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Cycling Confusion in Southport
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SEFTON Council is intending to spend:- £14M on a cycle path down the middle of the Promenade to embellish the new Conference Centre. However, there is already a cycle path, which is called by Sefton Council:- "The Swan Path" that currently runs past the:- Floral Hall site along the Marine Lake. Ironically, the existing cycle path is being blocked off by building contractors working on the new:- Marine Lake Events Centre.
The Sefton plan to lay out a new cycle track down the middle of the road fot a 3rd of the Promenade has cyclists scratching their head and wondering what the future holds for existing more attractive lakeside routes routes which join up with Kings Gardens; nowhere near cars.
Liberal Democrat, Councillor John Pugh, says:- "It raises the question, whether this is really a cycling scheme at all and more about the expensive prettification of the road space in front of the:- Marine Lake Events Centre. It's certainly most unusual as a cycle scheme. There's almost nothing like it elsewhere in the UK. Cycling bodies do not recommend cycle paths down the middle of a road certainly not with seven crossing points including traffic lights along the short length. Serious cyclists or cyclists wondering what you do when they reach the end and are stuck in the middle of the road might well choose to avoid it. If they can't use the lovely Swan Path, they may well choose to stay on the main, narrowed carriageway and shun the central reservation altogether. That will hold up traffic as there will not be enough room on the carriageway for cars to safely pass cyclists. If we add to that the diversion of traffic to and from:- Ocean Plaza that is a consequences and the increased risk of pedestrian and cycle conflict, and you have to wonder what the scheme's true objective is? As a cyclist myself it wouldn't be the 1st call on:- £14M. We will be suggesting a cheaper more orthodox approach which does not mean a wholesale re-modelling of the Promenade or longer journeys for car drivers. That could leave sufficient funds to deal with those junctions where cycling in Southport is unsafe and risky. That’s what the cycling money is properly for; not to embellish the front of an Events Centre. Let's listen to the cyclists!"
What are your thoughts on this? Is it setting your mind into a spin?
COMMENTS (1)
Add a Comment
Deborah Coulthurst
#1
Fri, 2 October 2026
11:57 am
I visit King's Gardens three or more times a week and it's very easy to park next to it and my husband takes my mobility scooter out of the boot and we walk our dog in the lovely gardens and by the lake. This ridiculously expendive scheme that not even cyclists want, will severely restrict my ability to do this as parking elsewhere and coping with broken pavements, a lack of safe crossing points and the impact of the extra distance on my limited scooter batteries would be huge.
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