08/06/20 

The first phase of the pilot scheme on Wellfield Road was implemented over the weekend, with parking spaces removed from either side of the road and temporary traffic cones put in place to widen the pavements, so social distancing measures can be followed by the public.

Fourteen birch trees, in individual planters, will be introduced at the end of June and the trees and more permanent bollards will be put in place to replace the traffic cones. This will create a more permanent divide between vehicles driving on the road and pedestrians using the pavements.

This is the first of 15 neighbourhood shopping centres that are currently being assessed to make improvements in light of the new social distancing requirements to ensure that they are safe for the public to use.

Social distancing measures will remain in place for the foreseeable future, so it is important for the public to understand that when non-essential stores are re-opened, there will be restrictions on the number of people that can enter a shop at one time. This does pose a challenge for the local authority, as people will have to queue out onto the street before they can enter the shop.

Cllr Caro Wild, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport at Cardiff Council said: "With social distancing expected to be the ‘new normal' for some time to come, this does pose a significant challenge both for residents and the local authority.

"The pavements in the city were not designed to allow a two metre distance between other people, so public space will have to be adapted to ensure social distancing can be maintained as the city gradually starts to re-open for business."

The space for cyclists and pedestrians has already been expanded on Castle Street in the city centre, with the pavement extended into the road from the junction with Cathedral Road and Cowbridge Road, over Canton Bridge, along Castle Street, Duke Street and up to the North Road-Boulevard De Nantes junction. This dual space will be adapted into a new cycleway when the permanent approved scheme is built.

The first phase to extend the pavements on Wellfield Road follows the ambitious announcement last Friday (June 5^th) on the council's plans to re-model space in the city centre, so that when the city is ready to re-open for business, it can be done in a safe and managed way -https://www.cardiffnewsroom.co.uk/releases/c25/24027.html