From bus issues to increased taxi fares, there have been several developments in transport in the Valleys in 2022.
Here’s a look at some of the main stories that we’ve seen this year in Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil whether it be related to trains, buses, taxis or new roads in the area.
In January, plans for a depot for the South Wales Metro in Taff’s Well took a step forward.
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Two applications from Amey Infrastructure Wales focusing on phase two highway improvements and phase three on the new South Wales Metro Core Valley Lines main depot facility at the former Garth Works Industrial Estate were both approved by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s planning committee.
The plans include a maintenance shed, office and accommodation building, a sanding facility, vehicle washing facilities, associated electrical infrastructure, a gatehouse, staff and visitor parking, internal tracks, train stabling area and overhead electricity line infrastructure, gantries and inspection platforms together with works on fencing, lighting, security and landscaping.
It also includes general highway arrangement plans, foot path cross-section plans and shared and segregated foot path and cycle path plans.
The phase two highway works include the remodelling of Ffordd Bleddyn and Cardiff Road with the construction of bridges to allow rail access into the proposed Taffs Well Rail Depot.
Cynon Valley bypass
Plans for a £30m bypass in the Cynon Valley were supported by councillors in March but would have to wait for final approval until the Welsh Government decided whether to call it in.
The council applied to create a single carriageway from a new roundabout at Croesbychan on the A465 to a new roundabout off the A4059 (the Aberdare bypass) and it went before the planning committee on Thursday, March 10 for debate, with councillors voting in favour of it.
The proposed scheme is about 2.6km north-west of Aberdare and lies between the communities of Llwydcoed to the east and Penywaun to the west.
The line of the proposed scheme has also been agreed with the Welsh Government to ensure it aligns with the proposed dualling of the A465, which is now in its early stages of construction.
The proposed scheme, recommended for approval by officers, would connect the A4059 east of Penywaun with an unnamed road leading off the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road to the north.
A proposed new roundabout will be installed south of Croesbychan which will connect to the new link to the ‘Cynon Gateway’.
The report said there is now a need to question if circumstances have changed and that the need, in principle, to provide such new infrastructure still exists.
Despite a shift in thinking away from cars, the report said there would not appear to be any Welsh or UK Government policy that places a moratorium on considering planning proposals for new roads.
A a section 77 call-in request had been made by Welsh Government which meant that committee could discuss and debate the application, but it couldn’t approved it until the directive is no longer in force.
The directive was made “to enable further consideration to be given to whether or not the application should be referred to the Welsh Ministers for their determination.”
Arguments against the scheme included that the Welsh Government has declared a climate emergency and is not yet on target to meet its commitment.
They also pointed to RCT’s Draft Council Tackling Climate Change Strategy which shares “emission concerns” in particular to meeting carbon neutrality by 2030.
They said the development of a new road is contradictory to the commitment and the Well-being of Future Generations Act , that it will adversely impact on an Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), will impact negatively on bats, result in the loss of farming land and ancient woodland and increase noise and pollution.
Hirwaun and Penderyn Community Council raised concerns and objected to the proposal because of climate change and environmental science, the impact on the SSSI, Special Landscape Area, a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation and local wildlife and the impact of the road on the peace and tranquillity of the area and that the £30m cost for the road cannot be justified.
But there were also people in favour of the scheme saying the bypass is urgently needed as the volume of traffic (currently) is too great for the Llwydcoed village.
They also said the village is used as a short-cut, backlogs of traffic occur at certain times of the day, the existing roads of Llwydcoed are too narrow and not fit for purpose and the weight limit on the bridge is not adhered to.
They said pollution in the village is unacceptable due to emissions, traffic travels are far too fast in the village so it is dangerous for children and the elderly to cross the road safely, large vehicles ignore the signs and travel through the village regardless and the construction of the road will bring economic benefits to Llwydcoed.
They also made reference to the positive comments from the planning inspector about the scheme and said the scheme is not about increasing road capacity but that this is about dealing with displaced traffic through the A465 dualling scheme and safeguarding the health and well-being of residents.
Concerns over bus services in Merthyr Tydfil
May saw Stagecoach announce a reduction in services which affected Merthyr Tydfil due to a shortage of drivers.
The council said that Stagecoach confirmed some of its services to and from the Merthyr Tydfil bus station would see significant changes from Sunday, May 29, because of staff shortages.
A number of buses had been cancelled, with other services covering their routes – but there will be an overall reduction.
The council said Stagecoach explained that the changes are unavoidable due to driver shortages, especially in the Merthyr Tydfil area.
They added that the company is actively trying to recruit new drivers and will look to reintroduce some or increase frequency in some areas should the situation improve.
Stagecoach said at the time “We are continuing to review our network to make sure we keep our customers moving. We are working closely with the Welsh Government and local authorities to maintain the widest network of services possible.”
In July, The council said it has no control over the “vast majority” of the local bus service network in Merthyr Tydfil amid ongoing service disruptions and cancellations in the area.
Merthyr Tydfil Council said it was responding to Merthyr Tydfil’s Member of the Senedd (MS) Dawn Bowden and added that most of the local bus service network is run commercially by bus operators and the disruptions locally and across the region have been because of driver availability and the ongoing impact of coronavirus.
Dawn Bowden MS in response said she makes no excuse for championing the cause of local bus users who she said deserve far better, adding that the council could do more if it wanted to.
Taxi fares on the rise in RCT and Merthyr Tydfil
Both RCT and Merthyr councils approved increases in Hackney carriage fares in 2022.
In July, councillors agreed to increase taxi fares for Hackney carriages in Merthyr Tydfil.
A request was received from members of the Hackney carriage trade to increase the current Merthyr Tydfil Council rate of fares but despite the proposed increase being 50p for the first mile (or part thereof), cabinet agreed to increase it by 30p instead at its meeting on Wednesday, July 6.
The last taxi tariff increase was in March 2020 and cabinet agreed this latest increase would come in from August 1.
Councillor Michelle Jones said she was in favour of an increase although she said she appreciates that there is a cost of living crisis but she also highlighted the massive increase in fuel costs.
Councillor David Hughes raised the issue of deprivation and the cost of living crisis but said he had sympathy with taxi drivers as he could see what it costs to fill up the tank.
He said he would support an increase but not the full 50p proposed saying they’ve got to protect the public as well as protecting taxi drivers.
He said he would be happy if they came in line with RCT and the Welsh average.
RCT confirmed that from the end of August, a two mile journey for up to four people in the daytime will go up from £5.20 to £5.80.
A council report justified the move saying that it is the first increase in 10 years – and that drivers were having to fork out much more because of sharp rises in fuel costs.
It said the increases were “proportionate” and supported by consultation undertaken with the trade and public. Officials also argued the new rates were still below the the UK national average.
Work begins on A4119 dualling scheme near Llantrisant
August saw work begin on plans to turn part of the A4119 near Llantrisant into a dual carriageway.
The council and UK Government work started on Monday, August 15 to dual 1.5km of the road from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters roundabout to the Coed-Ely roundabout in a bid to ease congestion and improve journey times in the area.
The project also involves a new route for pedestrians and cyclists along the west of the carriageway, from Coed-Ely roundabout to Llantrisant Business Park, as well as a brand-new bridge south of Coed-Ely roundabout.
The aim of the scheme is improve connectivity and traffic flow in this area and reduce the average travel time along the A4119 between Ynys Maerdy and Coed-Ely by over five minutes – a reduction of over 60%.
The hope is that it will unlock the former colliery site, Parc Coed-Elai, which is the location of the council’s new modern business unit, with the wider site being developed by Welsh Government. The council has also said that the scheme will improve active travel for the local community at Coed Ely.
The council received £11.4m funding from the UK Government’s £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund which, along with funding from the council and Welsh Government, will fund the construction phase. The UK Government said a £30 million boost to the local economy is expected and thousands of new jobs are set to be created by improving access to Cardiff and key development sites such as the Llantrisant Business Park.
There were concerns that the project with Transport Action Network (TAN) Cymru, a group that campaigns for sustainable transport, criticising it and raising concern about the UK Government’s role in it.
It also said it is not in keeping with the local authority’s commitments on reducing transport emissions and making Rhondda Cynon Taf carbon neutral by 2030 and adds to their dangerous recent track record including the Cynon Gateway North
The group welcomed the new active travel infrastructure but says talk of relieving congestion is “nonsense” as schemes like this encourage more traffic over a wider area, as well as driving up emissions, making tackling climate change harder.
They also said it seemed like an attempt by the UK Government to undermine the Welsh roads review.
But the council said that Welsh Government themselves determined that the A4119 Coed Ely dualling scheme was out of the scope of the road review, as it was already so advanced when the review was announced.
It said the extra funding from the UK Government Levelling Up Fund has enabled the delivery of the project, recognising its wider benefits to local communities and the wider region and that traffic modelling has indicated that the project will relieve congestion along the road.
The council said that the dualling scheme also has a positive overall net impact on carbon and that the project has also gone through the Welsh Government’s WelTAG process for transportation projects which considers the environment, road safety and other aspects as part of the evaluation process.
The latest on the new Porth transport hub
In November, a council committee received an update on the progress of the Porth Town Centre Regeneration Strategy.
One of the main elements of this is the planned new Porth Transport Hub.
The latest with the scheme is that in late 2021, a UK Government Levelling Up Fund grant bid was approved.
The committee report said “significant progress has been made” with the construction contract in place and that work was progressing well. Work has been taking place with project partners including Transport for Wales (TfW) to ensure that the project proceeds smoothly including legal arrangements for the bus and rail elements of the project.
At the time the report was written, Encon Construction Ltd was 42 weeks into a 60-week programme after being formally appointed as the council’s contractor for the construction of the development. The project is due to be finished by spring of next year and it is being continuously monitored by both the project manager and the contractor, the report said.
Reports are being submitted to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the other funding bodies. The committee report said feedback from these remained positive and the project was on track to become one of the first completed Levelling Up Funded projects in Wales.
Also funded by Welsh Government and Cardiff City Region City Deal, the Porth Transport Hub aims to deliver a “centralised and seamless transport interchange between bus, rail and active travel.”
It will be located next to the existing railway line and replace the current rail ticketing facility run by Transport for Wales. The site will cover around 1,700 square metres and as well as housing a new bus station, the council hopes the space will also act as a catalyst for further investment in the town centre in a range of commercial, retail, office and residential developments.
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