IMPROVING ‘active travel’ across Ceredigion must be encouraged cabinet is told, as it signed off the latest plans for Cardigan.

On Tuesday (June 9) members of Ceredigion County Council’s cabinet approved proposed parking restrictions and one-way provision in Cardigan as part of its Cardigan Active Travel footway improvements.

The plan will see the introduction of parking restrictions on College Row and Maes-yr-Haf and one-way traffic on Bathhouse Road, College Row and Maes-yr-Haf.

For the stretch of Bathhouse Road that runs between Theatr Mwldan and the Mwldan river, traffic will only be able to head towards the town centre, away from the fire station.

College Row, which runs next to Cardigan Guildhall, will also become one way, with cars only able to travel up the hill towards the High Street. Parking restriction will also be enforced in the street, with no waiting at any time.

The final change is at Maes yr Haf, next to the Spar store. Cars will only be able to turn into the street from North Road.

A repot to cabinet stated that £108,000 funding is being sought from Welsh Government’s Active Travel Fund, with an additional £12,000 match-funding from the county council.

One objection was received relating to the one-way system to be put in on College Row “on the grounds that the proposed direction of this will mean that the uphill gradient makes it difficult to hold a vehicle on the clutch at the junction with High Street, and that visibility at this junction is often obscured by pedestrians.”

The report added that the objector suggested an alternative route via Upper Mwldan to connect to Bathhouse Road with a new roundabout as well as other roads in Cardigan that could be made one-way.

The objection was overruled as the one-way direction was discussed with the local member and allows access for larger vehicles and the alternative scheme proposed would be considered excessive financially.

Cllr Paul Hinge spoke at the virtual cabinet meeting and said he supported the Cardigan scheme, highlighting “the need for the active travel scheme throughout the county” especially in the move to the “new normal.”

An increase in cycling and walking had been seen in recent months and the council “must look to the future in Ceredigion, in ensuring we have cycle/footways so that our major towns can be accessible from the surrounding villages that feed into them,” added Cllr Hinge.

Cabinet member for Porth Cynnal Cllr Alun Williams referred to the recent Welsh Government announcement of funding for travel plans adapting to post Covid-19 and the appetite for the public to see changes made.

“It’s very regrettable that we are so limited in the number of active travel schemes that each county can apply for.

“We have to take every opportunity to impress on the Welsh Government that local authorities need funding to achieve the modal shift that they say they want to see, all around Wales, not just in Cardiff,” he added.