Millions of pounds are to be spent creating safe, easy-to-use active travel routes throughout the Liverpool City Region.
A total of £16m is to be invested into 12 walking and cycling schemes across Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley, Wirral, Halton and St Helens. The cash was secured through the government’s active travel fund and is three times more than the region’s indicative allowance.
Among the projects earmarked for upgrade include the installation of a permanent cycle lane on West Derby Road in Liverpool, improvements to the Crosby Pedestrian Coastal Park, Widnes town centre and a route connecting Lea Green and Whiston Hospital. Further funding has also been secured for enhancements on Conway Street in Birkenhead.
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The new funding pot takes total investment into Liverpool City Region active travel schemes to almost £70m. Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said: “I want to kickstart an active travel revolution in our area – one that offers better connected, safer routes that make it easier for people to choose cleaner ways to travel.
“We’ve invested millions to upgrade walking and cycling routes right across our region, connecting communities to areas and opportunities that may have previously been out of reach. It’s a key part of my plan to build a London-style public transport network that is faster, cheaper, cleaner and better connected and, crucially, gives people a quality alternative to the car.
“The more people we can encourage to walk or cycle, particularly for short journeys, the faster we can start to reduce congestion on our roads, reduce our carbon footprint and improve the quality of the air our children are breathing.”
Among the other projects include junction improvements at Princes Avenue, Croxteth Road and Vauxhall Road in Liverpool. Pedestrian connectivity will be upgraded in Huyton and Southport Town Centres, while junction and access improvements have been earmarked for Tower Hill to Knowsley Business Park and the A565 Woodvale Junction in Sefton.
Simon O’Brien, Liverpool City Region walking and cycling commissioner, said: “It is fantastic to see this new funding being unlocked, to really help us push forward with our plans to help create a network of walking and cycling routes that befits our region. We’ve got some great active travel infrastructure in the city region, but we need to make sure it’s properly linked up so people feel confident that they can travel easily and safely by bike or on foot – that’s what this new funding will help to do.
“The kind of schemes that will be delivered by this money give us an amazing opportunity to help change the way we think about travelling around our local area.”
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