One thing which doesn't get much o a mention on here is the various roadworks dotted around the city, so I thought I'd start a new thread for them.

Two project I've noticed recently:

1. There are A3 banners attached to lampposts all around the BBC building in Llandaff advertising forthcoming works on the "core bus network". I haven't had the chance to read it properly but it looks (from afar) like they'll be removing the grass verges on Llantrisant road and adding in bus lane(s) - I know this was highlighted in the LDP as a "primary public transport corridor" so they are probably looking at improving bus links here before the proposed West Pentrebane expansion.

2. One thing which has always annoyed me is that little section of Sanatorium Road in Canton which goes under the two railway bridges (City Line and South Wales Mainline) to a traffic lighted junction with Landsdowne Road. The traffic signals have a left filter, but there is no left filter lane - so if you are the second car and you want to turn left, but the first car wants to go straight on, you can't go on the filter. Well judging by the spray paint in the area it looks like they are stealing a bit of pavement from either side and are going to add in this filter lane. Not a particularly interesting piece of news, unless of course you use this route quite often

Went through roath recently and a number of junctions are being ripped up and redone around there. Near senghennydd court, where Albany Road meets City Road, both ends of Shirley Road. maybe others I've not seen.

If they are being done to the quality of the welfield road/albany road junction then this will be all good stuff.

I may be the only person who notices this but I've got a real issue with the street furniture and installations in cardiff.

Whilst most streetlights remain from the 60's (those concrete things) and most signs are rusty, the current lamp replacements are an ugly substitute - you'd think the whole of Cardiff was a motorway.

There's some new installations going in around the civic centre - anyone noticed - they are metal versions of the concrete ones and huge.

I thought they were changing there ways with the three really night ornate ones right behind City Hall and the more modern ones along North Road by the Castle...

Well they've mucked-up death junction (Albany/Crwys/City...) for car drivers as they've removed the dedicated right turn traffic light signal off of Albany Road. So now people are jumping red lights because they can't get onto Crwys Rd and Mackintosh Pl because of the volume of traffic.

The sequencing change to the lights to accommodate the new Albany to Richmond Rd crossing might be a problem as well. Today I saw someone coming from Crwys Rd onto Albany Road (on a green light) almost drive into the side of someone who'd jumped a red light when going from Mackintosh Pl onto Richmond Rd.

As pedestrian I like the changes but as I driver I don't...

There's been a gas leak under death junction for about 20 years, but it'd cause too much disruption to sort it out I'm told.

"this location was once home to a more sinister activity than traffic dodging. It was where criminals were executed in the most excruciating fashion."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/cardiff/2011/mar/10/cardiff-history-death-junction-roath

Yeah it was once the site of the town gallows but there have also been a fair few road accident fatalities as well.

Work has started on Newport Road at the bottom of Rumney Hill (where the new Morrisons is being built)

If I remember rightly they are widening the road before the traffic lights to allow people coming from Rumney Hill to turn right into Morrisons, and on the opposite carriageway they are getting rid of the pointless separate lane which runs in front of Evans Halshaw & What! to allow a designated left turn lane into Morrisons.

Another interesting project the council are rolling out over the next few weeks - a pilot scheme to improve the Gabalfa Interchange (at last!)
Basically the plan is to narrow the carriageway around the roundabout to a single lane in most cases, create dedicated left hand turns and reduce the speed to 30mph (20mph advisory).

Stage 1, due to take place this weekend:
Create dedicated left-turn lane for traffic coming from the A48 Western Ave going up North Road towards the M4.

Stage 2, (3-4 weeks after Stage 1 completion):
Create dedicated left-turn lane for traffic coming from North Road going down the A48 eastbound/Heath Hospital.

Stage 3, (3-4 weeks after Stage 2 completion):
Create dedicated left-turn lane for traffic coming from A48 and Whitchurch Road heading down North Road to the city centre

Final stage - if other 3 stages are successful:
Implementation of scheme on permanent basis.


A full map is available on page 3 of the report found here, I think this has the potential to really solve the problem here - or to be an absolute disaster!

Plans look like an improvement (some concern about speed limits though), trouble is they don't address what I personally find to be the killer at Gabalfa - the right turn onto the westbound A48 from North Rd. That has been a nightmare for over 20 years and the only solution is part-time traffic lights like they have at the Llanedeyrn junction.

What is going on at North Road just south of the Galbalfa interchange? There have been roadworks going on there for months which makes the traffic slow to a crawl and all they seem to have done is plonk a few car parking spaces for residents at the side of the road

A doc on the council website from May lists this:

A470 North Road
By Pen y Bryn Way

Road Widening to 5 lanes – bus lane southbound 5th lane.
Service Diversion works now completing.
Works commence to remove west side footway -------------
Single lane northbound 8pm through night/morning to 2.30 pm DAILY . Resident access shared with cyclists & pedestrians
Offside bollard removed Ongoing from 17th Feb for 20 weeks.

 (Works as left started Sunday 24th March)

Expect delays northbound

I don't unstand why they have made the gabalfa roundabout single laned on it's western side! The only reason I can think of is peoples inability to know how to use a roundabout properly! Like not turning off from the centre of the roundabout or going all the way round in the outside lane!

I actually think this is a sensible roundabout design