A controversial cycle lane scheme in Southport has been put “on hold” amid opposition to the plans.
Sefton Council said it would now consider “alternative options” after a recent consultation revealed significant opposition to the active travel scheme.
The nearly £700,000 government funded plan aimed to build on temporary bike lanes which had been installed in the Southport area during the pandemic and could have seen key road changes along routes between Hesketh Park and Crossens and between Birkdale, Hillside and Ainsdale.
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They proved controversial when first announced with opposition parties criticising the plans.
In June, Sefton Liberal democrat leader Cllr John Pugh said the council had failed to evaluate the impact of pop-up lanes introduced last year before proposing another set.
Conservative councillors claimed the cycle lanes would be bad for business in the town, while the plans appeared to have left local residents divided.
A public consultation was carried out with the cabinet member responsible for the scheme, Cllr John Fairclough courting controversy after the results were announced by claiming they had been skewed by a “certain profile” of respondents, prompting a clarification by Sefton Council after complaints.
He said: “As the report says, the Council put a lot of effort into encouraging people to take part in the consultation but it seems to have been mainly people who fit a certain profile who have responded in large numbers so we need to look at how we can try to get broader responses in the future.”
A spokesperson for Sefton council said the remarks were “in reference to the high proportion of respondents to the consultation being in the over 50 age range."
The spokesperson added: “The comment acknowledged that the responses had not reflected the Southport’s overall population and recognised the need to obtain a wider presentation of responses from all age groups in future similar exercises.”
When the results of the public consultation were discussed at a council meeting in November, conservative councillors initially tried to get the plans thrown out altogether.
At that meeting, of the borough’s overview and scrutiny committee, Labour Councillor Greg Myers said that he believed the council had been placed in a “difficult position” by the way in which the funding was being handed out by central government.
In a statement released by Sefton Council today announcing the plans being put on hold, Cllr John Fairclough also pointed to the government’s timeline for delivery of active travel schemes as having led to some of the problems the proposal has faced.
Cllr Fairclough said: “As was the case with many councils in the early days of Covid-19, the Government told Sefton Council to put active travel schemes in place without consultation.
“We had little time and no Department for Transport criteria on which to judge their performance.
“Now that we have had an opportunity to carry out our robust consultation process, it is clear that local residents and businesses support the need to do more for the environment and that doing nothing is not an option, but some concerns have been expressed about some aspects of the proposals”
He said that while the council remained united on a cross party basis on the need to tackle the climate emergency and honour the borough’s climate emergency declaration “it makes sense” to put the plans on hold while considering alternative options.
Cllr Fairclough added: “We remain committed to initiatives that will combat climate change and improve the health and wellbeing of communities across the Borough, including the way in which people travel.
“There is clear backing for work on further proposals for more green and active schemes that will tackle the strain and pressures our environment is facing and I look forward to seeing those plans developed after proper consideration.”
The decision to postpone the proposals is subject to a ‘call-in’ period prior to approval.
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