Your views sought on proposals to improve cycling and walking in Southport and Crosby

People are being invited to give their views on proposals for new ‘active travel routes’ in Southport and Crosby.

The schemes could include a number of new cycle lanes, wider pavements, parking bays, improved crossings and other measures designed to make cycling and walking easier and encourage people to use bikes or walk instead of driving for shorter journeys.

Sefton Council Cabinet Member for Locality Services Cllr John Fairclough said: “The intention is to make it easier and safer to walk and cycle in Sefton whilst also encouraging people who have never travelled in this way to do so, especially for short journeys.”

Sefton Council has now launched Your Streets, Your Say, an online active travel consultation seeking views across the borough on proposed active travel routes in Crosby and Southport.

 The new proposals would see improvements to existing routes and new routes to link up existing cycle and walking paths in the borough.

Southport

Sefton Council has proposals in Southport, which would link to the existing town centre route. The existing town centre route links Birkdale to Southport Town Centre and Hesketh Park.

The two planned routes are Birkdale to Ainsdale, linking to Greenbank High School and Birkdale High School and Hesketh Park to the Plough Roundabout. 

 work is part of a Liverpool City Region Combined Authority bid for government funding to improve active travel routes across the UK.

 The Your Streets, Your Say consultation will run from the 21st May and invites opinion from across the borough.

Crosby

 The routes would also see a new and upgraded cycling and walking route between Crosby Leisure Centre and Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre. It will link to the new cycling provision being delivered on Great Georges Road, and provide a link to Potters Barn Park and beyond to the Rimrose Valley.

This route will be funded by the Sustainable Urban Development funding which has been awarded to the Liverpool City Region.

  Cllr John Fairclough, Cabinet Member for Locality Services said:

 “We are improving our active travel networks throughout the whole of the Borough to support our Sefton 2030 Vision. The intention is to make it easier and safer to walk and cycle in Sefton whilst also encouraging people who have never travelled in this way to do so, especially for short journeys.

 “The proposed active travel routes for pedestrians and people who cycle are at a very early stage of development, and we would encourage all residents and businesses to use this consultation period to get involved and help to shape the scheme as it moves forward.”

 Cllr Ian Moncur, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing said:

 “Active travel can have a hugely positive impact on our mental health and wellbeing as well as our physical health. We want people to take part in this consultation so we can maximise the health and wellbeing benefits of our plans.

 “We have a beautiful borough here in Sefton and the new proposed active travel routes will make it easier and safer for people to enjoy our landscape and get out into nature.”

 Cllr Paulette Lappin, Cabinet Member for Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services said:

 “Active travel is a key part of our response to the climate emergency. It is vital that we facilitate green travel, reduce our emissions and allow people to make greener travel choices.

 “Cycling and walking reduces the amount of vehicles on our roads, improving our air quality and minimising our contribution to climate change.

 “We encourage all residents to participate in this consultation to shape our plans and make Sefton cleaner and greener.”

 Simon O’Brien, Walking and Cycling Commissioner for the Liverpool City Region said:

“Cycling is great for air quality and the environment, and brilliant for our physical and mental health and wellbeing. But we shouldn’t just think of getting on our bikes as exercise – it’s also a cheap and easy way to commute to work, travel to school or college and even pop to the local shops.

 “But to encourage more people to leave the car at home for short journeys we need to make cycling a really attractive option by building safe, separated routes where people can ride their bikes with confidence. That’s why routes like the one being planned in Crosby and Southport are so important.

 “We know that across our city region support for new, safer cycle lanes is really high – about 70% of people back this infrastructure being built – but it’s vital to get feedback from residents, road users and cyclists about specific routes, and that’s why we’re asking people to take part in this consultation let us know what they think.”

Find out more here: www.sefton.gov.uk/YourStreetsYourSay 

Fill in the online questionnaires here: https://yourseftonyoursay.sefton.gov.uk/yourstreets/

European Regional Development Fund

The project is receiving up to £980,000 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.  The Department for Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for ERDF. Established by the European Union ERDF funds help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations.  For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding

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