Cardiff congestion charge ‘financially feasible’

11 October 2006

Plans to introduce a congestion charge in Cardiff have taken a major step forward, with the city’s unitary council reporting that a public-private partnership scheme is financially feasible.
Council officials believe the Welsh capital has emerged as a new front runner on charging, following the referendum rejection of the Edinburgh scheme.
A fuller report is due next month, fleshing out a consultants’ report suggesting a possible £8-per-car charge in the 300,000-population city could fund a roads and public transport capital spend of £426M.
The feasibility study from Capita Mowlem demonstrates how variables could be changed. Paul Carter, operational manager for transport policy and development, said: ‘It is not just Cardiff. It is regional.’
The scheme the local evening newspaper highlighted involves morning-only charging (7am-10am), with motorists charged £4 for crossing each of the two zones. The central zone is likely to be restricted to the city centre and the extension around the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay.
But the size of the outer zone is not given. Carter spoke of park-and-ride car parks being possibly located beyond the council’s boundary.
Carter told Surveyor: ‘No decision will be made until 2008, and there is an undertaking that charging will not be introduced until significant transport infrastructure improvements are in operation.’
One of the most important of these would be completion of the first phase of the £200M Eastern Bay Link, completing a dual-carriageway box around the city. This scheme’s cost and the paucity of money from the assembly – Cardiff’s transport grant is typically £5M a year – have been key factors in driving forward congestion charge plans and an accompanying 30-year public-private partnership.
The first car park would be probably be provided at Llanrumney, beside one of few routes which can be easily re-engineered to provide swift bus access to the city centre.
A major change to the planning parameters has been introduced, however, since congestion work started – the extensive suburban rail network has now come under assembly control, although spending will be needed to boost capacity.
Reducing car-led congestion is seen as key to freeing the city’s core bus network from delays which ensure the four-mile journey from County Hall to the main hospital takes 53 minutes.

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Cardiff congestion charge ‘financially feasible’

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