Cycle lane scrapped and Liverpool loses funding

In a stroke of true genius, Councillor Daniel Barrington had the inbound pop-up cycle lane on West Derby Road removed before waiting for evidence from his own review. The government’s response was to halt funding to Liverpool for other active travel schemes.

To prove that irony is not dead, Councillor Barrington is Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Transport and Environment.

Simon O’Brien, Liverpool City Region cycling and walking commissioner, said: “There were over 98,000 cycle journeys on the West Derby Road temporary cycle lane in Liverpool between July 2020 and July 2021. Bus times on the route not affected.”

West Derby Road is one of seven “pop-up” routes that were planned during the pandemic. Only three have been delivered, despite the second tranche of funding being awarded in October 2020.

Sustrans reports that 69% people in the city region support more segregated cycle lanes, even if it means taking space away from cars.

Councillor Barrington made vague suggestions for alternative routes, including using Newsham Park. He may not be aware that women in particular avoid cycling through dark parks at night, but then, his decision was not evidence-based.

The crash map shows road casualties on West Derby Rd in just five years (2015-19).

For more reading, see articles at Scallymag and Confidentials.

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