£16m in Government funding secured by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram to create new cycling and walking routes in Liverpool city region. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has secured £16m from the Government to create multiple new cycling and walking routes.
Taking city region investment into cycling routes to £70m, this latest cash injection will also look to improve connections between existing and planned routes.
Schemes being backed by the £16m include 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.
This money was secured by Mayor Rotheram and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority from the Government’s Active Travel Fund. The region won nearly three times its indicative allowance. The schemes include:
- West Derby Road cycle corridor, Liverpool.
- Junction improvements on Princes Avenue, Liverpool.
- Lea Green to Whiston Hospital, St Helens and Knowsley.
- Widnes town centre accessibility, Halton.
- Crosby pedestrian coastal park, Sefton.
- Pedestrian connectivity in Huyton town centre, Knowsley.
- Junction and access improvements Tower Hill to Knowsley Business Park.
- Pedestrian connectivity in Southport town centre, Sefton.
- Improvements to A565/ Woodvale junction, Sefton.
- Junction improvements on Croxteth Road, Liverpool.
- Junction improvements on Vauxhall Road, Liverpool.
- Conway Street, Birkenhead (additional funding secured).
Mr 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.”
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Simon O’Brien, Liverpool City Region Walking and Cycling Commissioner, added: “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.”