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Cardiff Bay Barrage bike route to be closed for four days due to music festival

Closures on key route from Welsh capital to Penarth will happen from Thursday until Sunday

Cardiff Bay Barrage, which provides a key cycle route from Penarth into the Welsh capital, will be closed for four days next week due to a music festival.

The closure, which affects pedestrians as well as cyclists, will come into force at 4.30pm on the afternoon of Thursday 16 September, reports Wales Online.

It will be closed until midnight on Thursday and again from 1200-0030 on Friday and Saturday, and from noon until midnight on Sunday.

The closure of the route is a result of four concerts taking place at Alexandra Head on the Cardiff side of the barrage next week, including Biffy Clyro on Thursday and Nile Rodgers and Chic on Sunday.

The move has been criticised by local politicians including Liberal Democrat Councillor Joe Carter, who said: “It’s really surprising to see a major walking and cycle route closed over the weekend to allow a concert to take place.

“The weekend is the busiest time for the barrage, particularly for the last weekend of the Aqua Park.

“It is hard to imagine a major road being closed, and yet the needs of pedestrians and cyclists are ignored,” he added.

“The barrage and access road should be wide enough to allow everyone to use it. We hope the council can reconsider and find a way of keeping it open to everyone.”

Conservative Councillor Mike Phillips also criticised the decision, saying: “We cannot compromise active travel for a concert.

“Disenfranchising walkers and cyclists suggests we are not serious about embedding healthier forms of transport into our systems.”

But Labour-run Cardiff City Council’s cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport, Peter Bradbury, defended the decision to close the route.

“The barrage will be open to everyone until 4.30pm on Thursday and until midday on Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” he said.

“From these times until midnight on Thursday and Sunday and until 12.30am after the Titan Festivals on the weekend, the site will be open to ticket holders only.

“If you’re travelling from Penarth, please make sure you’re on the Cardiff side of the barrage before the site closes.

“All access to the gigs will be on the Cardiff side of the barrage where security, soft ticket checks and Covid checks will be set up by the event organisers.

“If you’re a ticket holder, the entrance and exit for the events will be near the Porth Teigr roundabout, the Bay end of the barrage walkway.

“Up to 11,000 ticket holders will be at these events each day so it would be difficult, if not impossible, for commuters or cyclists to cross the barrage safely.

“Such high-profile acts attract a lot of interest and if the barrage remained open, potentially large crowds could gather.

“Closing the site will reduce the risks associated with the gathering of large crowds in the area, including blocked access for people commuting or walking, preventing emergency vehicles accessing the area if required, risk of overcrowding and congestion on entry and exit to the events and the potential for non-ticket holders to get into the event, which could lead to a similar situation seen at the recent European Championships at Wembley.

“This is the first time events have been held at Alexandra Head since before the pandemic and we want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable return to outdoor events at this venue,” he added.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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7 comments

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eburtthebike | 2 years ago
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Well, my theory that it's only tories that are quite so incredibly hypocritical about active travel are proved wrong; labour does it as well.

"But Labour-run Cardiff City Council’s cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport, Peter Bradbury, defended the decision to close the route.

“The barrage will be open to everyone until 4.30pm on Thursday and until midday on Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” he said."

If he can't see the problem with that, he shouldn't be in any position of responsibility.  As the Lib-Dem councillor says, they wouldn't close a major road like this, but it's only cyclists and pedestrians, and who cares about them?

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Rich_cb replied to eburtthebike | 2 years ago
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In defence of Cardiff Council they regularly close major roads for events. The roads remain open for cyclists and pedestrians.

Most international rugby games and larger concerts will lead to several such road closures.

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eburtthebike replied to Rich_cb | 2 years ago
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Rich_cb wrote:

In defence of Cardiff Council they regularly close major roads for events. The roads remain open for cyclists and pedestrians. Most international rugby games and larger concerts will lead to several such road closures.

I'm sure that's true, but I'll bet that there are signposted detours for the road closures; there appears to be no alternative route for this closure.

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Rich_cb replied to eburtthebike | 2 years ago
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The barrage forms part of a 10km cycling loop.

The rest of the loop remains open so there is indeed a signposted alternative route in this case too.

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Flintshire Boy replied to eburtthebike | 2 years ago
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You are correct; your theory is proved wrong.

Let's hope you never repeat it, since you now acknowledge that it is wrong.

Here's hoping.

Avatar
eburtthebike replied to Flintshire Boy | 2 years ago
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Flintshire Boy wrote:

You are correct; your theory is proved wrong.

Let's hope you never repeat it, since you now acknowledge that it is wrong.

Here's hoping.

Is there some prize for the most obtuse, obscure, wholly indecipherable post that I don't know about?  If I had the faintest idea what you are talking about, I'd respond to it.

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HoarseMann | 2 years ago
2 likes

Maybe they could have reduced the risk of overcrowding by selling less tickets?

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