CARDIFF Council has responded to concerns that changes to a busy city road are causing traffic chaos.
The council installed new crossings along Leckwith Road ahead of the opening of the new Fitzalan High School building.
These include two toucan crossings of Leckwith Road and a zebra crossing at Lawrenny Avenue.
Some drivers have pointed out that the road often becomes gridlocked during peak hours, like rush hour and school pick-up and drop-off times.
Cardiff Council said it introduced the crossings to improve the safety of pupils walking to school and added that some parents choosing to park at the nearby Lidl supermarket was resulting in a traffic pinch point and congestion.
A Cardiff council spokesperson said: “The council hasn’t received any enquiries or complaints about an increase in traffic on Leckwith Road, but new pedestrian crossings have been installed on this road to ensure the safety of pedestrians and school children.
“Lawrenny Avenue is part of the Schools Streets Scheme, so this road is closed during school drop-off and pick-up times to ensure the safety of school children.
“A park & stride is in place at Cardiff City Stadium, which allows parents to park and walk with their children to school.
“Instead of the school children navigating through traffic to cross Leckwith Road, they can now use the new pedestrian crossings to ensure their safety.”
Another school, Ysgol Gymraeg Pwll Goch, is located opposite where Fitzalan High School used to be located on Lawrenny Avenue.
Fitzalan High was officially opened on Thursday, November 16.
Construction on the school, which accommodates 1,850 pupils, started in March, 2021.
The Cardiff Council spokesperson added: “Leckwith Road is a very busy area of the city for traffic due to the mix of retail, the stadium, and the school.
“During the early morning rush hour, unfortunately some parents choose to park at Lidl Car Park to drop off their children.
“When they try to leave the car park, it creates a traffic pinch point and congestion.
“Leckwith Road is also directly impacted by the traffic flow on the A4232 (Link Road).
“If there is congestion, or an incident on the Link Road, drivers look to divert off the carriageway onto Leckwith Road to go through Cardiff West.
“This in turn increases the congestion on Leckwith Road.
“The council makes no apologies to ensure the safety of school children and is content that the new scheme improves their safety.”
