Changes proposed for Liverpool’s Lawrence Road
Potential car-free spaces, pocket parks, and improved pedestrian walkways are in the cards for the street, which is part of the broader Liverpool city centre to Childwall active travel route.
Liverpool City Council is hosting a consultation on the Lawrence Road proposals to tweak the road to make it more friendly for active travel. The consultation ends on 22 July.
Mott Macdonald designed the pitched changes for Lawrence Road. These include introducing raised pedestrian crossings, widening the pavement for pedestrians, and narrowing the carriageway. Parking bays would be retained at strategic spots. A rain garden is also being proposed, as well as the planting of more trees and benches.
Mott Macdonald is the lead consultant on the Lawrence Road project. Credit: via Mott Macdonald
The plans also include the utilisation of modal filters, closing off a small section of the road to cars. A few sections are proposed – including outside Picton Health and Children’s Centre and between the Talton Road and Bagot Street section of Lawrence Road. Taking cars out of the equation for those parts of the roadway would allow for more public spaces.
Also on the list of possible car-free spots would be around Garmoyle Road, which has become a popular spot for rat runs. Mott Macdonald’s designs show that removing cars from the Lawrence Road East section outside Frontline Street could help with the problem – as could making the area around at Garmoyle Road outside Gregon Memorial Institute car-free. Another idea is to institute one-way traffic for those eastbound on Garmoyle Road and looking to exit onto Smithdow Road.
See the full proposals and submit your feedback by going to liverpool.gov.uk/council/consultation-and-engagement/consultation/consultation-on-lawrence-road-neighbourhood-study.
This looks promising and will help to maintain the historic fabric of Lawrence Rd. Something similar needs to be done along Walton Rd and County Rd, as these two adjoining roads are significant and the mostly 3 storey structures along these arterial roads need preserving.
The premises over the shops should be refurbished for rent or for sale , bringing further vibrancy to the area, let’s face it when Everton FC move some businesses will suffer, the council need to plan now before the rot sets in.
By Anonymous
Let’s hope they don’t affect the passing trade from cars?
By Liverpolitis
Is this not just going to push traffic onto Smithdown Road – which is like ‘no rules’ driving – or Picton Road?
By Bob Dawson
I would actually love this, as someone who comutes through this road on my bike alot, it would make it alot safer than what it is, and it could very much work for those who hate biking down smith down because of the idiot drives down that road. this road needs a make over and i think this could be GOLD!
By Anonymous
So your intended plan is to bastardise the road like you have with Kingsley, there’s already no parking for the residents hence they park how and where they do. In time you will turn the allocated parking into paid making it hard for those residents of that area to live, as they would have to pay another expense on the piss poor wage we get her compared to other cities. Not to mention there’s no investment in the buildings and the you would have businesses suffer because clients would have nowhere to park. Get the bus system right as that’s abysmal your actually telling people to drive with how bad the service currently is. Leave the road alone make reasonable adjustments but don’t make it awkward for the residents and the workers.
By Anonymous
How will this affect the businesses and there clients being able to park? Smithdown and Picton Road will be even worse when it comes to congestion…. Have a rethink this just seems like a waste of money just like Kingsley road
By KG
I’m sure the three betting shops, takeaways and Pound Island will survive.
By Anonymous
Making one way systems, parking bays for residents, no car policy for students ( as it is if the live in purpose built flats) and more traffic wardens would vastly improve our community and quality of life. I live here and have for over 35 years, I’ve seen how car culture has dessicated our community.
By Helen Bryson
Bob Dawson is correct 100%….
Why does the local community need a rain garden…?
Oh I have just remembered, it is the chimney sweeps, bottle washers, wheel tappers gang again wasting council tax again… Then telling everybody how wonderful they are…. (Bah Humbug)
They should make it a one-way system with, a reduced lane traffic light system where Garmoyle Road connects with Smithdown Road. Yes widen the foot path and double yellow line penalty, also heavy financial penalties for parking on the footpath….
A total redevelopment of the local properties by a housing association could revive the former local communities of prior the 1970s…
The students were happy in the Greenbank- North Mossley Hill Road halls of residence and offside streets… Then the “brainboxes in the universities close them, now those garden enclaves are destined to be prosperous for the upcoming affluent
” hoi poi loi”…
The local councillors could take a lead from Joe Anderson finest road traffic scheme on Smithdown Road… Traffic lights every bus stop. It takes 4 days to travel from Penny Lane to Upper Parliament Street on any 86 bus…. Bah Humbug
That person’s post with disgusting language should be deleted.
By Anonymous
Regarding Garmoyle Road. Do not make it 1-way, that will just encourage speeding.
Sort out the corners of the roads where people park right upto the edge and sort out the parking outside picnic….we have the ANPR technology….use it. Don’t ban cars, challenge bad parking.
By Richie1008
Maybe stopping it from becoming third world would be better.
By Barry
Lawrence Road is an Ideal spot to do some placemaking like this. Its original form was of course a thriving community, with all the little shops where people knew each other and would have met. It’s partly the traffic, that helped degrade the area. It wasn’t built for cars to fly past. Yes, Picton Rd. needs pedestrian prioritisation and environmental improvements too! I’d say Smithdown Road takes a heavier load, but let’s not forget there’s Ullet Road parallel to this too, and it should be possible for the Council to shift some of the non-local Smithdown traffic here. There are plenty of routes but we need balance with people and communities coming first!
By Paul Blackburn
That would really make a change and would look great in the Wavertree community
By Becca
@ Anon 5.53pm, it may not take you 4 days to get from Penny Lane to Upper Parliament St , but it did take Paul Simon 4 days to hitchike from Saginaw.
By Anonymous
the sad managed decline of Walton road. Once a thriving arterial route and great shopping area now left to rot for so many years whilst the city centre developed but no multiplier effect for Walton. Absolutely disgraceful what LCC has managed to accomplish here
Even the people seem depressed living here. Lets hope LCC take some real interest after EFC relocate and dont make things even worse for the poor local people. A good example of how Planning and so called regeneration have such direct effect upon peoples lives innit
By Bill McGarry
@ Bill McGarry, yes Walton Road has partly been ruined but enough is still left so it can be preserved and refurbished, in the same way Glasgow has preserved many of it’s great neighbourhood high streets. LCC needs to plan and come up with a design standard so many street-level shops that are no longer needed are converted into good looking flats or houses, and work with the private sector to do it. Liverpool has so many of these high streets like Lawrence Rd, Stanley Rd,
Scotland Rd, County Rd etc.
By Anonymous