Bike and bus lane plan on Newport to Cardiff A48 fall flat

The Welsh Government has proposed turning lanes of the dual carriageway into bus and bike lanes, in plans to encourage more people to walk, cycle or use public transport.

But while the government's environmental goal is to encourage people to stop using the car, commuters and other residents said the plans would actually end up making congestion worse on the road.

Not one of the three proposals to adapt the A48 won over a majority of people who responded to the public consultation.

What were the proposals to adapt the A48?

The Welsh Government put forward three ideas to reconfigure the road layout on the A48 between Duffryn and St Mellons.

In each case a new two-way cycle lane would be built, and junctions would be updated to prioritise buses, bikes and pedestrians.

Artist's impressions of the proposals to transform a section of the A48 between Newport and Cardiff. Original images: Welsh Government

Option 1 would see a two-way cycleway built alongside the existing dual carriageway and would cause the least disruption during construction. But this plan would also require some land acquisition and the road would need to be narrowed in some areas.

Option 2 would see the two-way cycleway replace two existing traffic lanes, effectively turning this stretch of dual carriageway into one lane in each direction. This plan wouldn't require any land acquisition but it would cause disruption when the road is modified.

Option 3 is the most radical and would see wholesale changes to the existing road. The A48 would be cut to one traffic lane in each direction, with two bus lanes added and a cycleway built alongside. The plans would require "minimal" land acquisition and would cost the least of the three options, the plans say.

How did people respond to the A48 plans?

It's safe to say the plans had a mixed reception, at best. Documents show there was a "high" response rate to the consultation, with 1,722 people taking part.

None of the options proved popular enough to win the support of the majority. Some 43 per cent of people said they supported Option 1, followed by much-reduced levels of backing for Option 2 and Option 3 (both 32 per cent).

It means the most popular option is also the one which "involved the least re-allocation of road space away from the car".

An artist impression of how the proposed bus and cycle lanes could look on the A48 between Newport and Cardiff. (Image: Burns Delivery Unit)

Critics of the other two options raised concerns around the proposals "making congestion and pollution worse", around the "insufficient current number of cyclists" to warrant such big changes, and that existing "bus service provision is poor and buses fail to stay in lanes".

However, none of the three options managed to attract a majority of opposition, either - Option 2 proved the most unpopular with 46 per cent opposed, followed by Option 3 (45 per cent opposed), and Option 1 (40 per cent opposed), suggesting that debate over the issue of transport between Newport and Cardiff is far from settled.