Liverpool Metro Mayor calls for ‘revolution’ in walking and cycling

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has said that he wants to see an ‘active travel revolution’ in the Liverpool City Region over the next 10 years, and called on people to leave their cars at home in favour of taking more short journeys by foot or bike.

Outlining his city region-wide vision for active travel – a term for walking and cycling – the Metro Mayor said that it would improve air quality by reducing emissions, have a positive impact on health and well-being and help to boost the regional economy.

Mayor Rotheram, said: “We are living through a climate emergency – and it is our duty to leave a cleaner planet for future generations, but we need to work together to achieve this. That’s why I’m calling for an active travel revolution in our city region.”

The strategy details plans first announced last year for 600 km of new and upgraded foot and bike paths across all six local authority areas – Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral.

More than £16 million in funding has already been committed to the first seven key routes, with construction set to begin next year.

The network of foot and cycle paths will be linked to the wider transport network including buses, Mersey Ferries and the new trains arriving on the Merseyrail network from 2020 which offer level access and more storage space for bikes.

Research also shows that active travel can help improve people’s health and wellbeing. Regular walking and cycling reduces the risk of conditions like heart disease or stroke by 1/3, potentially saving the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds over the next decade.

Jean Hunt, walking and cycling lead for Sefton Council, said: “Getting more people to take journeys by walking and cycling will be hugely positive, not only for air quality and the environment but also for people’s health and wellbeing, with research showing that people who cycle regularly can have the fitness levels of someone ten years younger.”

The push for more walking and cycling in the Liverpool City Region is also expected to help deliver on the Metro Mayor’s plans to revitalise regional town centres, with evidence indicating that improved walking and cycling facilities can dramatically increase high street footfall and boost retail spending by 30 per cent.

Mayor Rotheram, said: “Building and improving our network of walking and cycling routes to make them safer and easier to use is vital, but we also need to make sure they are part of our plans for a fully integrated local transport network.

“But it is not only about building infrastructure – we need a cultural shift so that people think about walking and cycling as a genuine alternative to the car. That’s why we’re driving forward with schemes to help people to travel by bike or foot, regardless of their background.

“I have been pushing for more devolution and funding for rail in the North, but active travel could be just as important in the development of our city region – and it is something we can step up and deliver without having to wait for Westminster.”

To date, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has piloted and funded a host of schemes designed to make walking and cycling easier, safer and more accessible to residents. These include training more than 8,000 young people in cycle safety and supporting hundreds of co-workers at over a dozen companies across the city region to commute together on foot.