Cardiff aims to become UK's Amsterdam

The manifesto was launched at Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff Bay at noon and detailed eight asks, including 20mph limits across the city, an effective cycle network, and a minimum spend of £15 per head per year.

Cardiff is one of the flattest cities in Britain and has more green space per person than any other UK core city. Between 2001 and 2011, the number of people cycling to work in Cardiff increased by 65 per cent and the council’s current cycling map already plots over 500 miles of recommended cycle routes.

Cardiff is the youngest capital city in Europe, and has the potential to grow up to become the Amsterdam of the UK.”

Gwenda Owen, CTC Councillor for Wales

With over 77,000 people commuting into the city from outside Cardiff – 80 per cent travelling by car – there is frequent congestion, which is bad for business. Cardiff City Cycling are therefore calling on the people of Cardiff, businesses and other groups to support the new manifesto, by signing up to their eight asks:

Cardiff Cycle City Manifesto

1. Connect our cycle network effectively and build two cycle superhighways
2. 20mph speed limit across the city, where needed 
3. A city-centre bike hub and at least 1,000 new bike parking spaces across Cardiff
4. Cycle training for all, including our city’s drivers and planners
5. Easy and affordable access to bike hire across the city
6. A Cycling Commissioner to inspire and lead
7. A cycling team within Cardiff Council
8. Minimum annual spend of £15 per person on cycling infrastructure, education and promotion

The Welsh NHS currently spends £70m per year coping with the costs of obesity. This ambitious manifesto is therefore seen as a call to wheels to the 70 per cent of Welsh people who currently fail to achieve the recommended weekly amount of exercise.

As recent CTC research has shown, the economic benefits of increased physical fitness through cycling in England alone could be worth £5.3bn annually by 2025 if ambitious targets for growth are met. Therefore while exact figures for the benefits of increased cycle growth in Cardiff are not available, it is safe to assume that they would be considerable.

Gwenda Owen, CTC Councillor and Chair of CTC’s Policy and Strategy Committee, has been intimately involved in the manifesto since its start. In support of it, she said: “We are delighted that cycling groups and individuals are working together in Cardiff to make the case for investing in cycling.”

The Cardiff City Cycling Manifesto was developed in discussion with key stakeholders, including Cardiff Cycling Campaign, CTC, Sustrans, Welsh Cycling, Local Transport Projects, cycle tour companies, bike shops and other groups. In addition, over 700 people took part in an online consultation about it.  In less than a year, Cardiff Cycle City won over 1,000 supporters, reflecting public appetite for better cycling facilities and backing for the pioneering Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013, which will help transform Wales into a ‘Cycling Nation’. 

You can show your support for the manifesto by signing up online, sharing it on social media platforms using hashtag #CardiffCycleCity, and ultimately calling on Cardiff County Council and other decision-making bodies to take immediate action.