Sefton ramps up travel improvements
With Balfour Beatty nearing completion on phase one of the Southport Eastern Access scheme, a pair of cycle and footway schemes have been approved as phase two preparation gathers pace.
Sefton Council said that Southport Eastern Access is one of its key highway projects, designed to improve travel into and out of Southport and around the Norwood area.
Phase two of the scheme will see major changes around Kew Roundabout along with improved access to the Meols Cop Retail Park through opening Foul Lane to traffic, and creating the new cycle/footway alongside.
Phase one involves improvements at the Bispham Road and Sussex Road junctions, improving capacity and helping prevent nearby residential streets being used as rat runs.
Sefton’s planning committee meeting on 4 February saw four cycle and footway schemes go before committee, two of them being part of the Southport Eastern Access scheme, and the other two being part of the Maritime Corridor project around Atlantic Park.
The first Maritime Corridor application was for a change of use on third party land to create a new cycleway and footway along Bridle Road, between the junction with Farriers Way to the junction with Atlantic Park Drive/Vesty Road.
The second covered reuse of industrial land to create a segregated cycleway and footway linking Vesty Road and Deltic Way to improve access to Bootle FC, also covering the erection of fencing, lighting columns, CCTV cameras and drainage infrastructure.
All were approved.
Cllr Paulette Lappin, cabinet member for skills, economy and regeneration, said: “This is good news for everyone, including those who don’t drive and those who would rather just walk or cycle around their local area.
“We are delivering infrastructure changes that support people to be able to choose to walk, wheel or cycle if they wish, in a way that is accessible for all.
“Improvements to Kew Roundabout, which people tell us they are genuinely scared crossing with small children, will benefit pedestrians in the area, particularly pupils from the local school.
“The new signalised and segregated cycling and pedestrian crossings will make a huge difference and increase the safety of those young people who are walking or cycling to school.”
With works on phase two due to start this year, vegetation and tree clearance (ahead of replacement) will be taking place on Foul Lane during the coming months.
Unfortunately it will nothing for the rat runs in the Blowick/Meols Cop area or reduce air pollution for pupils at Meols Cop High
By Michael Binns
If these schemes are anything like the dunningsbridge Road “improvements”, then you can look forward to months (not far off a year) of traffic delays and general chaos. I dread to think what the carbon footprint of the thousands of stationary articulated vehicles is. All for a couple of cyclists a day. Oh – and they got rid of the lay-bys for the bus stops too, so now they’ll block lane one every time they stop in the rush hour. Only in Sefton! Well, you get what you vote for.
By Blibnobdeeb
Doesn’t Merseyside do anything apart from cycle schemes? Total lack of vision as usual
By Frank
@Frank – Merseyside? that disappeared in 1986, its Liverpool City Region
By GetItBuilt!