Cycling group's "real concern" over "minor lake" and huge puddles on city cycle lanes

A cycling campaign group in Cardiff has raised "real concern" about the state of some of the city's cycle lanes, with flooding causing safety and accessibility issues for users. The situation is so bad that some local cyclists have reported being unable to use infrastructure for multiple weeks, their path blocked by a "minor lake" and huge puddles.

Cardiff Cycle City has shared multiple pictures on social media, submitted by people who cycle in the Welsh capital and use its network of bike lanes, some routes unusable due to the water levels. And while the council has pointed to the "exceptionally high levels of rainfall", with February levels in Cardiff "almost 260 per cent higher than the average", Cardiff Cycle City Chair Chris Roberts argued there is "real concern" about safety.

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"You can't see what is underneath. It could be that there is glass there, it could be that there is a pothole there, it could be that there is a brick there that causes you to fall off, and for particularly elderly cyclists and children it could cause significant injuries. They are a safety issue," he told WalesOnline.

Mr Roberts added that he "nearly came off my bike" when using the Taff Trail [a route seen in the video below] as he moved to the side of the cycle route in a bid to avoid splashing the pedestrians walking in the opposite direction. However, he then "found myself in a pothole and I nearly came off my bike".

Just another rainy day on the Taff Trail. These puddles keep coming back whenever it rains. And it's getting worse. We need our Active Travel networks to be regularly monitored and maintained to make sure they're safe for people to use. pic.twitter.com/a3ecRJjT1L

— Cardiff Cycle City | Dinas Feicio Caerdydd (@CdffCycleCity) February 23, 2024

"These puddles keep coming back whenever it rains. And it's getting worse. We need our active travel networks to be regularly monitored and maintained to make sure they're safe for people to use," Cardiff Cycle City told followers on social media, sharing the video above and explaining that the concerns go beyond safety issues.

"Poorly maintained and neglected infrastructure discourages people from using active travel. As climate change causes more of these issues, we need to get more people walking and cycling."

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Mr Roberts said the persistent flooding is "frustrating" because the council has invested in "some brilliant cycle infrastructure", but "there needs to be a better maintenance regime in place".

Other cyclists shared pictures of flooded infrastructure elsewhere in the city, one rider saying they reported the flooding on "the main cycle route through the city centre" on 14 February but two weeks on it was "still not sorted" at the end of last week. An update last night suggested it is now dry, "hopefully because the issue was resolved, and not just because it has stopped raining".

After all the rain we've been having there's a lot of #flooding across @cardiffcouncil Active Travel routes. This photo was taken by one of our members earlier today! @DeAthCardiff is there a plan to remedy and prevent these happening in future please? pic.twitter.com/FyvrwOILeH

— Cardiff Cycle City | Dinas Feicio Caerdydd (@CdffCycleCity) February 23, 2024

Further afield, another cyclist said their commuting route in the Vale of Glamorgan Council area had been "impassable for a full month".

This is my commuting route in @VOGCouncil. It has been impassable for a full month pic.twitter.com/e9znVw3Nih

— Michael Surcombe (@LeapingMikey) February 23, 2024

From Cardiff Council's perspective, the flooding seen in the city has been the result of the "exceptionally high levels of rainfall" experienced in February, the local authority saying that its officers are "checking gullies" for blockages.

"The city is experiencing exceptionally high levels of rainfall this year," a spokesperson commented. "So far this February the amount of rain which has fallen in Cardiff is almost 260 per cent higher than the average rainfall for this time of year. This level of rainfall will always have an impact on surface water gathering and on the time it takes for water to drain away naturally.

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"The land on either side of the Taff Trail is saturated meaning the water on the cycleway doesn't have anywhere to run off which will cause ponding. We are aware of surface water on the cycleway around the castle and highway officers are checking gullies to see if there are any blockages in the system, but the huge amount of rainfall we've seen this winter will be playing its part in ponding across the city."