A WARNING has been issued by a senior Wirral councillor over the potential consequences of opposing schemes like new cycle lanes across the borough. The comments come as the local authority prepares to finish asking for opinions about its plans for 28 new cycle routes across the borough.

According to the local authority, it wants feedback about whether the routes will support people’s everyday journeys, which routes should be a priority or existing routes need improving, as well as any routes people think are missing and need to be added. The issue of active travel continues to be controversial with recent references made by Conservative councillors to what they described as an “active travel Taliban” within the local authority and arguments the schemes are unwanted and “a complete waste of money.”

However, councillors from parties in favour, like Labour and the Green Party, argue the schemes will give people more choice when it comes to travel, make roads safer, and improve conditions along certain key routes. People in favour of active travel who have previously spoken to the LDRS felt they could get killed on their daily commutes to work and knew friends who had had life changing injuries due to accidents.

The map published by the council suggests routes to Seacombe and Liscard as well as several in central Birkenhead will be built in the next three years. In five years, this is expected to expand to include Wallasey Village, New Brighton, Cleveland Street, as well as Arrowe Park Road connecting the Woodchurch to Thingwall.

In the next ten years, further routes could be built connecting Wallasey to Leasowe and Moreton, Birkenhead to the Beechwood estate as well as routes to Prenton and Bebington. In the next 15 years, routes could be expanded to Greasby, Upton, and Bromborough. Beyond this, routes could extend further west into Heswall, Pensby, and West Kirby.

Addressing potential opposition to these routes, Cllr Steve Foulkes, at an environment committee meeting on September 18, warned there could be consequences to turning down schemes and result in Wirral not being chosen for future funding from local and central government. The comments came during a discussion of a plan on how to manage Wirral’s roads in the future which was later approved.

Cllr Foulkes, who also chairs the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Transport Committee, said government policies the local authority had to follow hadn’t changed since Labour were elected into government on July 4. In particular, he referred to funding of at least £138m a year for transport that was agreed for five years under a Conservative government in 2022 called the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS.)

This policy said money “must drive growth through infrastructure investment, level up services towards the standards of the best, and promote modal shift from cars to public transport, walking and cycling.” It said: “Schemes should promote the use of active travel and public transport; not lead to overall increases in car use or car modal share; tackle traffic congestion; and improve air quality”

The City Region is currently developing a new transport plan to create “a London-standard transport system” and aiming to “deliver a clean, safe, resilient, accessible and inclusive” public transport network. Plans for new cycling and walking routes are included in this.

Cllr Foulkes said: “We have to have all measure the same so we can’t measure apples while others measure in pears. We have to conform but beware if the signals from this authority are that we don’t accept things like cycle lanes or we don’t accept things like green transport and we don’t accept things like active travel and all those issues that are part of the overall plan, don’t pretend that it’s not registered somewhere or people don’t look at it.

“The level of the CRSTS fund can very much depend on whether they believe we can deliver and that’s why I was glad to see that it says “provide confidence to our funders and provide clear evidence for future bidding for future CRSTS.”

“If we think we can become a pariah state in terms of active travel or we can become a pariah state in terms of any other issue, beware because that will find its way up the system and they might say you might be able to deliver but Wirral won’t or someone else won’t deliver.

“It’s not political rhetoric this. It’s the way the system works and if we want to turn good money away, if you want to cock a snook at those funders, then beware. There are consequences to that politically and consequences to the borough because we are turning money away from central government if we don’t align ourselves.”

Committee chair, Cllr Liz Grey agreed, adding: “The Combined Authority can and they will take back money as well if we don’t deliver so it’s past funding that’s in jeopardy if we don’t embrace active travel as well as future funding. They can and they have removed money and transferred it elsewhere. That goes for central government as well.”