During the arguments with the council around the developments of the cycle lanes, I put it to the officers that the current lanes were in a poor state of repair and were not being maintained by the council.

They agreed that historically this was the case and that the planned cycle lanes would be maintained properly.

Here is a photo taken 2 days ago of a lane finished within the last 2 years.

Are they being maintained?

You decide?

Not being maintained.
Cyclists say they don’t want to use them because they are not maintained and rough to ride on, full of brambles and they are always suffering punctures.

Not needed.
Most cycle lanes around our town are not needed, wanted or used but these ones in the picture on the coast road ( that are not being maintained ) and the ones on the bypasses are probably for the best as we don’t want cyclists riding on the coast rd, it’s a fast thin road that is dangerous enough and an accident hot spot as it is. But still cyclists want to ride dangerously in the road like real traffic regardless of the condition of the lanes, saying they are rough is just an excuse .. a poor excuse, they may be unsightly but they are still safer and safer for all road users if they are used .

The council are applying for an extension for the towns cycle lanes and roads like Queens road and Houghton St to continue to be drastically altered even after people have been hurt and hospitalised falling over the bollards that dangerously stick out. Townspeople are ignoring the one way signs on Queens rd out of disrespect for them and the council after a vote was taken and it was determined the VAST MAJORITY voted against the cycle lanes and road alterations but the council ignored this and grabbed the funding for them anyway to the disbelief of the people and THE MANY have aired their views on social media opposing THE FEW and still the council ignore the people of this town.

The council can’t maintain these lanes properly, the small amount of cyclists in the area don’t use them, they are dangerous to the elderly and infirm and proper protocol hasn’t been followed by the council as they have been illegally left in place for months only to have signs covered up in haste days before re application occurred in the hope that no one will notice and out of negligence and a disrespect or disinterest in the rules, after all what can we or are we going to do about it .. nothing!. Democratically voting doesn't seem to work or means nothing to them.

The re application of these lanes and road alterations should rightly be denied as the council can’t maintain them or monitor them removing them when permission expires instead of forgetting they are there illegally and failing to re apply in a timely manner because they forget or think they can do what they want and any funding should be spent on coast rd and bypass cycle lanes maintenance and the introduction of MANDATORY use of these lanes should be enforced by large fines for the safety of everyone .

No they are not.

They spray them with weedkiller twice a year then the weeds grow again. Each year the cycle lanes get narrower and narrower as the overgrowth is never cut or scraped back to the actual edge of the path.

Originally Posted by salus.populi

No they are not.

They spray them with weedkiller twice a year then the weeds grow again. Each year the cycle lanes get narrower and narrower as the overgrowth is never cut or scraped back to the actual edge of the path.

Width, or rather lack of it is the issue.....If the path was ever widened to the width of a typical pavement (don't hold your breath!), then one of those mini pavement-sweepers with spinning brushes could get down it periodically.

Originally Posted by MICK/GILLY

Most cycle lanes around our town are not needed, wanted or used but these ones in the picture on the coast road ( that are not being maintained ) and the ones on the bypasses are probably for the best as we don’t want cyclists riding on the coast rd.

Reading between the lines: 'I don''t like the cycle infra in town, because it's hived off a little bit of roadspace that I wanted to drive on. I do like the cycle infra on the Coast Rd/Marine Drive, because it gets bikes out of my way when I drive along there'.

Btw, If the 'lanes were removed, not only would Sefton have to repay all the grant money that's already been spent (on Hoghton St, etc) putting the lane/s in. Money that would have to come from our Council Tax. But they would have to spend more again, to dismantle the lanes. I.e. we'd be looking at a double-whammy for local Council Taxpayers, just to make you and a rather small and pathetic anti-cycling motorists Facebook group happy - duh!

You can easily get a road sweeping vehicle and a quad bike weed control vehicle down the coast rd cycle lanes they are very wide and easily wide enough for two bikes to pass going in opposite directions as they were designed , I don’t think they would have to repay any money for the mistakes that have been made and any small cost to remove a few signs and bollards would be well worth it, no one wants, likes, uses or needs these lanes in the town but the ones down the coast rd and bypasses should be MANDATORY for safety, the picture shows a few weeds but otherwise they are fit for purpose and smooth but cyclists have a mentality of inferiority so they invent nonesense and reasons not to use the infrastructure they are given and cause chaos and danger on the roads with a smirk for something to do in the day I imagine.

“I do like the cycle infra on the Coast Rd/Marine Drive, because it gets bikes out of my way when I drive along there'”. Yea I agree with this, out of the way out of harms way.

Originally Posted by MICK/GILLY

You can easily get a road sweeping vehicle and a quad bike weed control vehicle down the coast rd cycle lanes they are very wide and easily wide enough for two bikes to pass going in opposite directions as they were designed

The Marine Drive cycle-path is a reasonable width, but the Coast Rd from Weld Rd to Woodvale, apart from a couple of short stretches, is very narrow. Not only that, like a lot of cycle infra it's incredibly wavy/corrugated and uncomfortable to ride on. And like a lot of bike infra, it's also supposed to be shared with peds, dogwalkers, kids and prams, etc.....Which of course is why Govt advice to faster riders is to not use it, for fear of injuring the other users.

I don’t think they would have to repay any money for the mistakes that have been made and any small cost to remove a few signs and bollards would be well worth it

You're wrong about that, as one of the conditions of accepting the money, was repaying it if schemes were scrapped.

Originally Posted by The PNP

The Marine Drive cycle-path is a reasonable width, but the Coast Rd from Weld Rd to Woodvale, apart from a couple of short stretches, is very narrow. .

The majority of that stretch is the widest cycle lane in Southport, as pictured, having being doubled in width 2 years ago.
The only narrow stretches are from the railway bridge at Pinfold Lane to Woodvale lights, and the short stretches where you're on the pavement to get past Ainsdale roundabout.

Originally Posted by salus.populi

The majority of that stretch is the widest cycle lane in Southport, as pictured, having being doubled in width 2 years ago.
The only narrow stretches are from the railway bridge at Pinfold Lane to Woodvale lights, and the short stretches where you're on the pavement to get past Ainsdale roundabout.

You must be counting the resin strip with poles in it, that the bloke is standing on. That's the buffer-zone between roadway and cycleway, it's not tarmac and not part of the path, which is why weeds are growing on it!

The paths ARE wide enough WITHOUT counting the weedy strips and fit for purpose, ALL the stretch is DESIGNED for bikes to pass each other going opposite ways and fast racing bikes give Lycra clad cyclist a bad name as do kids pulling wheelies on bmx’s it’s not a racetrack for wannabe heroes it’s for everyday bicycles. “Wah wah it’s uncomfortable to ride on”, it looks smooth enough in the picture .

Originally Posted by MICK/GILLY

The paths ARE wide enough WITHOUT counting the weedy strips and fit for purpose, ALL the stretch is DESIGNED for bikes to pass each other going opposite ways and fast racing bikes give Lycra clad cyclist a bad name as do kids pulling wheelies on bmx’s it’s not a racetrack for wannabe heroes it’s for everyday bicycles. “Wah wah it’s uncomfortable to ride on”, it looks smooth enough in the picture .

It looks smooth enough from a car, when you're whizzing along at 50mph too.....But ty it on a roadbike at only 20mph and you'll form a very different opinion - it's rougher than a badgers backside!

Originally Posted by The PNP

You must be counting the resin strip with poles in it, that the bloke is standing on. That's the buffer-zone between roadway and cycleway, it's not tarmac and not part of the path, which is why weeds are growing on it!

Buffer zone?
It's part of the path. That was the whole point of the resin, to widen the path! Why would an unused buffer zone need to be resin? They'd have just left it as it was.
It's a permeable surface to aid drainage hence why weeds can also grow through it.

I see Soft Mick is at it again. Making wild and unsubstantiated claims…..
Have just driven down Hoghton St twice tonight…..not a single other vehicle on there….should we rip it up? Did see a cyclist though…..

Hoghton St is a single lane in each direction, removing the cycle lanes would still mean a single lane in each direction, so impact on traffic flow is non-existent by having the lanes. All you would have is a few extra parking spaces available.
What we have now, is an option for people to choose how they travel along there and through town.

In terms of maintenance of existing cycle lanes, yes they could be better maintained, but we have to be realistic with budgets and priorities. Has the councillor not seen the state of some of the roads around Sefton? He’s not calling the council out for lack of maintenance of them? Perhaps he has a personal agenda?

Originally Posted by MICK/GILLY

The paths ARE wide enough WITHOUT counting the weedy strips and fit for purpose, ALL the stretch is DESIGNED for bikes to pass each other going opposite ways and fast racing bikes give Lycra clad cyclist a bad name as do kids pulling wheelies on bmx’s it’s not a racetrack for wannabe heroes it’s for everyday bicycles. “Wah wah it’s uncomfortable to ride on”, it looks smooth enough in the picture .

Every lane is a cycle lane. Drive carefully. We have cameras.

Originally Posted by salus.populi

Buffer zone?
It's part of the path. That was the whole point of the resin, to widen the path! Why would an unused buffer zone need to be resin? They'd have just left it as it was.
It's a permeable surface to aid drainage hence why weeds can also grow through it.

Well, I wouldn't chance riding on it, as it's impossible to see/avoid glass fragments on such a surface.