New cycle lanes will be installed between Hesketh Park and Crossens in Southport as Sefton Council seeks to encourage more people to cycle and walk short journeys and avoid driving.

The number of lanes at Churchtown lights would be reduced, creating a safe space for people cycling.

The existing cycle lanes along Preston New Road would be improved, providing wider family friendly cycle lanes which are separated from traffic.

Traffic lights will be installed at the North Road / Fairhaven Road junction while Little Bibby Road would be closed to traffic.

Sefton Council is looking to create a North-South cycling route stretching from Ainsdale to Crossens saying “we want to make the roads and streets easier for everyone to move around,” after recently declaring a Climate Emergency in the borough.

Last year Sefton made a number of changes in Southport town centre, which included: blocking Queens Road to vehicles; installing cycle lanes and removing parking bays along Hoghton Street; and reversing the cycling ban on Chapel Street, Tulketh Street and Wesley Street.

Now Sefton Council wants to extend the scheme north towards Crossens and south towards Ainsdale.

Sefton Council wants to hear people’s views before Sunday 27th June 2021

By calling: 0345 140 0845

Or visit: yourseftonyoursay.sefton.gov.uk/yourstreets

Or email: Transport.planning@sefton.gov.uk

Sefton Council has secured £700,000 from the Department for Transport to make the changes. The money must be spent by 31st March 2022.

Here are the changes Sefton says it wants to make from Hesketh Park, through Churchtown to Crossens:

Route 1 – Hesketh Park to Plough Roundabout


Passing • Churchtown traffic lights and shops. • Marshside Primary School. • Churchtown Nursery. • Presfield and Merefield schools. • Preston New Road Post Office. • Latter-Day Saints Meeting House. • Fairhaven Road junction shops; Langdons / Laundrette / Croppers Hair Design.



Park Crescent



We would like to put in new crossing points to make it easier to get across the road to get to Hesketh Park. We would like to add in a new separate family friendly cycle lane on the park side of the road for two way cycling. For people who drive and want to park, car parking will only be on the side of the road where the houses are.



Cambridge Road and Little Bibby Road



Along Cambridge Road we would like to make the distance you have to walk to cross the side streets shorter. We would like to put in more places to stop and rest and create more shade and shelter.

We would like to close Little Bibby Road to vehicles and make this only for people walking and cycling.



Churchtown Lights



At Churchtown lights we would like to make this junction easier for people to cross and for people to cycle through. We will do this by reducing vehicle lanes and creating safe space for people cycling within the junction.



Preston New Road .

For people walking our ideas include changing the crossing points so people can walk across in one go. Making Preston New Road better to cross. For people cycling our ideas include upgrading the cycle route which is already there to meet national standards. This will include providing wider family friendly cycle lanes which are separated from traffic.

As the route gets closer to the Plough Roundabout the route for people cycling will follow the hedge and then go to the roundabout.



North Road / Fairhaven Road junction



For people walking and cycling our plans and ideas include changing the mini roundabout at North Road, Fairhaven Road to a traffic light-controlled junction with push buttons for people crossing. This will make the junction easier for everyone to use.

Whilst I don’t have an issue sharing the road with cyclists, (the one’s that ride properly, and observe the rules of the road) this idea reeks of utter lunacy. PNR/Cambridge Road junction is a bottleneck now, with traffic often tailing back along PNR, as well as traffic from Little Cambridge Road backing up to Botanic Road, it beggars belief to imagine how bad it will become by reducing the road width by 50%.
Like the Queens Road debacle, these plans are being foisted on us by Council Officials based 25 miles away in Bootle, who have no interest in Southport, whatsoever. These people obviously aren’t bright enough to realise that the harder they make it for people to come in to Southport, the more they will stay away, depleting businesses even more than they already are.

Too much attention to cycling/cyclists - let them pay road tax like motorists.

Originally Posted by Frank Watts

Too much attention to cycling/cyclists - let them pay road tax like motorists.

No one’s paid road tax since it was abolished in 1936.
I assume you’re talking about VED (vehicle excise duty). The thing is that the same level of VED is not paid by all vehicles on the road, instead it is linked to the vehicle emissions. This means that drivers of the most polluting vehicles have to pay a whopping £1,065 each year, while drivers of electric cars have to pay nothing (as do disabled drivers, drivers of cars built before 1977, farmers, government ministers, veterans, and a whole load of other people including cyclists.)

Originally Posted by justbecause

Whilst I don’t have an issue sharing the road with cyclists, (the one’s that ride properly, and observe the rules of the road) this idea reeks of utter lunacy. PNR/Cambridge Road junction is a bottleneck now, with traffic often tailing back along PNR, as well as traffic from Little Cambridge Road backing up to Botanic Road, it beggars belief to imagine how bad it will become by reducing the road width by 50%.

As a cyclist, I couldn't agree more. I'd suggest making routes like along Rufford Road more cycle friendly. You'd encourage cyclists to use this route, freeing up the Churchtown lights area to the other traffic. I also think that the Queens Road restrictions are the right thing, but I'd couple it to double yellows along Albert Road. Keep cars and bikes apart and it's easier for both parties.

All I can see now is traffic backing up all the way to the Plough roundabout, as a lot of the time now its backed up to Larkfield School. As well as backing up along Cambridge Road back to Hesketh Park. The whole town will grind to a halt. Total madness and still a case of ''Spot the cyclist'.

Originally Posted by donkey22

No one’s paid road tax since it was abolished in 1936.
I assume you’re talking about VED (vehicle excise duty). The thing is that the same level of VED is not paid by all vehicles on the road, instead it is linked to the vehicle emissions. This means that drivers of the most polluting vehicles have to pay a whopping £1,065 each year, while drivers of electric cars have to pay nothing (as do disabled drivers, drivers of cars built before 1977, farmers, government ministers, veterans, and a whole load of other people including cyclists.)

WRONG! Drivers of vehicles that emit more than 254g of CO2 per kilometre and are registered before the 1st April 2017 pay a flat rate of £600 per year. However, for vehicles over 254g registered after this date, the first year rate is £2245, and £155 (rising by £5 per year) in subsequent years. Also, any vehicle which has a retail value of £40000 when new will pay an extra £335 for years two to six, (rising by £10 per year).

as a driver , one shopping area near me was always a welcome stop off on the way home to do some shopping and load up the car with shopping ..
then the area got blighted with speed bumps , apparently some cars went fast ...
I don't like speed bumps .. so I go else where now ....
so the few moaners won in making changes that made me take my car else where ..
bet the shop was happy ... not

road planning ,its not always in everyone's interests ...

For anyone that's interested, I've just emailed this to the relevant department -

"With reference to the above proposals and not wishing to jump on a band wagon, could I ask what is to be done about traffic calming measures in the adjacent streets to the proposed areas?

I live on Larkfield lane and several accidents recently on Preston New Road have forced traffic past where I live.

The back entrance to Larkfield Primary is here and widely used by parents dropping off and picking up, due to heavy traffic at the main entrance on PNR.

The lane is already a cut through for people wishing to avoid the traffic lights at Churchtown junction and the speed of cars along here at times means an accident is waiting to happen, with no calming measures such as speed bumps or width restrictors present at any point along its length.

I can only perceive that this will get worse as the traffic flow decreases due to lane reductions on the modified roads and only ask that investigations are carried out as to the impact on neighbouring roads prior to the implementation of new road layouts.

I hope you give this due consideration before an accident takes place that could have been avoided and look forward to your response."

Delighted to hear.....at last, some really positive news for local cyclists!

Originally Posted by donkey22

No one’s paid road tax since it was abolished in 1936.
I assume you’re talking about VED (vehicle excise duty). The thing is that the same level of VED is not paid by all vehicles on the road, instead it is linked to the vehicle emissions. This means that drivers of the most polluting vehicles have to pay a whopping £1,065 each year, while drivers of electric cars have to pay nothing (as do disabled drivers, drivers of cars built before 1977, farmers, government ministers, veterans, and a whole load of other people including cyclists.)

You could still reasonably call it a road tax, despite its name changes and the central point, I don't pay anything extra to use my cycle is accurate.

Originally Posted by Frank Watts

Too much attention to cycling/cyclists - let them pay road tax like motorists.

Ha ha you talk a load of rubbish.
Drivers have had ALL the attention historically. Even with just a small % of road space reallocation to cyclists, drivers will still have the majority of the attention.

If those drivers, drove in accordance with their licence and like they were on their test, there wouldn’t be any need to address the situation. But no, drivers regularly speed, ignore red lights, cut corners, ignore signage, and treat cyclists with contempt.
Take Queens Rd, the no entry signs are completely ignored. The speed along their is 20mph but not one driver adheres to it.

So when you start whinging about a bit of infrastructure being introduced to make cycling safer and encourage more cycling, think about your actions first, think about why it’s necessary. It’s people like you that just moan without first thinking, are likely the ones that are regularly breaking the law anyway. It’s all me me me.

Time for change.!

Originally Posted by TDM900

Total madness and still a case of ''Spot the cyclist'.

It's no wonder cyclists are a rare sight on the main roads. These roads are dangerous to ride on, with uncaring drivers skimming past at less than 1.5m.......If you'd care to go look, you'll find there are cyclists - quietly getting about on the back roads.

(Clicked 'like' by mistake on your original post.)

Originally Posted by lawed143

Ha ha you talk a load of rubbish.
Drivers have had ALL the attention historically. Even with just a small % of road space reallocation to cyclists, drivers will still have the majority of the attention.

If those drivers, drove in accordance with their licence and like they were on their test, there wouldn’t be any need to address the situation. But no, drivers regularly speed, ignore red lights, cut corners, ignore signage, and treat cyclists with contempt.
Take Queens Rd, the no entry signs are completely ignored. The speed along their is 20mph but not one driver adheres to it.

So when you start whinging about a bit of infrastructure being introduced to make cycling safer and encourage more cycling, think about your actions first, think about why it’s necessary. It’s people like you that just moan without first thinking, are likely the ones that are regularly breaking the law anyway. It’s all me me me.

Time for change.!

Sorry, but you’re talking absolute sh**e, SOME, but no means all drivers do ignore red lights, cut corners, ignore signage and treat cyclists with contempt, just like SOME cyclists do exactly the same, and believe it or not, not all drivers exceed the speed limits.

Originally Posted by lawed143

Ha ha you talk a load of rubbish.
Drivers have had ALL the attention historically. Even with just a small % of road space reallocation to cyclists, drivers will still have the majority of the attention.

If those drivers, drove in accordance with their licence and like they were on their test, there wouldn’t be any need to address the situation. But no, drivers regularly speed, ignore red lights, cut corners, ignore signage, and treat cyclists with contempt.
Take Queens Rd, the no entry signs are completely ignored. The speed along their is 20mph but not one driver adheres to it.

So when you start whinging about a bit of infrastructure being introduced to make cycling safer and encourage more cycling, think about your actions first, think about why it’s necessary. It’s people like you that just moan without first thinking, are likely the ones that are regularly breaking the law anyway. It’s all me me me.

Time for change.!

That's where you fall down immediately - you readily admit drivers have a licence, and therefore, we have taken a test, and passed it, to get our full driving licence.

When was the last time a cyclist had a licence or even took a test to find out if they're fit to use the roads and know what they're doing?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I wonder!!??