Cardiff employees say capital let down by bad transport

Employees of top firms are positive about Cardiff

Employees of Cardiff's top companies are concerned about commuting and travel in the city, research has found.

Cardiff Business School surveyed 648 workers at companies including Admiral, PwC, Legal and General, Tata and Tesco.

Their biggest concern was transport and infrastructure, particularly congestion, the cost and availability of parking and poor public transport.

Cardiff council said it had developed a variety of schemes to help tackle travel issues.

Employees of the companies said congestion (54%) lack of cleanliness (29%) and crime (25%) were problems in the capital.

But almost all surveyed wanted to keep working in Cardiff, with 68% saying they would like to for the foreseeable future.

The Cardiff Employee Survey was carried out for the Cardiff Business Partnership (CBP), an organisation representing major employers in Cardiff.

Natalie Grimshare, a communications officer at Admiral, took part in the survey.

She said Cardiff was "a great little city" but that she was concerned about her daily commute when she moves house soon.

"I'm worried about the lack of public transport and the cost. If you want to go from one side of Cardiff to another, there's no easy way to do that. If there was better transport people could get around easier and it would bring communities together."

Roy J Thomas, a CBP director, said that policy makers would need to "consider the findings when shaping a vision for the future".

"The council and assembly government keep telling us what they think Cardiff needs, but we thought it was better to take a bottom-up approach. We asked employees about their experience directly, which nobody ever does."

Prof Rick Delbridge, of Cardiff Business School, said: "It is important that views of those who work in the city are taken seriously. Good companies undertake employee surveys but this was a survey of the city. The survey is the first to look at how people feel about Cardiff as a place to work."

Making improvements

Cardiff council said the issue of traffic congestion and parking had to be tackled, as with all major cities.

A spokesperson said: "In March 2009, the Welsh Assembly Government announced Cardiff as Wales' first sustainable travel city and we have developed a number of schemes to help alleviate travel issues.

"The sustainable travel city project is designed to actively promote sustainable travel within the capital, and has provided a city car club scheme, on-street cycle hire as well as supporting and encouraging employers to consider how their staff travel to work by providing grants to provide facilities for supporting walking, cycling and public transport."

The council said part of improving the options for travellers had involved planning and making improvements to the city's cycling network.

"These measures are backed up with improved infrastructure in the city, better bus priority measures and park and ride facilities to support travellers who can now opt to leave their cars on the outskirts of the city and take advantage of frequent, efficient and dedicated bus services to the city centre," said the spokesperson.