A public consultation on a 15-year plan to improve routes for walking, wheeling and cycling in Cardiff has started.
Residents, businesses and community groups across the city are being asked to give their views by August 3.
The updated Active Travel Network Map will replace the previous plan approved by Welsh Ministers in December 2021 and brings together existing walking and cycling routes with proposals for future improvements. Cardiff Council said the map would help it plan how people can make daily journeys without relying on their private car.
Once the routes outlined in the map are finalised, they will be prioritised using a range of criteria.
These are:
- Council priorities for the delivery of cycleways
- Potential to initiate a modal shift from using a private car to walking and cycling
- Proximity to residential areas
- Access to destinations, including transport interchanges, education facilities, retail, leisure facilities, tourist destinations, community centres and places of worship
- Impact on deprivation and health
- Safety and collision data
Cllr Dan De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Transport and Climate Change, said:
“We hope that residents and interested parties across the city give their views on our new Active Travel Map, which outlines proposals to improve cycling and walking routes across the city over the next 15 years.
“The council is committed to building an integrated network for both cyclists and pedestrians so that walking and cycling become attractive options for those who can use them. The Active Travel Network Map supports our wider aims to create sustainable travel options across the city, improve health and wellbeing, reduce congestion, cut air pollution further and make it easier for people to travel around Cardiff without relying on their private car.”
The draft map has been updated to:
- Add new walking and cycling routes that have been completed since 2021 and meet Welsh Government standards
- Update future route plans, removing sections that have already been built and ensuring proposals align with current council policies and development plans
- Focus more strongly on improving and connecting existing routes, following new Welsh Government guidance to streamline the process
Routes shown on the map include:
- Existing routes that have been assessed for safety and quality
- Future routes, ranging from short-term schemes planned within the next five years to longer-term, more aspirational routes over the next 10–15 years.
Under the Active Travel (Wales) Act, councils across Wales are required to regularly review their Active Travel Maps and show how they are improving routes for walking, cycling and people using wheelchairs or mobility aids.
Once the public consultation is complete and assessed, a consultation report will be produced to respond to the points raised. Any amendments will then be made before the map is submitted to the Welsh Government for approval on 1 December 2026.
The proposed Active Travel Map can be viewed here -www.cardiff.gov.uk/ActiveTravelConsultation and residents, community groups and businesses are asked to fill in a short online survey to give their views.
