The new arrangement is in place in Roath Park. How does it keep people safe?
People who visit one of Cardiff’s most popular parks will now have to follow a new one-way system designed to protect people from Covid-19.
The new system will take walkers in a clockwise direction around Roath Park Lake to follow social distancing guidelines. And it is set up in response to concerns raised by local residents about how busy the park has been during lockdown.
John, a local resident, took a walk on the weekend said, “Before the system was brought in we had almost decided not to walk around the park any longer. There were certain bottlenecks that made it impossible to observe the two-meter distancing, combined with the mixture of walkers, runners and cyclist. It makes the lakeside walk impractical.
“The introduction of the one-way system (enforced on the first weekend by mounted police) made things much simpler and practical. As with any scheme that relies on co-operation rather than enforcement there are always some people who don’t believe the rules apply to them.
“And unfortunately, the numbers like this, though small, are rising slowly. Some people really don’t like having the ‘rules of the road’ pointed out to them. Human nature I suppose.”
Due to consideration of this factor, Christian, another Cardiff citizen, said, “My family doesn’t visit the lake on our walks because it’s too crowded and we don’t need the stress.”
The UK Government has said people should stay at home as much as they can but they are allowed to go out once a day for exercise such as a run, walk or cycling. But people need to ensure social distances with strangers and this must be done alone or with family members.
Other measures will be gradually implemented to ensure the safety of people, Lloyd, a Cardiff Council spokesman said, “The arrangements are under continual review to ensure the park users are able to comply with the social distancing measures that are in place.”
Roath Park opened in 1894, is one of Cardiff’s first public parks. The park offers a variety of horticultural interest, nature conservation and activities to attract today’s visitors. It is the primary place for many nearby residents to do daily exercises. Owen, a local Cardiffian said, “I think this is an excellent idea and as someone who has used the lake for their exercise regularly, I have definitely seen a vast improvement.
“It is so crucial for residents to be able to access nature and exercise safely and I am immensely glad of Cardiff’s decision to keep the parks open. Many residents live in flats and apartments without gardens. They need green spaces to keep their spirits up.”
This new system has won a lot of praises and provide people with an opportunity to exercise. Christian said, “The one-way pedestrian rules are very welcome to reduce the chances of ‘close passes’ at this worrying times, especially given how popular the lake is and how many people seem to have an overly relaxed attitude towards social distancing.”
