"One way street"

[bensherman]

One of the changes made recently to our streets was the conversion of Talbot Street (Duke Street-Belmont Street) into a one-way ( towards the town) and with cycle lanes on both sides.

After some confusion there are now no entry signs on both sides of the road.

I live in the stretch between Belmont and Aughton Road, where we have been getting concerned about speeding. This measure will probably have some effect on town-bound traffic, but not in the opposite direction.

However I noticed yesterday drivers ignoring the one-way rule.This is potentially even more dangerous , if people driving away from the town drive down the road not expecting any oncoming traffic.

If it is not enforced we have a problem.

[local]

Its a common occurrence when people set in their ways don't or don't want to notice new restrictions especially if they don't agree with them.

[The PNP]

I noticed yesterday drivers ignoring the one-way rule.This is potentially even more dangerous , if people driving away from the town drive down the road not expecting any oncoming traffic......If it is not enforced we have a problem.

That's nothing new. The same thing regularly happens down London St towards the Monument, despite it being no entry for several years now.....I waved at one driver and pointed to the NO ENTRY roundel - but he continued on past at speed, as his rear-seat passenger yelled 'idiot!' at me via her window - duh!

[Alikado]

That's nothing new. The same thing regularly happens down London St towards the Monument, despite it being no entry for several years now.....I waved at one driver and pointed to the NO ENTRY roundel - but he continued on past at speed, as his rear-seat passenger yelled 'idiot!' at me via her window - duh!

They should put a 'Bus Lane' camera up, it would be a useful source of income, all traffic light and crossing systems should have cameras on as well by default to catch the Amber Gamblers and the suicidal / homicidal.

[silver fox]

Surely another question is the sense and validity of closing and restrictions to public roads, do they truly serve a useful purpose, or just blindly follow a single answer to a more complex situation?

I notice that many of these pop up cycle lanes have been just as quickly removed, as they created more problems than they solved.

Residents on these roads are the ones most directly affected, have they been considered at all? the rest of us just avoid the area or stay out of town.

[The PNP]

Surely another question is the sense and validity of closing and restrictions to public roads, do they truly serve a useful purpose, or just blindly follow a single answer to a more complex situation?

The idea is (or should be) to make towns as permeable as possible for bikes, certainly more so than for cars. E.g. by introducing cycle contra-flow on most one-way streets, and allowing cycling in existing traffic-free zones.

By doing so, the bike logically becomes a better and quicker option than the car, for accessing central destinations.

[silver fox]

The idea is (or should be) to make towns as permeable as possible for bikes, certainly more so than for cars. E.g. by introducing cycle contra-flow on most one-way streets, and allowing cycling in existing traffic-free zones.

By doing so, the bike logically becomes a better and quicker option than the car, for accessing central destinations.

In you dreams I’m afraid, if you think that the bike will somehow replace the car for a lot of people, you will be sorely disappointed.

City centres one thing, towns like Southport totally different.

Before you start, I’ve done my share of cycling, when the bike was my main form of transport, even riding for pleasure.

For a number of reasons the bike is now a non-starter for me and I don’t think I’ll be alone in this.

[Little Londoner]

The idea is (or should be) to make towns as permeable as possible for bikes, certainly more so than for cars. E.g. by introducing cycle contra-flow on most one-way streets, and allowing cycling in existing traffic-free zones.

By doing so, the bike logically becomes a better and quicker option than the car, for accessing central destinations.

Absolute BULSH*T

[*concerned*]

Its all very well providing cycle only routes, but when it was for cars, there was parking spaces - where are the provisions for parking your bike securely?

[Anon]

The idea is (or should be) to make towns as permeable as possible for bikes, certainly more so than for cars. E.g. by introducing cycle contra-flow on most one-way streets, and allowing cycling in existing traffic-free zones.

By doing so, the bike logically becomes a better and quicker option than the car, for accessing central destinations.

As others have said, expecting the provision of cycle lanes to make a difference to the number of people using bikes is delusional.

if this carries on, with fewer parking spaces, the fewer people will actually go into town and the more shops will close. There won't be anywhere for the 5 cyclists a day, who actually venture out on their bikes, to go. Southport will be closed as a town centre.

Cycle lanes may mean that, as you put it, 'the bike logically becomes a better and quicker option than the car, for accessing central destinations'. The problem with that is that the vast majority don't want to use bikes.

We are catering for a minority, which will remain a minority. From now on, I will be shopping online or out of town where I can park for free.

I have lived in Southport for 61 years and I'm devastated at the ruin and mess the likes of you, WHO DON'T EVEN LIVE HERE, have wrought upon the town.

[sandGroundZero]

"In May the Government announced a significant funding opportunity and released guidance to Local Authorities to help us make changes to our streets, so they allow for social distancing and make it easier for people to walk and cycle once the restrictions are eased and the roads get busier with more people driving. …The statutory guidance issued to local authorities said Local Authorities should make significant changes to streets and spaces by reallocating road space to people walking and cycling."

— Emergency Active Travel Routes

[justbecause]

In you dreams I’m afraid, if you think that the bike will somehow replace the car for a lot of people, you will be sorely disappointed.

City centres one thing, towns like Southport totally different.

Before you start, I’ve done my share of cycling, when the bike was my main form of transport, even riding for pleasure.

For a number of reasons the bike is now a non-starter for me and I don’t think I’ll be alone in this.

You might as well try pushing **** uphill SF,he’s more blinkered than a race horse.....except of course when his agenda changes and he drives his smokey diesel van transporting his polluting wood burning fires around, often at varying speeds, +/-10% of the legal limit.

[The PNP]

Cycle lanes may mean that, as you put it, 'the bike logically becomes a better and quicker option than the car, for accessing central destinations'. The problem with that is that the vast majority don't want to use bikes.

The 'vast majority' actually say their number one reason for not cycling - is fear of traffic.
E.g. "I won't let little Johnny cycle to school because it's too dangerous - so I drive him there"

Up till now, it's been a classic case of 'chicken-and-egg'. Almost nobody cycled, because there was little or no infrastructure to make bike trips in safety. And very little provision was ever made for bikes, because almost nobody cycled......But things are changing - and we shall see!

[Anon]

The 'vast majority' actually say their number one reason for not cycling - is fear of traffic.
E.g. "I won't let little Johnny cycle to school because it's too dangerous - so I drive him there"

Up till now, it's been a classic case of 'chicken-and-egg'. Almost nobody cycled, because there was little or no infrastructure to make bike trips in safety. And very little provision was ever made for bikes, because almost nobody cycled......But now at last, things are changing - and we shall see!

The cycle lanes which were implemented a few years ago in the town under the guise on 'Cycle Town' have made no difference to the number of people cycling. There are a lot of bits of metal, which were installed around town for people to park their bikes, which have turned out to be unused ornaments.

The new cycle lanes will just result in fewer people going to town, resulting in more shops closing, resulting in more shops closing.

Things are not changing at all, including your blind refusal to accept the obvious.

[sandGroundZero]

"if this carries on, with fewer parking spaces, the fewer people will actually go into town and the more shops will close.
…From now on, I will be shopping online or out of town where I can park for free. — post #11"

Town centre retailers closing is not really a concern, then?

There is not a shortage of parking spaces near the business district. Complaints about these Active Travel measures appear, often, to be a displaced grievance about a perceived down-grading of motorists' prerogatives.

There’s never been a better time to promote active travel