Wirral Council has been ordered to halt work on key parts of their plans for 28 more cycle lanes in the Borough.
The directive follows safety concerns over so-called ‘floating bus stops’, where cycle lanes are installed through bus stops.
Already installed at Harrison Drive in Wallasey and Fender Lane in Moreton, the bus stops have been slammed by pedestrians as being unsafe, with concerns raised by the National Federation of the Blind UK and the RNIB, among others.
Following pressure from campaigners, Transport Minister Simon Lightwood MP wrote to all councils in November, stating: “It has become clear through feedback from stakeholders that some floating bus stop layouts, if poorly designed and delivered, can cause problems for some people, particularly those with visual impairments”, adding: “We expect local authorities to comply with this request.”
While the pause only applies to new floating bus stops, at the design stage, the Government is also carrying out research into the issues with the design and is asking for data from local councils on the problems they have encountered.
Councillor Ian Lewis (Conservative, Wallasey Ward) said: “These bus stops were one of several concerns that were raised by residents when the Environment Committee decided to start work on the 28 new cycle lanes in their ‘Core Active Travel Network’.
“Had that committee given more weight to the concerns of the majority, instead of carrying on with the plans, we would not now be in this position.
“Instead, thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money have been wasted on bus stops that are simply not safe.”
Councillor Lewis has now written to the Town Hall asking for confirmation that design work has stopped and that the data requested by the Government is being supplied: “The Town Hall does not seem to appreciate the level of concern their plans for cycle lanes have caused, including the floating bus stops.”
Andrew Hodgson, an NFB UK executive council member, said: “We had hoped for a total ban on future bus-stop bypasses of all types and that all of the existing ones would be taken out. We feel that the proposed review of bus-stop bypass design is flawed, as the very people who have installed them will be assessing their future design.”
