The owner of Rueters Bar on Hoghton Street has made a video poking fun at the Ridiculous cycle lanes installed by Sefton Council recently.

The Council are blaming the Government for the shambles.

It's Rueters Bar, not Reuters:

https://rueters.co.uk/

They had to spell it that way to avoid legal action from the news agency Reuters. The story was covered on this website!

Brilliant, love it

I had difficulty hearing this gentleman's observations in the video. Is it a copy from another device?

roving-eye has initiated numerous threads on this topic. All seem framed in such a way that Emergency Active Travel Routes are a Council folly.

…the Ridiculous cycle lanes installed by Sefton Council recently.

It is fair to say that this innovation has upset some residents and business proprietors. It may also be the case that the scheme as it currently is may not have much impact on the numbers of would-be cyclists prepared to cycle to or through the town centre. Apart from the Share with Care Space (Chapel St) and the Hoghton Street Segregated cycle lanes (i.e. reflective bollards), there is not really much in the way of innovation. All the road junctions are still hazardous for cyclists owing not least to inattentive vehicle operators. Entrance restrictions at both ends of Queens Road will likely continue to be ignored by drivers who feel their superior prerogative is being violated.

Having said all that, criticisms of the Council come from "all the usual suspects" (— sorry, I couldn't resist the quip). But these criticisms seem to ignore the fact that there is a growing consensus (even among Conservative politicians) that public health, air quality, safety issues all lead to the conclusion that patterns of motor vehicle use are causing harm and need to be revised.

Let us have a little balance, please.

Originally Posted by sandGroundZero

criticisms of the Council (cycling promotion policy) come from "all the usual suspects" (— sorry, I couldn't resist the quip). But these criticisms seem to ignore the fact that there is a growing consensus (even among Conservative politicians) that public health, air quality, safety issues all lead to the conclusion that patterns of motor vehicle use are causing harm

'All the usual suspects' - being, if I'm not mistaken, all members of the motoring fraternity...... What is it about bikes that upsets that particular group? From the stock comments we always see surface, anyone would think that motorists object to sharing tarmac with the humble bike!

The problem is anyone who supports this folly gives ammunition to the opponents of activity and responsibility for ones health.

Exercise is great and much needed in our overweight nation but to stymie the businesses that support us all to get it when they are on the rocks is pure madness.

Look out today on any of our cycle lanes and you will struggle to find anyone on them.

I cycle but realise that its very much a minority and will remain a minority form of transport I cannot ruin peoples livelihoods to get about on my bike.

While I don't agree with the restrictions on Hoghton Street, Reuter's has got a car park at the rear which is cheaper than any of the spaces that were lost.....

Originally Posted by local

The problem is anyone who supports this folly gives ammunition to the opponents of activity and responsibility for ones health.

Exercise is great and much needed in our overweight nation but to stymie the businesses that support us all to get it when they are on the rocks is pure madness.

Look out today on any of our cycle lanes and you will struggle to find anyone on them.

I cycle but realise that its very much a minority and will remain a minority form of transport I cannot ruin peoples livelihoods to get about on my bike.

The total lack of usage of the cycle lanes which were put in place several years ago leads to the conclusion that the new lanes will not be used any more than the existing ones.

Take Fairway, which is at the Northern end of the Marine Lake as an example. Before its cycle lane was introduced, the road was wide enough to accommodate all traffic. Since its introduction, I have seen cyclists on the road section and on the pavement next to the cycle lane many times. I have rarely seen cyclists actually use the cycle lane.

I am not against the usage of bikes, indeed I have probably done more exercise, including cycling, than most of the posters on here, but let's get a sense of proportion.

The usage of these lanes should be monitored and, if not used by cyclists, should be removed.

It's a bit 'chicken and egg' really. What puts most people off cycling (certainly me) is the lack of safe cycling routes, particularly in the town centre.

But then, if those that few that are available aren't seen to be used, then more won't be commissioned.

What puts me off cyclists is riders using pavements and pedestrian areas.

We are a little backward in this country when it comes to the general population cycling. Compared to other European countries, where cycle lanes are built as a matter of course. Like it or not, climate change is going to force us away from fossil fuels, including most of the cars on the road today. It's inevitable. So cycling will become more popular, as it did during the lockdown. Perhaps more studies need to be done and some kind of agreement is going to have to be met between cyclists and other road users. Cyclists aren't going away. Cars as we know them now might have to.

"The problem is anyone who supports this folly [i.e. Emergency Active Travel Routes] gives ammunition to the opponents of activity and responsibility for ones health." — local

1. the opponents of activity
   — Who might those be?
2. responsibility for ones health
   
   — This is mischievous (at best)!

Who could hope that people would include walking and cycling in their healthy activity, if the built environment is so spectacularly unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists?

A raft of central government initiatives are aimed at creating roadways that encourage a feeling of safety for cyclists and pedestrians. Politicians and planners had until recently, failed to devise safe 'mixed mode ' roadways and they are still very much a work-in-progress.

The starting point had been a presumption that roads are for motor vehicles. Pedestrians and cyclists did not figure in the early 20th century's mania for accommodating motor vehicles. It is interesting that early models of urban traffic flow had X number of vehicles circulating around town with no provision for the fact that some would necessarily be parked at any given time.

Only latterly has the realization that planning had omitted consideration of other modes of travel begun to be addressed! The resulting policies represent a significant change and change always unsettles some.

Originally Posted by Sap33

Reuter's has got a car park at the rear which is cheaper than any of the spaces that were lost.....

All the lost spaces were free in the evening. Rueters, The office & The Little Theatre do most of their trade in the evening.

Originally Posted by r4dent

All the lost spaces were free in the evening. Rueters, The office & The Little Theatre do most of their trade in the evening.

The car park on Wright Street is only £1 after 6pm, so I can't think that will make to much (if any) difference to their trade!

Originally Posted by Sap33

The car park on Wright Street is only £1 after 6pm, so I can't think that will make to much (if any) difference to their trade!

Either Rueters etc, are selling shedloads of orange juice to their patrons every evening - or there's a bit of drink-driving going on!

Originally Posted by Anon

Take Fairway, which is at the Northern end of the Marine Lake as an example. Before its cycle lane was introduced, the road was wide enough to accommodate all traffic. Since its introduction, I have seen cyclists on the road section and on the pavement next to the cycle lane many times. I have rarely seen cyclists actually use the cycle lane.

I use it regularly and I've never seen cyclists on the pavement or road there.

But as it's one of those odd lanes that starts and ends on the pavement perhaps it's not surprising some cyclists avoid it.