The first separated cycleway will start to be built on Senghennydd Road on March 18^th.

This will be the first phase of five proposed separated cycleways in Cardiff, as part of the Council's commitment to improving cycling infrastructure in the Welsh Capital.

The five proposed cycleways, in the first phase, could make up 13 kilometres of designated cycling space which would run through nine wards on the following routes:

• St Andrew's Crescent through to Heath High Level
• Dumfries Place to Broadway in Adamsdown
• Cardiff Bay to Smart Way
• Sophia Gardens through to Llandaff Village
• City Centre through to Ely Bridge.

Provision for cycling through dedicated cycleways will also be delivered in the city centre. This includes schemes which are being proposed for Central Square; Westgate Street; Castle Street; Boulevard de Nantes; Stuttgarter Strass; Dumfries Place; Station Terrace and Churchill Way.

Cllr Caro Wild, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport, said: "We want to make Cardiff the best cycling city in the UK and our long term vision is to extend the cycleways further into different communities and also connect the strategic sites identified in the LDP, as well as potentially linking with neighbouring authorities.

"In the main, the new routes will be separated from other traffic on the road, making cycling safer, faster and a more comfortable experience which will make cycling a more attractive option for both residents and visitors.

"Safety is a primary concern for those considering whether to cycle, especially for women or children, a fact that has been recently identified in a recent Sustrans report.

"The success of the nextbike scheme demonstrates how popular cycling can be in Cardiff. Now we are focusing on improving the infrastructure and we believe that the number of people who choose to cycle in the city will significantly increase when the cycleways have been built."

Following public consultation in April 2018, the first phase of the first route will run from the top of Senghennydd Road by the Woodville Pub, down past the University Union and the Sherman Theatre, onto St Andrew's Place before turning left onto St Andrew's Crescent. This work is estimated to be completed by October 2019.

Amendments to the scheme have been made following the public consultation and this work will also include re-surfacing the carriageway for motor vehicles, as well as making improvements to the pavements.

Cllr Wild continued: "Public consultation will then take place in the autumn on the second phase of this route which will extend the cycleway from the top of Senghennydd Road onto Cathays Terrace, up Allensbank Road to Heath High Level."

"In parallel with the consultation on the second phase of route 1, we will also be consulting on the second phase of the Cardiff Bay to Smart Way route. This will extend the cycleway onto Tyndall Street to connect Lloyd George Avenue with the city centre."

Public consultation has now started on the first phase of route three, which will re-model the existing cycle path and footway on Lloyd George Avenue.

Each route will undergo a detailed public consultation and feedback will be assessed and considered as part of the detailed design work prior to the route being built.