Liverpool City Region invests £57M for safer walking and cycling routes

Mayor Steve Rotheram has announced an impressive £57 million funding package aimed at making walking and cycling safer and more accessible across the Liverpool City Region.

The investment from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will also support active travel, highways, and regeneration projects in communities including Southport, Birkenhead, St Helens, and Kirkby, enhancing sustainable transport, employment, and housing development.

Funding for projects includes:

£22.3m to deliver walking and cycling links as part of the flagship Birkenhead Central Gateway project, which is set to create hundreds of new homes and prime retail space.
£18.8m to improve connectivity east of Southport town centre, including a new cycleway at Foul Lane, as well as works to improve safety on Kew roundabout.
£10m to develop active travel routes in St Helens to serve the new planned residential and commercial development at Cowley Hill.
£4.5m to improve East Lancashire Road and Junction 4 of the M57 towards south Kirkby, including building cycle lanes and widen footpaths.
£2m to improve Peasley Cross junction as part of wider plans to regenerate St Helens town centre.

Investment for the schemes is to be drawn from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), a pot of £710m set aside for major transport infrastructure projects across the Liverpool City Region.

Subject to funding being approved at next week’s Combined Authority meeting, construction work on the first of the schemes is set to begin later this year

Millions of pounds are also being committed to developing active travel links for the new Liverpool Baltic rail station. Set to open in 2027, the station will serve one of the city region’s fastest growing areas and will include features like secure cycle parking and improved accessibility.

The improvements funded by this new cash boost are part of wider plans to deliver a 600km network of walking and cycling routes across the six boroughs of the Liverpool City Region – Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral – with more than 260km set to be delivered by the end of 2026.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“Investing in safe, accessible walking and cycling routes is a crucial part of our mission to transform the Liverpool City Region into a place where everyone can thrive.

“We’re taking things up a gear and accelerating forward with a £57 million funding package building on the significant progress we’ve already made, with over £70 million committed to upgrading our active travel network to date.

“By making it easier for people to choose walking and cycling, we’re not just connecting communities and supporting economic growth—we’re actively improving the quality of life for everyone in our region.

“This investment is another step forward in our ambition to create a world-class transport system that delivers a healthier, greener, and better-connected future for all.”

Simon O’Brien, Liverpool City Region Cycling and Walking Commissioner, said:

“It is fantastic to see this new funding being committed to schemes which will make walking and cycling easier and safer across the city region.

“Linking communities, reducing carbon emissions, helping people to be healthier – projects like these give us an amazing opportunity to help change the way we think about travelling around our local area.”