Congestion charge: Plans to make drivers pay to use Cardiff roads as council looks to cut pollution

  • Cllr Dan De'Ath, Cardiff council's cabinet member for transport, explains what is being considered

People who drive into Cardiff could soon find themselves paying to do so, under new plans being considered by the council.

Similar charges, like congestion charges, are already in place across several other UK cities, including in Bristol, but not here in Wales.

There is no proposed fee amount yet, or map indicating which Cardiff roads and areas would be included.

A discount for residents is likely and blue badge holders are also likely to be exempt from the payment, which would not be introduced before 2027.

Cardiff Council said the plan would "improve" air quality, ease congestion and generate money for the city's transport system, which the council said is "much-needed".

The council added that road transport was responsible for 40% of carbon emissions in Cardiff, which was the joint highest measured among the UK's 11 core cities.

More than 9,000 Cardiff residents are registered with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease while 7% of adults and 6% of children aged 10 to 14 have been diagnosed with asthma.

However, Council Council did say that the city's air quality levels "are compliant with the limit values for pollutants set out in legislation".

The council said it hopes to use money from Welsh Government and other grants to bring in the following, before any road user payment scheme is introduced:

  • £1 bus fares on "key routes"

  • "Better" and expanded bus routes

  • Deliver phase one of a tram service from Central station to Cardiff Bay

  • "Enhanced frequency" on the Coryton and City rail lines

  • "Improvements" to regional commuting

If plans go ahead, Cardiff Council said it will consider a range of options like road user charges, congestion zones, clean air zones and workplace parking charges.

Over the coming months, the council will be asking residents, commuters and businesses for their opinions on the plans.

If proposals are then approved by the council's cabinet, it could take "up to five years to implement".

Council leader Huw Thomas said: "We know our residents want action on climate change and they want the air their children and their loved ones breathe to be cleaner.

"We know residents want to see electric buses and taxis serve the city, to have new train/tram links and stations, to drive on better maintained roads, with safe cycling and walking routes.

"We know they see the queues of traffic and know the damage this is causing to their health and the environment, whilst also strangling the city's economy.

"It's clear that action is needed if we are going to change the dial on this."

  • "Just another way to punish motorists"

The Welsh Conservative's shadow minister for transport, Natasha Asghar MS, said the "last thing the working public of Wales needs right now is another bill".

"With public transport links outside of Cardiff too unreliable to be seen as viable alternatives, this appears to be just another way to punish motorists.

Ms Asghar added: "With the Labour Government’s backwards ban on road building, the impending rollout of 20mph speed limits, and vital financial support for buses coming to an end you can’t help but feel that motorists are being targeted.

"Cardiff is not a large enough city to implement such a scheme and a large proportion of the workforce come from areas that are not easy to travel from, unless you own a car.

"By forcing people out of their cars, this congestion charge will be a detriment to people’s work life balance as they will spend their mornings and evenings, on public transport that is unreliable and constantly late.”

Fees for road users, like congestion charge schemes, are already in place in several UK cities.

Sustrans Cymru, a charity promoting active travel, said the plans will help create "a more equitable, healthy, and liveable city for everyone".

The group's Director, Christine Boston, added: "Any system must also be designed with equity in mind. We know that the impacts of air pollution and traffic congestion are often felt most acutely by low-income communities and people with disabilities.

"By ensuring that the scheme is equitable, in the way any charges are applied and in the types of interventions and areas where funding is reinvested, we can work towards creating a fairer and more sustainable city for all.”

The Welsh Government has already introduced 50mph speed zones on some of the country's busiest roads, and a 20mph default speed limit for residential areas will be rolled out in September.