Issue - meetings

Birkdale Village Cycle Lanes

It was moved by Councillor Shaw, seconded by Councillor Brodie-Browne

That this Council:

(1)      notes that there have been repeated recent claims made in the local Southport media that Sefton Council plans to introduce Cycle Lanes in Birkdale Village (i.e. that part of Liverpool Road between Welbeck Road/Bolton Road and the railway line, and that part of Weld Road between the railway line and York Road)

(2)      notes that a report to the Cabinet Member Locality Services in August 2020 included, in paragraph 4.8 the following statement:

"Phase two proposals, which could be considered as part of Tranche 2, could see this route extended both north and south to serve a wider area of the town, to the south along Alma Road to Birkdale and York Road and Trafalgar Road to Smedley Hydro and to the north along the A565 to connect Churchtown and Crossens to the town centre."

(3)      notes, however, that paragraph 4.8 referred to does not refer to Cycle Lanes (as opposed to "safer cycling routes"), or to Birkdale Village and anyway says "could".

(4)      notes that there have been no further relevant reports or announcements since August 2020 and that, accordingly, there are currently no plans to introduce Cycle Lanes in Birkdale Village.

(5)      believes that, were Cycle Lanes to be proposed in Birkdale Village, this would be wrong for a number of reasons including them being (a) unnecessary, (b) dangerous and (c) damaging.

(a) Unnecessary because motor traffic speeds in Birkdale Village are already low because of driver awareness of the high number of pedestrians crossing at multiple points from one pavement to the other.

(b) Dangerous because the introduction of Cycle Lanes in Birkdale Village would significantly increase the risk of cyclist/pedestrian collisions as pedestrians crossing the road would have no alternative but to also cross the Cycle Lane(s).

(c) Damaging because such Cycle Lanes within Birkdale Village could not be introduced without having profound adverse effects on parking provision.

In the light of the above, this Council states its opposition to any proposal to introduce Cycle Lanes in Birkdale Village.

An amendment was moved by Councillor Watson, seconded by Councillor Brough that the Motion be amended by the inclusion the following sixth paragraph:

(6)      agrees to withdraw for further consideration and consultation the latest set of proposals for cycle lanes in the Birkdale area.

In view of the difficulties caused by the first phase of the programme now agrees to review the first set of cycle lanes as a matter of urgency and not to wait until September in view of the damage that has been done to the commercial and retail sector in parts of the area involved.

Following debate on the amendment the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer officiated a vote and the Mayor declared the amendment was lost by 42 votes to 14 and on the Motion it was lost by 38 votes to 17 with 3 abstentions.