5 key findings from cycle lanes report

Sefton Council announced on Wednesday that the controversial cycle lane scheme, including the notorious Hoghton Street cycle lanes, would be made permanent.

The proposal was detailed in a mammoth 96-page report that we’ve been pouring over here at OTS News since yesterday.

The lanes have been a significant talking point in the town since their introduction, causing petitions, church hall meetings and social media protest groups. But not everyone is against the Town Centre Active Travel Scheme.

Yesterday’s report serves as a recommendation to Councillor John Fairclough, who will make the final decision on whether to make the lanes permanent.

Here are the key findings from the report:

1. Most of the highlighted 2.5m journeys were people walking down Chapel Street

Sefton raised a few eyebrows by suggesting that the Active Travel schemes set up in the Town Centre had been used ‘2,500,000 times’. Data within the report shows that of those journeys, 2.02m were pedestrians on Chapel Street, with little to suggest those journeys would not have been conducted otherwise.

2. Businesses that replied to the consultation were deeply unhappy with the plans, but only 4% of businesses asked chose to respond

Sefton Council asked 603 businesses and ‘Community, Voluntary and Faith Organisations’ (CVFO) for their views on the plans. Only 25 responded. 85% of businesses said they were ‘fairly or deeply unsatisfied’ with the Active Travel scheme. Businesses were concerned that the new cycle lane had impacted business trade due to removing parking, which was deemed frustrating based on the perception that the lanes are rarely used. Concerns were also raised that the removal of parking spaces impacts workers, customers and business deliveries. It was suggested in the responses that Queens Road be opened to traffic. This has been rejected within the report recommendations.

3. Households that did reply said they were fairly satisfied, but response rate was low. Cycle lane users were very satisfied.

Sefton Council asked 902 businesses households for their views on the plans. Only 46 responded. 56% of homes said they were ‘fairly or very satisfied with the Active Travel scheme. A number of residents asked for stricter enforcement of the traffic restrictions on Queens Road, which they said were often ignored. During intercept surveys conducted on users of the Active Travel Routes, 83% indicated they were satisfied, but, again, only a small number (36) of intercept surveys were actually conducted. 6% of respondents, all of whom were cycling, said they were “not very happy”.

4. The primary concern of businesses was the removal of parking spaces

Businesses who did reply indicated that their unsatisfaction was generally due to the removal of parking spaces, particularly along Chapel Street. The report goes on to detail that the Council does not believe that these issues are “insurmountable” and that they: “could be addressed with some medium to longer term amendments.”

5. Number of cyclists on Hoghton Street finally revealed

One of the primary complaints given in the consultation feedback was that the lanes on Hoghton Street were underused. The report shows that in January 2022, an average of 161 cyclists a day used the Hoghton Street cycle lanes. This number rises to 244 a day in the Summer (July/August).