Where does cycling fit within £250m plans for Newport?

In towns and cities across the UK cycling is being encouraged and enabled by everything from cycle paths to urban cycle hire. But where, if at all, does cycling fit within Newport's vision of the future?

Regardless of what you think about cycling, it's getting ever more popular and will continue to do so. Animosity will no doubt continue to rage between cyclists and car drivers, but that's not what this blog is concerned with. In this blog I will look at the importance of cycling to the future of Newport and ask whether Newport City Council has fully considered two wheeled transport, or are we once again missing the boat and lining up problems for ourselves?

Newport is on the up. Apparently. That means growth, and growth means more people and more business (hopefully). New housing developments in and around the city are being announced periodically, for example the old Alcan site in Rogerstone. Back in July 2012 the South Wales Argus was reporting how Newport City Council’s Local Development Plan allocates 700 houses for the site. There have since been several announcements of new housing developments. And if the reNewport ambitions to transform the city into a high tech hub become reality, we will even see a 'software university' as well as an influx of new businesses. Of course it goes without saying that one of the central aims of Friars Walk is to attract more people to Newport.

So if there are going to be more people living, working and doing business in Newport, the issue now looming over the horizon is; how are all these people going to get around the city?

The Southern Distributor Road certainly helped to address some of the congestion that had worsened during the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, but it's no secret that Newport faces continuing challenges, particularly on the M4. The city centre is a pretty difficult place to get around as it is, and the layout of the streets and roads mean there's not a lot that can be done to the major infrastructure to address this. We are pretty much stuck with what we have. Yes, we could perhaps look to painfully and expensively develop roads and bypasses on the outskirts, but that's a 'sledgehammer-to-crack-a-nut' way of thinking that will do little to affect the traffic problems in the heart of Newport when that heart is growing.

Even on the outskirts there are concerns about the future. Take the aforementioned development at the old Alcan site in Rogerstone. 700 houses presumably means at least 700 people looking to commute to and from the estate. Forge Lane isn't a bundle of laughs as it is. Stick another couple of hundred cars into the equation and you can already see the letters to the Argus writing themselves.

So a sustainable transport plan - one that allows for continued and unforeseen expansion - should already be at the centre of Newport's 'on the up' vision. If it's not, the question needs to be asked 'why is it not?' They can't surely be ploughing ahead with these new developments with little or no care for how increasing numbers of people are going to get around the bright shiny Newport of tomorrow? Or is that a bridge they will try and cross when they get there?

Cycling is a big part of the solution and it needs to be included as an influencer on any and all planning decisions. Whatever developments are being considered there should be a box to progress that is only ticked when cycling has been included in the thinking and addressed. This has worked extremely well for Bristol.

Back in 2008 Bristol was named England's first Cycling City after the government gave the city £11.4m to create dedicated cycle lanes, better facilities and more training for children. The same year Bristol was ranked as Britain's most sustainable city, topping the Future's Sustainable Cities Index 2008. Of course this wasn't entirely down to cycling, and also considered the city's environmental and economic performance, quality of life, future-proofing [take note Newport City Council], how well it addressed climate change, recycling and biodiversity. But as the increasing number of visitors to Bristol know, it's a city that is certainly 'on the up' in many respects and has been improved immeasurably as a result of a concerted effort and joined-up thinking.

As Newport grows people WILL look to cycle more, certainly as a way of commuting. And ironically the growth of the city and the subsequent inevitable traffic problems will be a driver for growth in itself. But without a cycling strategy those people taking to two wheels will find it difficult to integrate. Without a cycling strategy and the infrastructure in place what we will undoubtedly see are growing issues with accidents, animosity between cars drivers and cyclists, and problems with cyclists riding on pavements and through the city centre. Again, the letters to editor continue to form well in advance.

Now, I may have missed it amongst all the noise, but I don't recall much in the way of strong statements about cycling or sustainable transport anywhere in news stories or statements about Newport's development. A glance at the Newport City Council's website does little to fill me with confidence. The dedicated Cycling page serves as little more than an intermediate page that links to the Velodrome. Compare this to the wealth of information on cycling on the Bristol City Council website. As far as the Newport City Council is concerned, cycling appears to be something the rest of the world does, but not us.

So in a week when the local news has been filled with cycling and the visit of the British Cycling National Championships and Sir Bradley Wiggins at the British Time Trial Championships at Celtic Manor, let's keep our fingers crossed that the attending media didn't think to investigate or ask how accommodating Newport is for cyclists. The answer would have embarrassed.

I should make it clear now that I am not a cyclist. When I was a lad I spent my life on my bike and cycle-toured around the country during summer holidays, but until last week I hadn't sat on a pushbike for at least 30 years and only bought a bike last week so I could go out with my lad at weekends. I work from home so have no need to commute.