Cardiff. Any locals in?

[numtumfutunch]

Hi

I'm arriving in Cardiff early Monday, staying at the novotel and leaving 5pm Tuesday.

I'm looking for an excuse to avoid the train from Nottingham and am also a bit scared about the M50 road works too

Is parking secure overnight these days as it wasn't in the 80s and is peak hour traffic likely to depress me?

Thanks. I suspect the train makes most sense but you know how it is

Ps I know there's a local board but it looks a bit quiet

[ImpossiblyDaft]

Been a couple of years since I lived there, but rush hour used to be pretty rubbish, though I'd say that about pretty much everywhere in the UK.

Traffic used to be pretty bad down North Road as although they switch the middle lane so it flows in order with the rush-hour, there's just so many choke-points. The Gabalfa roundabout is awful, but once you get onto the A48 it'll be only lightly clogged, as long as there's no events on.
Newport Road is the other way out of the city and that always looked pretty busy regardless of the time of day & it goes down to 1 lane each way further down near where it meets Albany road - I'd expect that bit would be a nightmare at rush hour?

Once out of the city, the M4 is a little bit dodgy around Newport, but once you're off that its all good, though that was without any roadworks going on at the time!

Edited by ImpossiblyDaft on Thursday 15th November 16:10

[timetex]

I lived around there for 10 years, travelling into Cardiff down Newport Road.

I moved away in 2005/6, but was recently back for a few days doing some work.

Traffic was noticeably worse along Newport Road / Albany Road and around Cardiff itself.

The M50 is always a breeze (I used to commute from Cardiff to Ipswich via M4, M50, M5, M42, M6, A14) but the M4 around Brynglas is always nasty in busy times.

[anonymous-user]

numtumfutunch said:

Is parking secure overnight these days as it wasn't in the 80s

The Novotel has its own secure car park around the back. If not then St David's 2 has a huge 24-hour car park which you access from Mary Ann St, about 5 mins walk maximum.

numtumfutunch said:

is peak hour traffic likely to depress me?

Yup.

[StripeyNick]

St Davids 2 car park is only something like £2 to park in from 5pm to possibly 6 or 7am annd is a good, secure car park.
If you are coming down from the north, to avoid the M50 roadworks, carry on down the M5 then come off by Gloucester and take the A48 through Chepstow or, for a more interesting drive, instead of going down the A48, take the A40 to Ross On Wye and the start/end of the M50.
As for traffic, well, it can be a bit on the slow side but I think it does quite well in comparison to other towns & cities. Newport Road gets a bit slow.

[LuS1fer]

Come down the A48 but come off at the Whitchurch/Gabalfa flyover, not the Newport Rd exit, and then come down North Road (speed camera at end of flyover so beeware)as most traffic will be heading out of town and the Christmas shopping stampede hasn't really started yet - though Samoa v Wales is this weekend at the Millenium stadium so the town centre will be cut off to traffic on Saturday.

[Davey S2]

LuS1fer said:

Come down the A48 but come off at the Whitchurch/Gabalfa flyover, not the Newport Rd exit, and then come down North Road (speed camera at end of flyover so beeware)as most traffic will be heading out of town and the Christmas shopping stampede hasn't really started yet - though Samoa v Wales is this weekend at the Millenium stadium so the town centre will be cut off to traffic on Saturday.

The rugby is on tomorrow night.