Liverpool's Cycle Campaign Network Conference
2-3 November 2002
On day two of the CCN conference we met at the Pierhead beneath the Liver Birds scowling down on the Mersey for a Sunday ride around Liverpool.
Many of the through cycle routes are four lanes wide; even in the rush hour, traffic seems to flow and the landscape slopes from a plain gently down to the Mersey. Liverpool as a city and port took over from where Bristol left off, with a lesser tidal range and docks straight off the Mersey. Like Bristol, most of the docks are redundant and going through the process of regeneration; massive warehouses being converted to flats or demolished. The Albert Dock is the central showpiece—a massive rectangle of water surrounded by museums, shops
and the Liverpool Tate. The city centre spreads up from there; solid nineteenth century grandeur, built to impress. Liverpool is a city with serious depopulation—from a million people down to 400,000, but this isn't evident in the centre.
Our tour is led by Cathy McNulty, proud instigator of much of what we see. A contra flow cycle lane leads up to the (now closed) cycle centre that had bike storage, repairs, sales and a café. Its failure was blamed on the off-central location.
Next stop was for street art and dropped kerbs. All the drops are less than 3mm. Cathy's concern was not so much for the cyclists but for wheelchair users. Contractors in Liverpool repeatedly fail to get the drop level right. This seems to be a problem across the country. I suggested the Bristol solution of a wedge of tarmac; simple but effective.
Stopped-up streets provided another traffic solution — gaps and bollards giving cyclists access whilst stopping through traffic. Liverpool's long straight side roads are excellent for bikes. Many parks are being incorporated into the cycling network. The traditional massive gates are retained but held open at a cyclist's width by a crude but effective padlocked iron bar.
The final stop was a traffic engineer's roundabout solution with a red cycle lane painted all the way around the periphery. Several delegates had near misses while testing it.
Cathy has only been in the job for a couple of years. Her determination, charm and care for more vulnerable cyclists was an inspiration. Much of her work seems to entail negotiation through bureaucracy and vested interests.
Many thanks to the Merseyside Cycling Campaign for an excellent weekend.
Susan Carter
