Clive Street and Ferry Road near IKEA frequently flood when it rains. People in Grangetown say this poses a public safety hazard.
According to the Grangetown community Facebook group, the pedestrian crossing at Ferry Road is impassable when there’s heavy rain. Mothers with babies often have to carry their push-chairs to wade through the puddles.
The floods present a challenge in negotiating the affected paths. Verena Lowe, a Grangetown resident, says it’s a huge inconvenience for people in the area.
“I wondered where on earth I would cross the road because I would have to go where it’s not permitted, or else try to avoid the splashing of the cars. That’s what I did, and I had to go further out of the crossing path because it was blocked with water.”
The roads are prone to flooding as the drains often get clogged up with leaves and mud. Residents say the situation was made worse by developments in the area that affected the drainage system.
Clive Pranson is manager at Cardiff Sofa Furniture, a shop on Ferry Road. “Every time it rains, it seems to be a big puddle outside and it creates a traffic jam then because they’re all trying to funnel into one road, one lane. It’s not nice at all,” he says.
“We’re really a bit concerned in case the water comes into the shop. Who do we look for compensation to? The council? I don’t know.”
Some residents say they have been complaining for years but nothing has been done about the situation.
Fiona McAllister has lived in Grangetown for 24 years and is an organiser for Keep Grangetown Tidy, a resident group. She says Cardiff Council did clear the drains on Ferry Road about a year and a half ago.
“They have tried to address it, but I think it just gets bunged out again quite quickly. I suppose it’s the sort of thing that needs to have regular cleaning, and I think that’s where they struggle because they don’t have the budget or the resources to do that sort of ongoing clearing of drains and clearing of gutters. And that’s where the problems build up, really.”
The council says the roads have been logged for future improvements, but the budget doesn’t exist for it at the moment.