A 20mph zone could be kept for good following a trial amid a £1.3m upgrade of the road network in Liverpool 8.
After months of waiting and a contractor going bust, work on Kingsley Road was finally completed which included the installation of a cycle lane to provide a north-south link across the city. Studies of speed along the route conducted by Liverpool Council during an experimental traffic regulation order (ETRO) period have found the average speed has dropped well below the original 30mph limit.
As a result, a temporary speed limit reduction to 20mph is recommended to become a permanent measure when the city council’s highways and public space representations committee meets next week. A report ahead of the meeting said the pop-up cycle lane on Kingsley Road was implemented using bollards but had been beset by cars parking along the route.
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It added: “The vision was therefore to provide cycle infrastructure that was attractive and safe while balancing and where possible meeting the parking requirements of the local area.” During the upgrades of the road infrastructure, the ETRO was implemented allowing the road to operate in one direction to create space to enhance cycling provision and address parking needs.
The one way system would also be retained under the plans to be debated next week. The ETRO has been in place for the past 11 months and during that period, six months were dedicated to a consultation period, concluding in June last year.
A total of 122 formal representations were received by Liverpool Council, one of which was a petition. Of these, nine were part of multiple submissions from the same people.
These representations are four questions/neutral, 75 support and 34 objecting to the scheme. However, the majority who responded on the one way system were not as supportive.
On the speed limit, the local authority said if it were to be removed, it “could only be maintained through alternative measures such as speed humps.” A document detailing the responses to the consultation revealed the city council said the ETRO approach allowed the scheme to be delivered in a way that allowed people to see the proposed scheme in operation, whilst giving the opportunity to express their views.
It added: “The one-way layout allows for the provision of segregated cycle lanes in addition to formalised parking bays which would not be possible with a two-way layout. The scheme has seen a significant rise in cyclists on Kingsley Road which should continue to grow with time.”
Initially, several options were considered, however only one option was deemed suitable. The report confirmed additional expenditure will be incurred to make the existing provisions permanent if approved.
A capital budget of £78k is currently in the budget to finalise the scheme, including £8,000 to publish the permanent order. Additional costs for the installation of signs in the parking bays and for making the cycle lane defenders more conspicuous will cost £60,000 with a further £10,000 to cover staff and consultancy fees.
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