes you want it for and many people are just far enough from their amenities or place of work that the car is the more viable option than pedals
Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try but the successes you’ll eventually see in places like London if the work is truly put in are going to be all but impossible to replicate in Wales. We just don’t have the population density to make a London style public transport network function but at the same time our minor settlements are nearly all reliant on the big cities they neighbor to function
I currently work remotely, so don’t need to drive to work – but almost all my other uses for my car require transporting stuff (shopping, band practice, gigs etc). These arguments over transport always seem to forget that people aren’t always just taking themselves on the journey.
Of course it is.
Reckless driving terrifies cyclists.
There is not a lack of will to cycle. There is a fear of betting knocked off and killed.
Well it’s obvious why that is. The valleys have huge hills in them. Good luck getting up and down those. Plus the weather is mainly rain. Couple this with Wales still relying on roads that were built 200+ years ago with horses and carts in mind let alone cars and you’ve got a right pickle.
Full report is here: https://www.gov.wales/active-travel-wales-active-travel-board-annual-report-2023-2024
On my commute to work it’s funny how many times I go from really well designed cycle infrastructure think Cardiff Bay barrage, quietways in Roath and Adamsdown. To the most God awful ones like Lloyd George Avenue cycle lane , where you need to check at every crossing to make sure a car is not barreling into you on a left turn.
Walking plays second fiddle to cycling. In Cardiff £££ has been spent on cyclepaths in the Cathays area yet on the corner by Cathays library (where £££ is being spent as well) a massive puddle forms every time it rains. Pedestrians have to run the risk of being splashed by cars and the pavement is partially obstructed by scaffolding for the work at the library.
Bloody cheek!! I walk and cycle everywhere in Swansea! I don’t drive and the buses are extortionately expensive. I have no choice. Fitter than I’ve ever been though I suppose.
He’s my issue I just started commuting to work 5 days a week. I live in Barry btw. So I haven’t ridden a bike properly since like 15 (now 39) here’s what I’ve found after a few months , first off roads are too narrow. Most and I mean most the streets I need to use have cars both sides of the road parked and only enough room for 1 car or bike at a time. Guess who ALWAYS has to pull in to let a car past ??? But I can’t pull in as there is no gaps between the walls of SUVs on every street. Also vans parking on corners!! To the point I need to be in the middle of the road to see if it’s safe. So I try pavement in certain areas. Everyone’s walking with headphones in and can’t hear my bell lol. No work place seems to care or have safe bike storage can have a huge car park but not one bike storage location. Idk what can be done about all this but as a new biker I just wanted to say what I’ve noticed. I would love a nice clean ride to work without my BP through the roof and having to stop and start so much on the road I might as well walk.
I live in risca. No cycle lanes, no where to lock up bikes. Even if I did it would probably get stolen, FAST.
Everything outside of a city is linked by dual carriageways and the like. Why would anyone cycle on those? Drivers are dangerous enough for bikes on smaller roads. Fuck that, I love cycling but I’m not gonna put myself through that
I’m pretty sure it’s impossible for me to get to work without going on the M4. Unless I cycle across fields, etc.
No way would I cycle through Newport, I’ve seen loads of people driving stupidly close to them due to impatience. It should be a really cyclable city but drivers need to give a bit first. I guess it’s a hell of a lot cheaper to install an extra bike rack than it is to sort out some proper cycle lanes!
I’d argue a large contributing factor is the complete absence of any safe cycle paths or lanes in a good portion of Wales.
No buses near us and the nearest shop is 7 miles away. I don’t have the time to spend cycling too and from the shop with groceries. No one round here is cycling or walking more
Perhaps this is a dumb take, but could Wales just build the cycle paths while maintaining the roads and not constantly fuck with policy because “we’re different in Wales”?
I do not understand, why we can’t be a proud nation of fit cyclists and be proud of a road network that gets us from A to B?
Why does it need to be a slider?
Personally I am a mountain biker, cycling in South Wales is fantastic, the routes often undergo improvements, there are so many trails to play on and it’s wonderful how all the old minecart tracks were turned into paths.
You can take a picnic and vanish for the day.
I cannot speak for cycling in North Wales and going on my bike in Mid Wales without the assistance of a car equals death imo.
Wales is a darn sight bigger than Cardiff and Newport, it is essential one has a car in Wales if you live even semi rural.
The 20mph thing has sometimes made it easier to join the road in a few places but it’s come at the precieved expense of the motorist and everybody really hates cyclists now.
I can maintain 20 (ish, the gearing and fat tyres don’t help lol) but nobody including the police is doing 20 anyway.
I’ve had far more near misses since the rollout so I now have a camera up front and a radar on the back for those times I absolutely must use the road.
Mind you, I like the idea of secure storage locations for bikes, as it stands I’d be insane to lock my bike up in public but I would use my bike for small shopping trips if there was no fear of it being pinched.
Wales has a few big city’s with most the population then a vast spread population where you have to drive, it’s just not an option. The city’s are mostly not cycle friendly, no safe place’s in Newport/Cardiff to store a bike without it being stolen.
A lot of people are just to fat/un fit to even think of walking far never mind cycling, lets just ignore the rain/hills as well.
Just make E Scooters legal, let people drive them on pavement if the Gov wants to go Green. It’s not like most the cycle paths are more than just jammed in to excising roads, it’s just scary.