Doubts cast on transport plans’ worth
MAJOR transport projects in the Vale of Glamorgan like the Penarth Headland Link and a new park-and-ride would cost millions more than they would contribute in economic benefits, a report has suggested.
Plans for a new park-and-ride site, which could be at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, and the proposed Penarth Headland Link – a 1km pedestrian and cycle link between the Cardiff Bay Barrage and Penarth Esplanade – were assessed by consultants for their viability.
Vale of Glamorgan Council also commissioned assessments of plans for new cycling and pedestrian routes and bus priority schemes.
But one report, by Arup, said the costs of many of the transport projects would outweigh their economic benefits – some by millions of pounds.
Arup’s report said the Penarth Headland Link, a new walking and cycling route running along the cliffs at Penarth, would cost £12.38m to build but only deliver economic benefits of £7.07m – a net cost of £5.31m – over 60 years.
Arup said the headland link would be a “major engineering undertaking, involving significant cost”.
A bus priority route from the Merrie Harrier pub to Cardiff barrage would deliver net costs of £14.68m in that time, whereas if a bus priority scheme was run from Cosmeston to Cardiff barrage, it would produce net costs of £1.83m, the report found.
Costs for potential options for new park-and-rides – either new facilities at Cosmeston or Sully, or expanding the existing provision at Eastbrook Rail Station in Dinas Powys or at Cogan Rail Station, would also outweigh their economic benefits, according to Arup.
A proposed walking and cycling route from Biglis to Dinas Powys is the only project to deliver a net economic benefit, of £1.67m, Arup’s analysis said.
Arup’s report said the transport schemes are likely to increase the use of sustainable transport and lead to reduced journey times, but would not lead to significant reductions in road congestion.
The council has described the results as “concerning” – but says Arup’s report is limited as it only considers changes to transport patterns and does not take into account factors such as the impact on health, well-being and tourism.
Another report by sustainable transport charity Sustrans said the Penarth Headland Link would deliver a positive economic impact.
Sustrans said the headland link would provide economic benefits of £25.7m over a 20 year-period – including £23m in health-related economic benefits.
Sustrans predicted the Penarth Headland Link would bring in £8m in tourismrelated benefits a year, with 178 full-time jobs directly or indirectly supported through this tourism.
The council has said Sustrans’ conclusions, though more positive, are “not totally robust” due to the number of people sampled in the report.
Vale of Glamorgan Council’s cabinet voted on Monday to carry out Welsh Transport Planning and Appraisal Guidance stages one and two reports to assess the transport schemes in greater detail.