Liverpool looks to make three pop-up cycle lanes permanent

Liverpool City Council has launched a public consultation on converting the city’s three original pop-up cycle lanes into permanent corridors for active travel.

The pop-up cycle lanes were first installed in 2020, in the early stages of the pandemic, as an emergency measure to help encourage people to take more exercise.

The routes chosen were Vauxhall Road in the north, West Derby Road in the east and Sefton Park in the south, all of which connected to the city centre.

These temporary facilities are no longer fit for purpose, so the council has is commissioning proposals for fully segregated permanent schemes.

Improvements proposed to these three corridors will include:

• Upgrades to footways to improve surfacing and provide pedestrian priority across side roads
• New road crossing facilities
• Wayfinding signage
• New landscaping and an improved public realm
• Better cycle lane / bus stop junctions
• Upgrades to signal controlled junctions 

The public can ask any follow up questions, or send their comments, via email to active.travel@liverpool.gov.uk with ‘Active travel consultation’ in the subject line. Or they can to: write to: Highways Services (Active Travel Survey), Liverpool City Council, Cunard Building, Water Street, Liverpool, L3 1AH.

The consultation has been launched just two weeks after the city council welcome the introduction of a new fleet of e-bikes which, as well as aiming to take thousands of car miles off the city’s highways, is another key element of the council’s Active Travel campaign designed to help deliver Liverpool’s carbon-neutral city target by 2030.

To assist this consultation, there will be a number of drop-in sessions where the public can view more detailed plans and talk to members of the design team before providing feedback. These are:

• Vauxhall Road: Wednesday, 23^rd – 4pm-8pm: Vauxhall Millennium Centre, Blenheim Street, L5 8UX
• West Derby Road: Tuesday 22^nd 4pm-8pm: Victory Outreach, 122 Sheil Road, L6 7UA
• Sefton Park: Thursday 24^th 4pm-8pm: Sefton Park Community Association, 3 Croxteth Drive, L17 3AG

Two further sessions will be held the following week at Liverpool Central Library, where all three routes will be up for discussion on:

• Saturday 26^th – 10am-2pm
• Tuesday 29^th – 4pm-8pm

A further three cycle routes are also being delivered by the city council, including a major upgrade to the Liverpool Loop Line and a new learn to cycle facility for children in Everton Park which is opening next Spring.

New cycling infrastructure has also been installed on major roads such as The Strand, Lime Street and Princes Avenue as the council aims to improve the city’s cycling and active travel offer.

Councillor Dan Barrington, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet member for Climate and Environment, said:

“The outbreak of the pandemic underlined the fact that Liverpool needs more active travel corridors. It is been a huge priority for the council over the past two years and a significant amount of progress has been made to provide more access and more options to walk and cycle.

“These three original pop-up routes are no longer fit for purpose and desperately need to be upgraded. These proposals have been designed to provide ease of access to and from the city centre and to connect up with the other new routes and infrastructure we are building. We want to hear from as many as possible to help ensure these proposals are right and will work. If these are approved after this consultation then this will be a major step forward in developing a network of quality active travel facilities. 

“The vision to make Liverpool one of the UK’s best cities to cycle and walk in. The journey has begun and step by step we are improving the offer. It will take time as there is much to do, but the long term benefits for our residents, visitors and our environment will be immeasurable.”

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

“Liverpool’s pop-up lanes were put in hastily to give people an alternative way of getting around instead of public transport when the Coronavirus was rife.

“This meant they were far from perfect but it gave the council a one-off opportunity to study what worked and what didn’t and turn the best elements into permanent cycle lanes. 

“Now it’s our turn to give them vital feedback to make sure they are absolutely top notch. I believe this improved infrastructure will be a massive step forward for our cycle network as Liverpool continues catching up with other active cities. Good stuff Liverpool City Council!”

A report on this consultation is scheduled to be taken to the council’s Cabinet in Spring 2023 to inform whether the permanent lanes are installed.

The consultation on the proposals will run until Friday, 13 January 2023 and can be found online here.