'Gridlock' warning over cycle path on narrow road

The construction of a segregated cycle lane which meant a bus and a lorry couldn't pass each other is causing frustration among residents in a Merseyside town.

Work started in October on Higher Road, Halewood as part of Knowsley Council's scheme to improve transport connections.

However a number of residents have complained, including town councillor Joanne Harvey, who said "they're too wide for the roads they're being built on".

Councillor Tony Brennan, cabinet member for regeneration at the authority, said residents had been "extremely patient".

Brennan added: "Our vision is for Halewood to become accessible by foot, bike or wheelchair and we want residents from all corners of the town to enjoy the improved facilities that are being created."

Ms Harvey said: "I like people cycling and no one is against the cycle lanes here. That's not the point.

"The issue is that they have been poorly planned and they're too wide for the roads they're being built on."

She said residents "also want it to be safe for cyclists and drivers and pedestrians" but "the lanes need to be reduced, because they're too big".

She added: "The guidelines the council are quoting are not fit for purpose for small towns like Halewood, because it's not a one-size-fits-all solution."

Fellow town councillor Vicky Berry, who has lived in Halewood for more than two decades, said: "I'm not against the cycle lanes, I'm just against the size of the cycle lane.

"No one's against the connectivity and stuff like that, but it's the size of them.

"The government guidelines say up to three metres a cycle lane, but this road is not even eight metres in width."

The roadworks are expected to end in the spring but in the meantime drivers have been parking on pavements to avoid causing further congestion on the route – despite it being against the law and blocking the way for people with mobility issues or prams.

Paul Whiteside, who has lived on Blackburne Drive for the last 20 years, said: "If they adhered to the letter of the law and parked beside the kerb, there would be total gridlock."

He says drivers are taking detours to avoid traffic, adding: "When they put the cycle lane in, that cuts off a big chunk of the available road, and with these trucks coming down here now, I dread to think what will happen.

"There's a school just around the corner so there's kids walking and running about these streets, so everyone is going to have to be especially careful.

"Higher Road was brought to a complete standstill last week because a bus and a lorry couldn't pass each other, imagine what it's going to be like when the cycle lane is finished."

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