Motorists travelling along the Formby By-pass cannot have ignored the construction works being carried out alongside Woodvale airfield where a new cycletrack and pedestrian pathway is being built.
Sefton Council announced last September that they had set aside £1.1m for this work. Improvements works to the Formby Bypass will be primarily financed by Active Travel funding,
But what is this Active Travel Fund?
The Fund is from the Conservative Government, which has allocated £11,758,397 to the Liverpool City Region, which has in turn, provided money to Sefton Council.
Cllr John Fairclough, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Locality Services, said:
“We are committed to a borough-wide programme of investment and improvement in our transportation and Highway infrastructure. “Among future schemes will be improvements to the cycle pathway provision along the Formby Bypass, where works will focus on improving the route between Formby Village and the junction with the Coastal Road at Woodvale.”
Whilst it is commendable to encourage more safe cycling routes for our residents and visitors, for them to be effective they must be properly maintained. Regrettably Sefton Council’s record on maintaining its highway and property assets is not good.
For example, the existing cycleway alongside the A565 through Ince Blundell, near the former “Red Squirrel” pub, is in a deplorable state. Trees dangerously overhang the cycleway at head-height. The grass verges have encroached onto the tarmac cycleway such that in parts it is impassable.
Further south, along King Charles III Coastal Path, the cycleway between Crosby Leisure Centre and the Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre, is impassable as a result of Sefton Council’s inability to clear the blown sand.
Unfortunately Sefton’s Labour Council is quite adept at spending other peoples’ money, but they continually fail to put in place a maintenance plan to safeguard the investment.
Sefton’s Labour Council cannot be trusted to manage public money.
Further information:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-active-travel-fund…
