You can have your say on a proposed new active travel route in the city

A public consultation has launched today (Monday, 19 June) on a major new active travel route in the city.

Liverpool City Council is asking the public for their feedback on the proposed active travel route, which would run for approximately 8km from Childwall through Wavertree and into the city centre.

This new route, which would provide access for more than 100,000 people, would eventually connect to the new Lime Street corridor and then through to the city’s waterfront.

The proposed new facility is one of six permanent routes the Council is delivering as part of it Active Travel programme, and it will also feature new and improved footways, pedestrian crossing facilities and landscaping.

The city centre to Childwall route also sets out to fill gaps in the existing network to enhance the city’s cycling offer.

As part of the consultation, the Council will be hosting three events for the public to view the proposals and ask questions at:

1. Frontline Church, Wellington Road – Wednesday 28 June, 4pm – 8pm
2. Liverpool Hope University, EDEN Building, Taggart Avenue – Monday 3 July, 4pm – 8pm
3. Central Library Atrium, William Brown Street – Saturday 8 July, 10am – 2pm

Following the consultation, the Council then submit a business case for funding the route. If successful, a tender to construct the active travel route would be advertised by this winter.

July is also set to be a massive month for Liverpool’s Active Travel programme.

• A year-long scheme to improve 30 access points along the Liverpool Loop Line, which runs 16km through the city from Halewood to Aintree, is set to complete.

• A new cycle training facility at Everton Park, funded as part of the British Cycling “places to ride” programme, is to be officially opened next month. This facility is the first of its kind in the city, providing an artificial road network for children to understand how to navigate different types of junctions.

• And a report to the Council’s Cabinet in July will also seek to accept almost £11m to fund three of the active travel routes that were created during the pandemic – West Derby Road, Vauxhall Road and Sefton Park.

Councillor Dan Barrington, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, said:

“Liverpool’s cycling offer is not yet where it should be – but as these plans show we are moving in the right direction.

“The Childwall-City corridor has the potential to make cycling an easier option for tens of thousands of people. When you factor in how it will connect to other routes, you start to see the impact this could have – be it in our environment, our air quality and people’s physical and mental wellbeing.

“Rebalancing the shift away from cars to more active travel is also going to be fundamental for any city in its pursuit in tackling climate change. This is the challenge of our lifetime and the more people engage in this conversation and our consultations the better our offer will become.

“The work won’t stop here. There’s more to come. And with better facilities too for our children to learn how to ride, like at Everton Park, we’re sowing the seeds for the next generation to be even more cycle-minded and laying the foundation for a real revolution in how Liverpool gets moving.”

The six-week long consultation runs until 5pm, Monday, 31 July with information on the proposed active travel route and a feedback form available online here.

NOTE: Funding for Liverpool’s Active Travel programme comes from the European Union, the Department for Transport, Liverpool City Region’s Combined Authority and planning contributions from the Council’s Section 106 fund.