Liverpool seeks feedback on major cycle lane

Please can they validate the numbers it feels made up 100,000 of cyclists ? The cycle lanes i fear will actually just use normal roads and push vehicles into the centers. Sorry its not PC to say this but i personally dont see many cyclist and virtually none from October -March . Can money been allocated for road repair and Pot holes ? What about EV provision ?

@Paul if there are currently low numbers of people choosing to move by bike, isn’t this an argument for creating high quality cycling infrastructure which people will choose to use: well-designed facilities typically see significant uptake – see Oxford Road corridor in Manchester

I am not anti cycling but does Simon O’Brien really believe that families will all jump on their bikes to do the weekly shop,or in the wind and rain in autumn and winter they’ll cycle 8 miles to work . Some of the cycle routes already installed are hardly used, though e-bikes and scooters are very popular, also the Loop Line needs to be a rail track and part of Merseyrail, as intended, and not wasted on bikes.

A classic case of dreams over reality. Liverpool is a wet, windy city, which will account for the relatively few cyclists you see – not, as some people contend, the absence on some key corridors of dedicated cycling lanes. I’ve yet to meet many people keen to build their careers who are happy to turn up to work wet, dirty, sweaty and cold. But hey, let’s entertain this fantasy with scarce public funds, shall we?

Cycle lanes, e-scooter lanes, other ‘wheeling’ / e-mobility lanes? Battery assist of some sort – lanes. Seems sensible if the routes will make the roads safer for all users.

I am really surprised that Simon O’Brien is a commissioner for Liverpool City Region – just googled it and its been since 2019. Very surprising.

Perhaps you don’t see many cyclists Paul M because the roads are not a pleasant place to be if you’re on a bike and at close quarters with cars and vans. We need to be forward thinking and encourage people to cycle rather than drive the short journey into the city centre. This will only happen when people consider it is safe and easy to do so.

I just hope they have their facts right and it’s not just an exercise to please a very small amount of road users, if it encourages more cyclists to use a safe route good, but at the expense of other road users.

There aren’t many cyclists now because cycling isn’t safe, sharing with all the drunk motorists speeding 3x the limit while texting. Installing segregated cycle lanes will make cycling safer and encourage more people to do it. The knock-on effect is fewer cars, less congestion, better air, and more healthy citizens.

It’s like asking why would we bother building a bridge when nobody crosses the river. People don’t cross the river because there isn’t a bridge. Building a bridge will mean more people cross the river.

Reckon they’re better off finishing the glamour project along the Strand. The painted lines on the pavement along Salthouse Dock are an embarrassment. Tourists crossing from Liverpool One into the Docks should be admiring our multi-million pound cycle infrastructure but it’s washing away in the rain.

Hi Paul, I ride during October and March. Pretty much everyday. Keeps me fit, one less car and less space used on the road. Less generation of potholes and fingers crossed less cost to the NHS. Lets plan for a better world eh rather than doing the same daft thing over and over. Cars are dumb – I have one – it is stupid to use it to move my 70kg body from my house to my work. Doesn’t need a ton of metal and burning dinosaurs. If I use these routes for the perennial benefits expect others will too. Again less space, happier people better cities. As evidenced just across the sea in the Netherlands and Denmark.

Out of interest how is this remotely corelated to being politically correct? Sounds like you are conflating consideration of peoples feelings and place in the world (a lovely thing) to saying things about road infrastructure based on anecdotal evidence.

EV is still using a ton of metal to shift a light person. That big metal box still needs somewhere to go. Whereas a nice rain coat and light change of clothes means you can ride in practically any weather. Bit of cold and exertion also great for health too. Better than folding into an air conditioned (using fuel) box and sitting still whilst cyclists ride past.

For folks who have mobility or comfort requirements generous bike lanes make tricycles and recumbents more of an option.

All in this works, it is being done well elsewhere. Change is coming so get on your bike and enjoy the benefits

I like the idea but i hope they have the funding and the conviction to actually follow through a proper segregated cycle lane and not the line of traffic cones that have been on west derby road for a few years

Prior to putting the cycle lanes in can we citizens just ask that they get Environmental Services out to cut the grass verges and de-weed the public pavemnets across the city.

I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t see much active travel if there’s no segregated provision. If there were provision, this scheme wouldn’t be necessary? Oxford Road cycleway in Manc. has reported 30,000 northbound journeys for June to date, & given the number of students, low levels of car ownership, especially around Toxteth, 100,000 journeys a year would be very low.

Segregation’s safer for motorists; better for traffic efficiency; & usually includes pavement upgrades / suds / landscaping. Great to see Liverpool building up urban density, but needs active travel & public transport to sustain

Excellent idea.

“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“
Why? Cars and personal transport are becoming far less polluting with hybrid technologies etc- this war on the car needs to be stopped

This looks very promising. Great to see money being well spent on people’s healthy living.

I think they need to reflect on Fir Lane becoming one way.
Very busy for traffic heading to Childwall and Woolton.
Which route can they take without adding to other congested roads and using extended travelling time and thus more pollution.
With the increasing number of EV’s this should be considered.
I am all for safe cycle lanes, but not at the expense of other users being disadvantage.
Not everyone wants or can ride a bike.
Does this route take advantage of the green spaces on the way?
The Mystery and Princess Park etc?

I live in Wallasey and my daughter lives in woolton I would like to use my bike when I visit but at the moment the roads in south Liverpool are hostile places for law abiding cyclists these lanes are a step in the right direction,bring them on

Having good segregated cycle infrastructure is one variable to consider when trying to get more active travel. But it is one of the easier ones to solve. Climate and weather are bigger blockers, as is working in an office after having cycled in and getting sweaty and potentially grimy on the way in. Another big blocker is the utility of a car/bus/train in carrying heavier items. There are many benefits to cycling not just for the self, but others as well…however, reality of why people are travelling will mean the numbers using these routes will remain lower than predicted

All this pathetic council are interested in is bike lanes bike lanes and more bike lanes.

I live near Well Lane and see loads of cyclists every day riding to and from from the loop line. It will be great to join this up to a safe route all the way into town. I’m already looking at getting a ‘lecky bike, so I’ll definitely use it.

We need to be forward thinking and encourage people to cycle rather than drive the short journey into the city centre. This will only happen when people consider it is safe and easy to do so.
To Anonymous at Comment 7:
I disagree. Leaving the physical state of them to one side, the roads are probably the safest place to be riding a bike, from personal experience. The bike lanes along the Strand and on Regent Road for example ARE dangerous, however. They are too narrow for two-way cycling, the kerbs are too high and mechanically propelled bikes and scooters are not prohibited. If you work in or visit Liverpool city centre regularly you will see that the overwhelming majority of people on bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters are on the pavements or riding through pedestrianised areas. These people will continue to use the pavement until they are forced by legal penalties to stop doing so. Constructing an “active” travel corridor will do nothing to change this, or encourage more people to ride a bike. By the way, active means walking, jogging/running or actually pedalling a bike. E-bikes and e-scooters, especially the de-restricted ones capable of at least 30mph, don’t count as active travel. You might as well say riding a 100cc Kawasaki along a bike lane is active travel.

One only has to look at Manchester Oxford Road corridor to see what kind of benefits can cycle lanes bring to the area. The problem with any infrastructure projects like that is that they can’t be a one off. It’s always integrated into a larger road network and only when the road network as a whole becomes more friendly towards cyclists – will the numbers go up. People don’t just go on that one road. Look at how well London is doing on that front (not all boroughs, but the cycle numbers are high). Build it and they will, eventually, come.

Fixing pot holes, landscaping etc – are all actually part of the same issue, and more pressure needs to be put on government to provide quality infrastructure for everyone.

I will not comment on the for and against cycle lanes. What the world has is a climate emergency. We have to change the way we live. The carbon count today is 420.73 ppm. In 1950 it was 320.00 ppm. Cycling and walking will help to cut down the carbon count.

It’s always so disheartening to read the comments on this sort of thing; people continue to trot out the same tired old arguments about weather, distance, carrying capacity, and of course the old classic “nobody cycles round here so why build bike lanes?”

The easiest answer to all these points is a real-life example. Liverpool is not hilly, and believe it or not has almost exactly the same climate as Amsterdam.

Amsterdam wasn’t always a cycling paradise. Transforming it from the car-dominated 1970s took time and effort, but is respected around the world as an enormous success. Let’s get the same done here!

Bloody ridiculous

@W, you say Liverpool is not hilly, have you cycled up Mount Pleasant lately, or come to that up Islington to Netherfield Rd. Even to get to Mount Vernon you have to get up Brownlow Hill, and there’s lots more gradient in Woolton ,Gateacre, etc. I agree we need to be more bike savvy with dedicated routes but don’t dismiss the car,meanwhile like Amsterdam we should have a tram now that would be an improvement.

For those who claim it’s not worth the money because there are not many cyclists, just look abroad to Europe, where cycling is so much better and numbers are much higher. A very short bit of research will show that numbers were also very low before they built the infrastructure there. If you have bad infrastructure, you don’t get many users. It has been shown time and time again in cities all around the world, once you build better cycling infrastructure, more people use it. But you need quite a bit. One cycleway isn’t enough, you need a whole network before you start to see significant results. But one cycleway is a start in the right direction.

the council are cutting the verges less to save money but isn’t it also better for the wildlife – bees and butterflies etc?

Absolute nonsense figures plucked from thin air. Ideology over pragmatism. It’s been done before, in Liverpool too, and all that happens is it takes road space from cars, creates traffic jams and you barely ever see a bike using them.

Complete waste of taxpayer money.

Absolutely brilliant. Ignore the self-centred car lobby – get it built

I live along this route and fully support it.

It is a much needed cycle route to/from Childwall. Picton Road is not a safe road to cycle on, so an alternative route linking riders with the city centre is welcomed.

Usual LCC waste of money on vanity products. It would be a better idea to survey the amount of use existing cycle have before wasting more money, and diverting traffic to already busy streets and roads.

I often walk into the city centre from L17 and Kingsley Road is a pleasant walk since the installation of the cycle route.

Love this, would be even better if we got bus lanes on Smithdown Road and Mather Ave. Let’s get these cars off the road and make journeys so much faster.

Oxford Street L8 bike lane – Crown Street L8 bike lane seen handful of bikes using them over a year, policy is total Carnage, sort the roads out, we are paying road tax.