Originally Posted by silver fox

Not everyone is as fully mobile as they would wish, currently public transport is not the preferred method of transport for a lot of people, simple answer, stay out of town, take your business elsewhere, is that the aim?

As you say, given the current virus situation, I would not feel comfortable on public transport.

I cannot ride a bike due to arthritis in my hip.

When parking in town was up to an hour, no return within one hour, that was perfect. I used to go into town regularly, visit the 2 or 3 shops I wanted to visit then drive home, within an hour, as many people did.

I feel as strongly about the mess that Sefton are making of our town, and I've lived here for 61 years, as many others are.

However, I've come to the conclusion that my only options now are to shop online or in out of town locations, to which I can drive. I can get everything I need without going into town.

There's something wrong when the likes of the PNP, WHO DOESN'T EVEN LIVE IN SOUTHPORT, seem to be able to interfere so much in what goes on here.

Originally Posted by Anon

There's something wrong when the likes of the PNP, WHO DOESN'T EVEN LIVE IN SOUTHPORT, seem to be able to interfere so much in what goes on here.

It’s a public forum that anyone with an email address and a WiFi connection can comment on. You don’t have to exclusively be a resident of Southport to make a comment. And how is it interfering? The opinions of posters don’t have any direct correlation to any decisions that are made in Bootle town hall.

Originally Posted by donkey22

It’s a public forum that anyone with an email address and a WiFi connection can comment on. You don’t have to exclusively be a resident of Southport to make a comment. And how is it interfering? The opinions of posters don’t have any direct correlation to any decisions that are made in Bootle town hall.

Yes, you are quite right.

What I was getting at was the group he represents seems to have a lot of influence with the council regarding the provision of cycle lanes around the town.

We have had a lot of cycle lanes for several years now. I don't see more cyclists now than I did many years ago and we have a lot of unused cycle lanes already.

The new ones will just add to the list of unused lanes.

Originally Posted by silver fox

Not everyone is as fully mobile as they would wish,

I realise that but nobody was ever guaranteed to get a space right outside the venue they were visiting anyway.

Originally Posted by Anon

Yes, you are quite right.

What I was getting at was the group he represents seems to have a lot of influence with the council regarding the provision of cycle lanes around the town.

We have had a lot of cycle lanes for several years now. I don't see more cyclists now than I did many years ago and we have a lot of unused cycle lanes already.

The new ones will just add to the list of unused lanes.

Don't blame the Council, it's Government Policy they are just enacting.

Can the businesses on Hoghton Street park their cars on their own forecourts?

Growing numbers of people have changed their habits. Bricks & mortar retail premises are experiencing an enduring struggle in attracting customers into their shops.

In addition to our shopping habits, we are being encouraged to adopt Active Travel for reasons of health and well-being. Active Travel is a central government scheme which has been in the works for some time. The sudden urgency to roll-out cycle lanes has been a central government response to Covid-19; but its implementation is part of moves to nudge the population-at-large to change patterns of behaviour.

Parking spaces for motor vehicles (not to speak of road space) along with the vehicles they are meant to accommodate have desecrated townscapes and otherwise been a very mixed blessing. Conflating the cost and availability of parking with the decline in bricks & mortar retail businesses is understandable, but misguided. Active Travel is one policy of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet of no-accounts which seems to have some thought behind it. Give them the benefit of your doubts.

Originally Posted by salus.populi

I realise that but nobody was ever guaranteed to get a space right outside the venue they were visiting anyway.

Just somewhere to park within a reasonable distance is all that is required, I would suspect very few expect to park right outside any venue.

One size does not fit all and never will, but surely the aim is or should be to cater for the majority, like it or not cyclists do not form anything like a majority, particularly on a year round basis. Most cyclists are like swallows, vanish after summer.

"One size does not fit all and never will, but surely the aim is or should be to cater for the majority, like it or not cyclists do not form anything like a majority, particularly on a year round basis. Most cyclists are like swallows, vanish after summer." — silver fox

every adult active every day

There appears to be unnecessary mutual antagonism between protesters of this development and its few favourable posters. The government's proposals around Active Travel, elements of which were rushed owing to Covid-19, originated from a realization that generally speaking the population will benefit from safer walking & cycling, among other elements of the policy. It is a long term project and doubtless a 'work-in-progress '. It is not the intention to exclude anyone. If there is an imbalance among road users in terms of safety, then it is not really a question of which constitutes the "majority" (of road users), but how to make the roads safe for all users in a fashion that encourages the objectives of Active Travel.

Originally Posted by silver fox

Just somewhere to park within a reasonable distance is all that is required, I would suspect very few expect to park right outside any venue.

But those with mobility issues get blue badges allowing them to park where others can't (often as a hazard to other road users) so I'd be surprised if the loss of a handful of parking spaces is causing too much inconvenience.

Originally Posted by salus.populi

But those with mobility issues get blue badges allowing them to park where others can't (often as a hazard to other road users) so I'd be surprised if the loss of a handful of parking spaces is causing too much inconvenience.

It isn't just parking spaces is it? it's also denying roads and parts of roads to other road users, to enable the occasional solitary cyclist to ride in isolated splendour, no problem with improving cycling facilities as such, but shutting or restricting public roads is not an answer.

The times when everyone lived, shopped and worked in relative close proximity are long gone, the bike as a regular means of transport is a none starter for many, but hey let's provide and cyclists will appear as if by magic, no chance, only result will be more people simply going elsewhere.

Originally Posted by silver fox

It isn't just parking spaces is it? it's also denying roads and parts of roads to other road users, to enable the occasional solitary cyclist to ride in isolated splendour, .

I've both driven and cycled past a number of these seating areas numerous times without any inconvenience or lack of safety or enjoyment.

Originally Posted by silver fox

It isn't just parking spaces is it? it's also denying roads and parts of roads to other road users, to enable the occasional solitary cyclist to ride in isolated splendour, no problem with improving cycling facilities as such, but shutting or restricting public roads is not an answer.

The times when everyone lived, shopped and worked in relative close proximity are long gone, the bike as a regular means of transport is a none starter for many, but hey let's provide and cyclists will appear as if by magic, no chance, only result will be more people simply going elsewhere.

People were going elsewhere prior to this. Like it or not, the biggest growth in retail over the last few years has been in internet shopping.

How shops can survive against such competition is a problem that I have no idea how to address. However, service industries such as bars and restaurants, where you can’t get the same on the internet need support in the current climate, hence losing parking spaces and restricting access.

Over the lockdown there was also a boom in cycling, so it’s a bit more than they occasional solitary cyclist’!

Originally Posted by salus.populi

Sits back and waits for the same people who say they never park in town because pay and display is too expensive (at 80p) to complain about removal of parking spaces they supposedly never use...

I'm one of the people who has drastically reduced my town centre spend because of parking charges. It isn't just the 80p, it is the inconvenience. If I use the train I may as well go into Liverpool

However adding double yellows on Houghton Street will now cause me problems when visiting the Little Theatre. Why double yellow? If the council are determined to destroy the daytime economy why not single yellows so the night time economy will survive?

I am also disgusted to see the council have installed new "biker killers" (posts) on the Coastal Road. Imagine coming off a bike and hitting several of these. The council say it is "to mark the edge of the carriageway for motorists at night". This is adequately achieved by the red "cat's eyes" installed on the nearside of each carriageway.

It is good to know that Sefton have money to waste on such projects.

Originally Posted by r4dent

I'm one of the people who has drastically reduced my town centre spend because of parking charges. It isn't just the 80p, it is the inconvenience. If I use the train I may as well go into Liverpool

However adding double yellows on Houghton Street will now cause me problems when visiting the Little Theatre. Why double yellow? If the council are determined to destroy the daytime economy why not single yellows so the night time economy will survive?

I am also disgusted to see the council have installed new "biker killers" (posts) on the Coastal Road. Imagine coming off a bike and hitting several of these. The council say it is "to mark the edge of the carriageway for motorists at night". This is adequately achieved by the red "cat's eyes" installed on the nearside of each carriageway.

It is good to know that Sefton have money to waste on such projects.

It’s not just the daytime economy, Sefton Council seems to be hell bent on destroying Southport, full stop.