Cycling in Cardiff, capital of Wales, is facilitated by its easy gradients and large parks.BBC South East Wales Cycling In the mid-2000s between 2.7% and 4.3% of people commuted to work by cycling in the city. In 2017 12.4% of workers cycled to work at least 5 days a week. However, cyclists in the city are deterred from cycling by poor facilities and aggressive traffic, according to research by Cardiff University.
As the busiest city, Cardiff is statistically the most dangerous place to cycle in Wales. Between 1999 and 2008, 1,000 cyclists were injured on the road, 20% of all cycling accidents in Wales, although the number of injuries to cyclists continues to fall.Wales Online Cardiff is the most dangerous place in Wales to cycle
The Cardiff cycle network is over long with an additional completed each year.Keep Cardiff Moving City Hall Travel Plan p6
Council policy According to their Cycling Strategy (see below), Cardiff County Council aims to encourage citizens to cycle more, citing the improved health through increased fitness, reduced pollution and congestion of the local environment, economic gains through cycle tourism and leisure, independence for those people who cannot or do not wish to use a car, and the fact that cycling can be the quickest and most convenient form of transport in urban areas such as Cardiff.Cardiff Council Cycling Strategy July 2007 In 2002 they appointed a full-time Cycling Officer.Cardiff Council Cycling Strategy July 2007 p.10
The council's Transport, Infrastructure and Waste service aims to ensure that an increase in cycling is matched with a reduction in the number of collisions involving cyclists.
Cardiff Council also provides off-road cycle training for school pupils to develop basic cycling skills based upon the National Cycling Proficiency Scheme. Training covers the Highway Code, negotiating obstacles, turning left and right, emergency stops and basic cycle maintenance.Cardiff Council Cycling: Contacts More than 1,500 children participate in this course every year in Cardiff, according to the council's Cycling Strategy.
The council produces a free map of the city, available from its offices or from cycle shops, highlighting cycle paths, lanes and suggested cycle routes.
Strategy The council's Cycling Strategy was adopted in 1998. The 2007 update showed that 2.7% of people living in Cardiff cycled to work in 2001, an increase from 2.6% in 1991. However, an Omnibus survey showed that in 2003 and 2005, 3.6% and 4.3% of people cycled to work respectively. Although, the number of children cycling to school fell from 5% to 2% since 1989–91. In the strategy, the council intends to: encourage and promote cycling provide safe facilities such as wider cycle lanes and advanced stop lines at traffic signals conduct a trial scheme to assess the viability of allowing cycling through pedestrian areas in the city centre improve cycle links between residential and commercial areas facilitate integration with other modes of transport improve and maintain the cycle network develop and clearly sign routes
Cycleways Cardiff Council are in the process of developing 5 cycleways across the city. This falls in line with its strategy to provide far more segregation from motorised traffic for cyclists.
While work on the routes has already broken ground, some have criticised both certain design flaws and how long it is taking for consultations to be published, with only two published within as many years. While some routes are essentially brand new, others are facelifts or changes of priority for current routes, such as Cycleway 3 on Lloyd George Avenue, and Cycleway 2 on Newport Road.
The proposed Cycleway routes are:
Cycleway 1: City Centre to Cathays, University Hospital Wales, Heath High Level and Heath Low Level Rail Stations, and North East Cardiff Strategic Development Site Cycleway 2: City Centre to Adamsdown, Newport Road retail parks, Rumney, Llanrumney and St Mellons Business Park Cycleway 3: City Centre to Cardiff Bay Cycleway 4: City Centre to Llandaff, Danescourt and North West Strategic Development Site Cycleway 5: City Centre to Riverside, Ely and Caerau.
Cycle facilities
Cycle Shops The 2011 Cardiff Council cycle map listed 12 cycle shops (down from 14 in 2009) in the city: in Canton, Cathays (Crwys Road), Cathays (Woodville Road), Gabalfa, Grangetown, Llandaff North, Llanrumney, Pontcanna, Rhiwbina, Roath (Broadway), Roath (Newport Road) and Whitchurch.Cardiff Council Cardiff Cycling map 6th edition (2011) Braddicks on Broadway, Roath, closed in January 2015 after 70 years trading."Cardiff cycle shop founded by Empire Games hero Reg Braddick closes after 70 years", Wales Online, 29 January 2015.
Cycle lanes Some roads in the city provide distinct cycle lanes to the left of the vehicle lane. According to the Cardiff Cycle Map, these include: West Cardiff Cowbridge Road East and Castle Street: main western approach from Canton to the city centre Wellington Street: parallel to Cowbridge Road East and part of the A4161 road Pen-Hill Road and Cathedral Road: in Pontcanna St Fagans Road and Pencisely Road: roads approaching Waun-Gron Park railway station in Fairwater
North Cardiff Caerphilly Road: a main road in Birchgrove from the city centre to northern suburbs and part of the A469 road Excalibur Drive: leads from Caerphilly Road to Lisvane and Thornhill railway station in Thornhill Ty-Glas Road: leads from Caerphilly Road through Llanishen Cathays Terrace: connects Crwys Road (the main road through Cathays) and Corbett Road (around Cardiff University) Fairoak Road: connects Crwys Road and Wedal Road (near Roath Park)
South Cardiff Penarth Road: part of the A4160 road leads from Callaghan Square near Cardiff Central to Grangetown James Street: leads from Grangetown to Cardiff Bay
East Cardiff Llanrumney Avenue: a main suburban road running through Llanrumney
Bus and cycle lanes There are also lanes that cyclists share with buses, motorcycles and taxis, in which it is illegal to drive on in any other motor vehicle. Such lanes are on: Newport Road: in Rumney and Roath, East Cardiff Westgate Street, St Mary Street and Wood Street: in the City Centre Boulevard de Nantes and Dumfries Place: leading from Cathays Park in the centre to Newport Road and East Cardiff Cowbridge Road East: from Canton to Ely Bridge in West Cardiff Tudor Street: a main city centre approach from Riverside in West Cardiff
Segregated / off-road cycle paths Segregated cycle facilities can be a shared pavement with pedestrians, running alongside a road or through a park for example. This is denoted by a blue circular sign showing a bicycle and pedestrians. A cycle only route is denoted by blue circular sign showing only a bicycle. Much of the Taff Trail, Ely Trail and Rumney Trail are segregated from traffic. Other such routes in the city include:
West Cardiff Llandaff Fields: through parkland area in Pontcanna, connecting with the Taff Trail
North Cardiff M4 Junction 32: routes run under the junction from Coryton to Tongwynlais Gabalfa Interchange: routes run over and round the junction as an alternative to vehicle routes University Hospital of Wales: routes run around Heath Hospital through King George Field
South Cardiff North Road: from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama to Llys Talybont, connecting to the Taff Trail. Leckwith Road: from Ninian Park railway station in Canton connecting to the Ely Trail. Cardiff International Sports Village: the vicinity has a network of segregated routes connected to the Ely Trail in the west, Grangetown in the north, and Cardiff Bay in the east. Lloyd George Avenue: from the City Centre to Cardiff Bay, part of Route 8 Central Link: parallel to the east of Lloyd George Avenue Butetown: a route runs through a housing estate to Cardiff Bay, parallel to the west of Lloyd George Avenue Rover Way: through an industrial and commercial estate between Adamsdown and Tremorfa
East Cardiff Llanedeyrn: a route runs through the housing estate from St Mellons Road to Llanedeyrn Interchange Pentwyn Drive: a route runs along this road in Pentwyn around Wern-goch Park and connects with the Rumney Trail St Mellons: routes connect various parts of the suburb Llanrumney: a route connects Llanrumney Avenue with Ball Road, near the Rumney Trail
Cycle parking There are bicycle stands for parking in locations including the following:
West Cardiff Canton: Cowbridge Road East, Wellington Street and Llandaff Road Fairwater: Fairwater Library
North Cardiff Rhiwbina: Rhiwbina railway station Cathays: North Road (A470 road) and Cathays Library Penylan: Penylan Library
South Cardiff Cardiff Bay: around Mermaid Quay, Wales Millennium Centre, Atlantic Wharf and West Bute Street
Cardiff City Centre Central Square: for Central bus and railway stations Castle Street: near Millennium Stadium Wood Street: at Millennium Plaza The Hayes: for Cardiff Central Library Westgate Street: opposite Millennium Stadium The Friary: for Queen Street Park Place: for Queen Street Charles Street: for Queen Street Churchill Way: for Queen Street and Capitol Shopping Centre Queen Street: near junction with Newport Road Cardiff Queen Street railway station Callahagn Square Cathays Park: at City Hall Adamsdown: Roath Library
East Cardiff Rumney: Rumney Library Llanrumney: Llanrumney Library St Mellons: St Mellons Library
Secure cycle storage In 2025 One Planet Cardiff funded the installation of six secure cycle lockers in front of Cardiff Castle. Further lockers were installed across the city centre in 2026, as part of a 5-year programme. Lockers cost from £1.50 per day, bookable via the Spokesafe app.
In 2026 Cyclehoop installed an initial 17 bicycle 'hangars' in the residential areas of Canton, Riverside, Plasnewydd, Cathays and Splott. Each hangar could hold six bikes and could be hired by residents for £120 per year. The price was criticised for being the most expensive in the UK, with Cardiff cyclists reportedly saying they wouldn't use the hangars.
In April 2026 BikeDok began a 5-year contract with Cardiff Council to install bicycle storage units across the city. 36 would be installed in the city centre and a further 14 in the wider city. Rows of six bike lockers were installed at six locations in the city centre, bookable using the BikeDok app and costing from £1.50 per day.
Cycle hire
Pedal Power is a charity with their main bike centre in Pontcanna offering cycle hire facilities. Cycle training and cycle assessments are also available.
OYBike In March 2009 the Welsh Assembly Government and Cardiff Council announced plans to introduce a free cycle hire scheme, with bike racks placed around the city, allowing people to pick up bikes and ride them to another point, where they would leave the bike. Money would also be put into creating more strategic cycle routes and cycle lanes. The system, similar to those in other large cities, launched in September 2009,"OYBike rental scheme a success in Cardiff: Council hopes for more fairweather converts" 4 April 2010 at bikeradar.com Accessed 14 September 2017"OYBike fails to ring my bell" Opinion "With Cardiff's answer to the Parisian Vélib relaunching this spring, we decided to take a city SmartBike for a whirl" 8 April 2010, at theguardian.com, Accessed 14 September 2017 and included 70 bikes and 35 hire points (initially 7) around the centre and the south of the city. The stations (in 2010) were: Central Station; Cardiff Castle; Central Library; Queen Street Station; Churchill Way; City Hall; eastern Queen Street; Cardiff Bay Station; County Hall; and Cardiff Bay Visitors’ Centre. It was necessary to register before using a bike. The first half an hour was free after which a small hourly fee was payable. The scheme, which was part of a £28.5 million plan to encourage residents in the capital to use sustainable transport and ease congestion, was welcomed by campaigners.