A new contraflow cycle lane has been implemented in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, to make it safer to cycle in the town, overseen by three Vivacity sensors installed to gather multi-modal count, path and speed data.

Monmouthshire County Council are using this data to assess if cycling has become more popular in the town as a result of the cycle lane and if vehicle speed has reduced as a consequence of the narrowing of road space.

The Active Travel (Wales) Act, 2013, legislates that all local authorities in Wales should map, plan and promote active travel journeys, with particular emphasis on encouraging modal shift from cars to cycling and walking for every day short journeys. Last year, the Welsh Government invested £75 million in Active Travel – more than any other country in the UK relative to population.

In South Wales, Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) secured funding for three bids for the locations: Caldicot, Monmouth and Abergavenny. The funding is being used in a variety of ways to make the county safer for cyclists and pedestrians, including traffic regulation orders and signage, a pedestrian and cycle bridge across the River Usk that connects Llanfoist and Abergavenny, and improving cycling routes around the town.

Full details are in a case study here.

(Picture – Vivacity)