Row over funding cut for cycling routes

Lockdown saw a boost in cycling and walking, including at Liverpool's Sefton Park (above)

The government's funding cut for areas that dropped new cycling routes after local opposition is "unfortunate", the Liverpool City Region mayor has said.

Pop-up cycle lanes and low traffic areas - often involving closing roads to motor vehicles - were set up in England during lockdown last year.

But some councils reversed the schemes following opposition by motorists.

Transport minister Chris Heaton-Harris said funding was being stopped where they had been "prematurely removed".

Money for walking and cycling schemes had been halted for authorities in Brighton, Leicestershire, Liverpool and Portsmouth, the Department for Transport has said.

Seven London boroughs are also affected, including Wandsworth, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon, Redbridge, Sutton and Kensington and Chelsea.

Cycling journeys have recently dropped to pre-pandemic levels

In a letter to local authority leaders, Mr Heaton-Harris wrote: "I understand not every scheme is perfect and a minority will not stand the test of time, but if these schemes are not given that time to make a difference, then taxpayers' monies have been wasted."

Liverpool City Council recently removed a pop-up cycle lane in West Derby Road after locals said it caused more congestion.

Steve Rotheram, Labour mayor of Liverpool City Region, told BBC Radio Merseyside: "They [Liverpool City Council] believe that it's in the commuters' best interests not to continue with that cycle lane.

"That's a decision for them but I support Liverpool council."

However the council's Liberal Democrat leader Richard Kemp said that, while the route "was not the best designed in the world", the decision to remove it was "haphazard… without an understanding of what was wrong and how to modify it".

Mayor Steve Rotheram said the route's removal in West Derby Road was "in the commuter's best interest"

The government said it hoped to resolve issues with affected authorities "as swiftly as possible" as it confirmed a 30% rise in the budget for walking and cycling schemes across England to £338m, in plans for net zero emissions by 2050.

Proposals include new cycle lanes, improvements to the National Cycle Network, a new road safety strategy and investigations into how historic railway structures could be converted into cycle routes.

A new Active Travel England commissioning body, which will manage the cycling and walking budget, will begin work later this year.

Cycling journeys nearly quadrupled during the first lockdown in 2020 however this has declined to around pre-pandemic normality, according to official statistics.

Car journeys, which fell to 23% of the usual level, are now almost back to normal.