Cycling in Cardiff

[Welsh wheels]

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/...h-capital-takes-aim-britains-top-cycling-city

So Cardiff council have an ambitious plan to be the best cycling city in the UK. They've got a long way to go considering that cycling in Cardiff involves fun things like close passes every time you're out, motorist abuse, terrible potholes and cycle lanes that must have been devised by chimpanzees.

 

[S-Express]

It also has a velodrome (Maindy), hosts Velothon Wales and has several active clubs, so it's not all bad.

 

[Welsh wheels]

It also has a velodrome (Maindy), hosts Velothon Wales and has several active clubs, so it's not all bad.

Yeah but that's all private individuals who like cycling, it doesn't say anything about how the cycling infrastructure is maintained and overall attitude of car drivers. I love Cardiff though I think it's great, but it's a bit of a stretch to try and make it a great cycling city.

 

[S-Express]

Yeah but that's all private individuals who like cycling, it doesn't say anything about how the cycling infrastructure is maintained and overall attitude of car drivers.

But crucially they didn't say 'they already were the best cycling city' - they said they 'wanted to be'...

 

[Welsh wheels]

But crucially they didn't say 'they already were the best cycling city' - they said they 'wanted to be'...

Yeah, I guess it's good that they want to be.

 

[jowwy]

It also has a velodrome (Maindy), hosts Velothon Wales and has several active clubs, so it's not all bad.

Velothon is about 10miles of cardiff and 110 miles rural.......maindy is old and decrepid and the roads in cardiff will never be widened enough to make it even remotely good enough to be the best. Pie in the sky ideas

 

[S-Express]

Velothon is about 10miles of cardiff and 110 miles rural.......maindy is old and decrepid and the roads in cardiff will never be widened enough to make it even remotely good enough to be the best. Pie in the sky ideas

Velothon is hosted in Cardiff (which is what I said) - I know the route goes elsewhere before returning. The hosting itself - along with a series of closed road circuit races in the town centre - involve some fairly major planning.

Not sure if you've been to Maindy, - it may be old, but it isn't 'decrepid' - the track surface is still perfectly good. Good enough to hold the UK national youth omnium finals there last year.

 

[Welsh wheels]

Velothon is hosted in Cardiff (which is what I said) - I know the route goes elsewhere before returning. The hosting itself - along with a series of closed road circuit races in the town centre - involve some fairly major planning.

Not sure if you've been to Maindy, - it may be old, but it isn't 'decrepid' - the track surface is still perfectly good. Good enough to hold the UK national youth omnium finals there last year.

The point is not that there aren't good cycling events and cycling culture in Cardiff, it's that the cycling infrastructure in Cardiff is poor and cars tend to dominate on the roads.

 

[NorthernDave]

Sorry, they can't be considered to be the best until they've spent at least £29 million on a Cycle Super Highway...

 

[Banjo]

Some good stuff in Cardiff. Pont y weren Bridge links to Penarth .
Taff Trail gets you out of the city almost traffic free.
Some of the main routes and junctions are a nightmare to cycle on .
Crazy narrow painted on bike lanes that direct you onto drains potholes and parked cars are quite common.
Probably no worse than most cities.

 

[S-Express]

The point is not that there aren't good cycling events and cycling culture in Cardiff, it's that the cycling infrastructure in Cardiff is poor and cars tend to dominate on the roads.

Maybe have a think about organising a cycle event then. I'm not defending Cardiff's current infrastructure - I'm simply saying that having a publicly-stated ambition like that is commendable. The other alternative is them saying they 'couldn't give a fck about cycling' - and I'm sure we wouldn't want that.

 

[theclaud]

Cardiff is a small, flat city, and should be a great place to cycle around. The only reason it isn't is the failure to tackle the stranglehold of private motoring on the city. It has all the infrastructure it needs - roads that go everywhere - but it's choked with cars.

 

[jowwy]

Velothon is hosted in Cardiff (which is what I said) - I know the route goes elsewhere before returning. The hosting itself - along with a series of closed road circuit races in the town centre - involve some fairly major planning.

Not sure if you've been to Maindy, - it may be old, but it isn't 'decrepid' - the track surface is still perfectly good. Good enough to hold the UK national youth omnium finals there last year.

What closed road circuit races?? I must have missed them some how

 

[NorthernDave]

A few people are actually starting to use that now.

All joking aside, it's definitely getting busier - just needs the section through the city centre sorting now.

 

[S-Express]

What closed road circuit races?? I must have missed them some how

Indeed you did. National Youth Circuit Series was held there in 2015 and 2016, day before the sportive.


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