Liverpool outlines roadmap to reduce car usage in climate change battle

LIVERPOOL City Council is to set out its key transport priorities for the next 4 years as part of its ambition to achieve Carbon net-zero status and tackle climate change.

A report is due to be presented to Liverpool Council's Cabinet, on:- Tuesday, 19 September 2023, will seek approval for the adoption of a wide ranging Transport Plan.

This will include a number of new targets and policies, such as introducing a series of:- "Green Bus Routes" and "Green Corridors," aimed at encouraging residents to walk, cycle and use public transport more often.

The major goal underpinning the Council's new Transport Plan is to address the fact that almost ⅔ of all journeys in the City are car journeys, which generates almost half a million tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year.

The Transport Plan identifies a number of interventions which could help the Council, reduce those emissions by 50%, as well increase the number of cycle journeys 10 fold by 2027.

The scale of opportunity for increasing active travel is also underlined by the fact that 66% of all trips on Merseyside are less than 5km in length, and 83% are less than 10km. Currently, of the trips that are less than 5km, 50% are undertaken by car, despite the fact that many of these trips would be considered to be within a comfortable walking, or cycling distance.

To do this, the City Council has secured funding from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to develop a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP). This plan will be developed in 2023 in parallel with the City Centre Mobility Strategy, with an intention to roll out identified proposals from within this plan beyond 2023.

The 'Green Bus Routes' programme, developed with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, will look at new measures such as re-introducing priority bus lanes, as well as junction and signal upgrades to give priority to buses and active travel.

The 1st wave of routes have been identified from:-

• Liverpool to Knowsley and St Helens (Route 10A)
   

• Liverpool to Bootle and Crosby (Route 53)
   

• Liverpool to Speke and John Lennon Airport (Route 86)

This Transport Plan has also set out prioritised areas for new bus links and investment, including:-

• Vauxhall and Everton - specifically around Liverpool Waters developments and Bramley Moore Dock Stadium.
   

• South Liverpool - local bus improvements to complement investment in active travel.
   

• Central Liverpool / Knowledge Quarter - to improve commuter and retail links. (These will be reviewed as part of the City Centre Mobility Strategy.

In terms of developing active travel routes, Liverpool City Council is already introducing 7 new permanent cycles lanes across the City, but recognises it needs to improve connections of existing links.

A major target is also to create a network of traffic free green corridors which link:- parks, green spaces and recreational sites, with centres of employment, homes and community activity such as local centres.

Potential 'Green Corridors' identified include:-

• Speke Coastal Reserve - Otterspool Promenade - The Strand.
   

• Calderstones - Sefton Park - Princes Park - Knowledge Quarter.
   

• Childwall - Wavertree Playground - Knowledge Quarter.
   

• Croxteth County Park - Newsham Park - Knowledge Quarter.
   

• Walton Hall Park - Stanley Park - Everton Park - Knowledge Quarter.
   

• Leeds and Liverpool Canal - Canalside Park - Liverpool ONE.

To ensure the Transport Plan is embedded across all communities, the Council also aspires for all Schools to have a Travel Plan in place by 2025, as well as all workplaces or sites employing over 1,000 employees to have a workplace travel plan in place by 2025.

The Council is seeking funding to support both theses aims and if successful, the ambition would be to roll out workplace travel plans across the City to companies and businesses of all sizes.

In terms of further reducing the City's carbon footprint, the Council has already committed to expanding the network of electric vehicle chargers in lighting columns and this year has installed over 300, in conjunction with Ubitricity. There are plans to install a further 2,000 electric vehicle chargers by May 2027.

Councillor Dan Barrington, Liverpool City Council's Cabinet member for Transport and Connectivity, said:- "The Liverpool Transport Plan connects together all of the changes we need to make to improve our health and our environment and it lays out a coherent road map to making an impact. The Transport Plan also lays bare the stark reality that car usage needs to be dramatically reduced. From a climate change and air quality perspective our reliance on the car is unsustainable. And in many ways its impractical with almost 2 thirds of all car journeys less than 5km, we need to make it much easier, safer and more convenient for people to get around by walking or cycling. I'm really excited by all the work that is going on behind the scenes to start making these changes and the way forward is clear. Delivering green bus routes, green active travel corridors, transport plans for Schools and businesses and more on-street electric charging is all doable over the next 4 years. By working with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and the Department of Transport we can achieve much of this work, but individually we all have a role to play. How we travel is a choice. By taking the car we create congestion, we add to our stress levels and most will contribute to our carbon footprint. Our air quality needs to improve. Our road safety record needs to improve. Our obesity rates need to improve. By walking and cycling more often, we all benefit and we will make our neighbourhoods and City a more pleasant place to live in. The rewards of embracing this Transport Plan will be worth it."

Simon O'Brien, Liverpool City Region's Active Travel Commissioner, said:- "If you will forgive the pun, Liverpool is truly at a crossroads with regard to the future of how we move around our City. I feel very excited about the new positive approach of the Council supported by the Combined Authority. I have seen elsewhere that if you give people proper alternatives then they will happily switch from car to bike, foot, train and bus for those shorter journeys. Let's all get on board with vision."

The historic Silcock's Carousel in Southport has been voted as the fourth best seaside attraction in Britain!

THE beautiful Victorian era attraction was a popular choice with members of the public voting in the 1st ever Bucket and Spade List 2023.  The initiative is organised by the:- 'The Seaside Heritage Network,' with the winners announced at a special event, in Blackpool.

Silcock Leisure Group Operations Manager Serena Silcock Prince said:- "We have been recognised in fourth place in the whole of Britain and we are so excited to be recognised by the public in this way. We are very humbled to have been chosen for this list amidst such strong competition among so many seaside favourites. The Silcock family would like to say a big thank you to everyone who voted for us, your support is very much appreciated. Also a huge well done to all the Carousel and Funland team who work so hard throughout the year. Your hard work is very much recognised in this award. Silcock's Carousel has been very popular with so many generations of families over the years who keep coming back. But Southport has so many great seaside attractions, and so many reasons for people to visit, not just during the summer but throughout the year. The Bucket and Spade List is a fantastic initiative designed to celebrate the very best of the Great British seaside and to encourage more people to visit."

The Seaside Heritage Network was delighted to announce its inaugural Bucket and Spade List, the Top 10 favourite seaside places and experiences, as voted for by members of the public. They are as follows:-

1. Saltburn Cliff Tramway, Saltburn-by-the-Sea.

2. Blackpool Tower.

3. Morecambe Winter Gardens.

4. Silcock's Carousel, Southport.

5. Donkey Rides, Weymouth.

6. Papa's Fish and Chips, Cleethorpes.

7. South Cliff Gardens, Scarborough.

8. Dreamland Margate.

9. Bournemouth Beach Huts.

10.Babbacombe Model Village.

The Bucket and Spade List was announced in the superb setting of Blackpool Winter Gardens, on:- Monday, 11 September 2023, when the top 3 finalists were awarded with certificates by designer and seaside regeneration expert, Wayne Hemingway MBE.

Dr Kathryn Ferry, a founder member of the Seaside Heritage Network, said how important it was to see people and communities geƫng behind the vote:- "There's a strong nostalgic element to these finalists but that's no bad thing, it shows how embedded the seaside holiday and seaside resorts are within our island culture. Too often, some of these towns get a bad press but it's time to change perceptions and celebrate the joy and entertainment the seaside has brought to generations of Britons. Embracing the power of seaside heritage to connect with people anew can help places that have been suffering social and economic problems. Morecambe Winter Gardens and Dreamland Margate are examples of the potentially transformative power of seaside heritage and we congratulate all of our worthy finalists; not least the donkeys!"

Among the reasons people gave for voting for Silcock's Carousel, Southport was this:- "It's not only heritage and tradition, it's moving art and part of a limited remaining collection of organs… it's timeless and family owned and loved by the Town."

Herbert Silcock's Golden Gallopers have been putting smiles on families' faces since the historic ride was built in 1901.

It is currently open every weekend until the winter season, and is open every day during the October half term.

It sits at the entrance to Southport Pier, and next to Silcock's Funland and Silcock's Pier Family Restaurant.

Earlier this year The Carousel was recognised as 1 of the Liverpool City Region's top attractions, having been honoured in the top 10 in the Hidden Gems category in the 2023 Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards.

It stands proudly on the Promenade in Southport, offering fun for people of all ages as they spin round and round to the sound of a Gavioli fairground organ.

The ride is a beautiful symbol of happy times at the seaside through history, entertaining many thousands of generations over the past few decades.

The remarkable ride was built in the reign of Queen Victoria, by Savages of Kings Lynne.

It was purchased by the Silcock family in 1989 and it took 3 years of painstaking restoration to return it to its former glory.

This 18 ton ride is 42 ft in diameter, 18 ft tall and has 33 Horses; each of them named after a member of the Silcock family and family friends.

The horses on the inside of the ride are original Anderson carvings and date to when the ride was built at the turn of the century. The rest of the horses have been replaced by copies due to wear and tear.

The beautiful Gavioli organ at the centre of the ride, built by Gavioli in Paris in 1901, is worthy of being recognised as a Hidden Gem in its own right.

The Carousel is surrounded by lots of other fun attractions, including the beautiful:- Kings Gardens, the Marine Lake, Silcock's Funland, Southport Beach, Southport Miniature Railway Village, Southport Pleasureland and more.

The Seaside Heritage Network aims to connect people, groups and businesses who care about the heritage of Britain's seaside resorts.

It is run by volunteers who are specialists from the:- tourism, academic, history and heritage sectors.