Liverpool seeks views on cycling strategy
Consultation has begun on Liverpool City Council's strategy to significantly increase the number of journeys made by bicycle.
The council's Cycling Strategy 2013-2026 includes the goal of ensuring that one in 10 of all trips are made by bike by 2025. The Liverpool Cycle Forum was among the organisations which helped the council to develop its strategy. Local people are now being invited to share their views.
The strategy includes:
- Developing a safer cycling environment through investment in the city's cycle network, with clearly defined routes and good quality facilities
- Continuing to invest in speed reduction through campaigns such as The 20 Effect, which supports work to more than double the number of residential roads in the city with 20mph speed limits
- Improved road maintenance, integration with public transport and cycle parking
- Improved cyclist safety through training programmes and enforcement
- The promotion of cycling through special events, rides and marketing campaigns
Cllr Tim Moore, Liverpool City Council's cabinet member for transport and climate change, said: "This is a really important plan. Our vision is to make Liverpool a city where cycling is a popular, mainstream mode of travel for local journeys – with accessible routes which are safe, convenient, accessible, comfortable and attractive for both adults and children.
"We know that many of the most attractive, vibrant, successful and liveable cities of the world have high levels of cycling and we recognise its importance to creating a sustainable society.
"This strategy sets out how we will invest in our cycling infrastructure in the coming years to help improve health and wellbeing, create new opportunities for local people, boost our economy, and provide a low carbon future for Liverpool."
Liverpool's ambitions will be boosted by the launch, early next year, of its Cycle Hire Scheme. With 1,000 cycles available for hire at 100 stations, primarily in the city centre, it will be the biggest scheme in the UK, outside London, running 24-hour-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. The city council is currently in discussions with a number of companies and expects an operator to be in place by the end of this year.
Liverpool has also committed £1m in Local Sustainable Transport Funding from the Department of Transport to further boost the cycling infrastructure and sustainable transport in Liverpool until 2014. It is being invested in, among other projects, improving east/west links, setting up a neighbourhood travel team, and the promotion of cycling to businesses and communities in north Liverpool.
Other on-going work includes a £300,000 investment, from the Government's Cycle Safety Fund, in major improvements to the area around the entrance to Princes Park, which is heavily used by cyclists for commuting. Meanwhile, work to improve cycle links on Leeds Street in the city centre is underway.
Public consultation on Liverpool's Cycling Strategy for 2013-2026 is now underway and runs until 28 October. If you would like to have your say on the plans, go to www.liverpool.gov.uk/council/consultation/.
