Plans to scrap a regularly congested roundabout in Newport have been jointly unveiled by the Welsh Government, Newport City Council and Transport for Wales. As part of the plans which include changes to Newport railway station and Queensway, the Old Green roundabout in the heart of the city would be replaced by a new interchange.
A simulated video on the Transport for Wales website shows the new interchange planned outside Newport Castle. The roundabout is replaced with a traffic light operated system with multiple exits and “priority access for buses and simplified active travel routes which are convenient and attractive for all users”.
Council leader Jane Mudd said the changes, including better access to the city centre via wide cycle lanes on Queensway, would carry out objectives encouraged by the Lord Burns report by making people “less dependent on cars” and “delivering sustainable change”. The report by Lord Burns in 2020 recommended spending hundreds of millions on public transport in and around Newport to rid the city of endless congestion on the M4 after ministers scrapped plans for an M4 relief road in 2019.
Read more: The M4 'joke' of a road that seems destined to remain a problem
What are the proposals?
According to Transport for Wales the proposals as a whole aim to make it easier to travel to Newport train station, the city centre and the riverfront through Old Green. The changes will make it easier for people to travel by bus, walking and cycling. New facilities are being considered at the station and Queensway to make it more convenient and quicker to change between rail and bus services. This includes opportunities for "good quality" walking and cycling routes to the railway station and the city centre which are “safe and attractive”, TfW says. The changes proposed for Old Green also include “more direct, surface level walking and cycling routes through the Old Green junction”. All three bodies are requesting views of the public on the plans which you can find here.
Lee Waters, deputy minister for climate change for the Welsh Government, said the plans will “ensure the right thing to do is the easiest thing to do” in relation to active and public travel. “Developing active travel routes alongside bus and rail services is central to our plans to make sustainable transport a viable alternative to using the car,” he said. “I am pleased to see Burns Delivery Unit, Transport for Wales and local authorities working together to make these plans a reality, ensuring the right thing to do is the easiest thing to do for the people of Newport.”
Cllr Mudd added: “Building a stronger, greener Newport for is a priority for the council. Improving access to public transport and active travel options is an important part of this work. The proposals we have developed with our partners will hopefully help people to become less dependent on cars while delivering real, sustainable change for our city. These proposals are for the people of Newport, and I would urge everybody who lives, works and visits the city to take a look at the plans and let us know what you think.”
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