Various

The CTC and Charity Status
The CTC are proposing to combine their two arms – the 'Club' and the 'Charitable Trust' – into a single charity. This is to be decided at their AGM in May when their members are to be asked to vote in favour of unification. One of Wheelrights members has drawn our attention to the importance of this issue and made a case for voting 'No'. In the light of this a one page document: The CTC – a Charity? has been prepared. This briefly summarises the pros and cons but recommends a 'No' vote mainly for the reason that a 'Yes' would be irreversible and that blocking the change now would give time for a better case for unification to be made. Neither Wheelrights nor the local CTC Member Group have a formal position on this; they are simply encouraging CTC members to look into the matter for themselves and use their proxy vote in May.

Amazon Roundabout
The danger to cyclists using NCN 4 to pass this roundabout, especially to the east bound, featured on this page soon after it was opened in the Spring of 2008. Wheelrights then prepared a one page report (April 2008 report) to draw attention to this danger. This was sent to Neath Port Talbot County Council with the request that appropriate action be taken. Nothing was done.
Early this summer (2009) we received e-mails from cyclists expressing concern about the junction. This prompted us to raise the matter again with NPT. After several e-mail exchanges we received a brief response from the designers. This did not accept that there was a problem and informed us that the design had had three safety audits. They did however indicate that there were plans for future cycle provision but it was not clear what this would be.
At the time of writing we are considering how to follow this up. In the meantime we have produced three further one page reports. The first report is a safety assessment and is similar to the April 2008 one but goes into greater detail about the nature of the danger, not only around the junction but also at the entrance to the Shell filling station forecourt immediately to the east.
The other two outline what we think needs to be done: namely two new routes which will enable cyclists to avoid the roundabout.
The first, which is our top priority, is a northern route. This would continue the dead end spur of NCN 4 near the Tennant Canal to connect with the existing route at the underpass just west of Briton Ferry Bridge. This is essentially the route proposed by Sustrans in the late 1990s but which was blocked by land owners.
The second is a southern route. This would link the easterly end of the existing cycle path on the south side of Fabian Way to NCN 4 where it emerges from the underpass near the Briton Ferry Bridge. It would eventually form the eastern part of a cycle route running all the way from Swansea to the underpass, entirely south of Fabian Way.

Siding's Bridge bus lane crossing

The local authority was alerted early in 2008 about the danger of this crossing. It is dangerous for a cyclist coming from Swansea because of the very limited visibility of an approaching bus. Following a site visit in April of that year the Council decided to provide appropriate signs/markings. Nothing happened for over a year, but this summer (2009) a warning sign was painted on the bus lane, but not on the cycle path. This goes some way to making the junction safer but cyclists and pedestrians are still vulnerable, especially as the bush which in the photo obscures just the wheels of the bus has now grown so that it would obscure the whole of it!

Newsletters
To view/download the latest or earlier Wheelrights Newsletters ('WRNL'), or the last Swansea Sustrans Rangers Newsletter ('SSRNL').click it in the table.

Wheelrights meetings
These are held bi-monthly. We do not have a formal committee and any Wheelrights member sufficiently interested is welcome to attend. Notes of previous meetings can be viewed/downloaded as a .pdf file by clicking the entry in the table.

Wheelrights 'Wish List'
To assist the Council assign priorities to make Swansea County more cycle friendly Wheelrights have produced a list of what they consider needs to be done. To view/download this click Wish List.

John Grimshaw visits Swansea

Mr Grimshaw, Sustrans founder and President, came to Swansea for the two days 29/30 April. The prime purpose of his visit was to take up our invitation to give a talk in the Environment Centre, but in addition he was able to cycle with us to various places in and around Swansea and give us his advice and attend a specially convened Swansea Council meeting. For an account of this visit click Grimshaw visit The photo, taken on 29 April, shows a group of us from Wheelrights outside the Civic Centre. John Grimshaw is on the right. On that day we were interviewed by the Evening Post and an article appeared the next day. To view this click Evening Post article

New path at Loughor

£1 billion to be spent in Swansea!
According to the Evening Post of 9 January 2008 this sum is to be spent in the next five years on a major redevelopment of the Swansea City Centre. A key feature is the redevelopment of Oystermouth Road into a European Boulevard. The plan is to reapportion the available width to provide more for pedestrians (and we trust cyclists) and less for motorised traffic. A 20 mph speed limit is also planned. By phasing of traffic lights they expect to achieve the same traffic flow as at present. And, using only at-grade crossings, they expect to improve pedestrian access to the Marina from the City Centre.
This is a splendid opportunity to get the cycle links we so badly need, and Wheelrights will endeavour to work with the Council and developers to ensure that this is done properly.
The prime needs are the establishment of a west - east link from the fork in the coast path just west of County Hall (before the dreaded sandy stretch), along the south side of Oystermouth Road, past the museums to re-connect with NCN 4 at the Sail Bridge. In addition links to the City Centre from this E-W link are needed and, last but not least, a path up the west side of the Afon Tawe to connect with NCN 43 at the Liberty Stadium.
These paths will need to accommodate the needs of pedestrians, the disabled (including the blind and partially sighted) as well as cyclists. This presents challenges and we hope that we will have the opportunity to work with others to ensure that the needs of all users are met in the best possible way.
The money needed to achieve this - one or two million? - is a drop in the bucket compared with a billion pounds.

SW Wales Regional Transport Plan
A consultation draft of this document was issued during the summer of 2008 (somewhat later than the March schedule). Wheelrights, together with other interested groups, had previously been invited to submit their ideas and this they did on 5 December 2007. To view click Wheelrights RTP submission. On 8 September 2008 Wheelrights were represented at a workshop to discuss the draft. Notes as a briefing for this workshop had previously been prepared (click RTP notes). These were subsequently sent to key people in the Council and SSWITCH.

Cycle stations
Wheelrights were approached in November 2007 by an aide to the Plaid AM for Swansea and SW Wales Dai Lloyd to see if we were interested in an idea to provide safe cycle storage centres in Swansea. Of course we were! This led to a full page article in the 1 December 2007 issue of the Evening Post which included a photo of Dai LLoyd and Wheelrights Secretary, David Naylor. To view this article click here
There is already one such safe cycle storage place in Swansea. It is in the enclosed car park on the north side of Clarence Street, a block east of the prison. Bikes can be left there under supervision and under cover between 8.30am and 6.00pm. There is no charge. There are five Sheffield stands, providing parking for 10 bikes.
Prompted by this initiative the Council have indicated (in January 2008) that they would provide similar bike storage in their other enclosed car parks in the City. While not as splendid as the Cycle Stations envisaged by Dai Lloyd they will be a very useful facility. Nothing however was done in the ensuing year although this matter was revived at a Council meeting on 29 April 2009. Such centres would increase the attractiveness of cycling in Swansea, whether to get to work, for shopping, or whatever; and would strengthen the case for the provision of good cycle routes into the city.

A shared path code
Wheelrights, in collaboration with Swansea's Cycling Officer, have prepared a sort of mini-highway code to encourage cyclists, pedestrians and other users of the Swansea Bay path to respect each other. It is particularly aimed at kids and uses as a theme the old Mumbles steam train on which a boy with a bell warned pedestrians of the approach of the train. The code is in the form of an A5 poster with a picture of the train and a poem on one side with the code on the back. To view/download it click Shared path code. It is intended for distribution at appropriate events. Copies can be obtained from the Cycling Officer. Enquire at the Civic Centre.

Swansea Bay Strategy
A strategy document on the proposed future development of Swansea Bay was out for consultation (by 10 August 2007). Wheelrights responded as did Sustrans. We have both welcomed the improved amenities proposed which include a widening of the foreshore path. We are however against proposals for increased car parking and a plan for a bridge at Blackpill. Click Wheelrights for our response and Sustrans for theirs.

How it might be
The provision for cyclists is so much better in Continental Europe than in the UK that we need to look at how they do it both to get ideas and obtain a vision of how it might be here. This report by CTC's Steve Kinsella on good practice in the Netherlands: Netherlands report shows how they do it there.

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Page updated on 9 March 2010.