Liverpool cycle lane opens in bid to make city more active

The £11m redesign was revealed on Monday

A new cycle lane in Liverpool city centre has opened in a push to encourage residents to be more active.

The £11m redesign connecting cyclists to Lime Street, one of Liverpool's busiest areas, was revealed on Monday.

It comes as a trio of cycle routes in Sefton Park, Gateacre and Norris Green are being considered as the council launched a public consultation earlier.

The council said the plans would "close the gaps and breaks" in Liverpool's cycling network.

A bike shelter, crossings and a new bus link were also revealed in the Lime Street rejuvenation project on Monday.

The route goes from William Brown Street along the city's waterfront to St John's Lane.

The council said the improvements would "benefit millions of people" using the train station and nearby theatres and museums.

Liverpool Council has also launched a six-week consultation on improvements to three cycle routes:

• East Lancashire Road to the city centre - from Norris Green to Breck Road and on to Everton Park

• Gateacre to the city centre - connecting the university campuses through to the Knowledge Quarter

• Sefton Park to the city centre - connecting the Ropewalks to Baltic Triangle and on to Dingle and Aigburth

Views on the lanes, which include upgrades to footpaths and pedestrian crossing facilities which cover 3.7 miles (6km), are being sought until 9 September.

The proposals are key to the city's active travel programme and will fill gaps in the city's existing network to tackle barriers to cycling, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The £3m phase of the active travel programme also includes improving 30 access points along the Liverpool Loop Line.

Designs for a new cycle training facility have also been developed for a location at Everton Park as part of the British Cycling places to ride programme.

The facility would provide an artificial road network on which children can learn to understand how to navigate different types of junctions.

Funding for this new phase comes from the European Union, the Department for Transport, Liverpool City Region and planning contributions from the city council's Section 106 fund.

Councillor Dan Barrington said Liverpool's cycling offer was "not where it should be" but added it was "moving in the right direction".

He added that "joining up the routes and closing the gaps and breaks" in the city's cycling network was a critical piece of work.

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