Liverpool Cycle Lane Improvements Worth £15m Could Begin This October As Major Active Travel Scheme Moves Forward
Work on a £15m Liverpool cycle lane scheme could begin in October as plans to permanently introduce new active travel routes across the city move forward.
Liverpool Council has approved plans to install two permanent cycle lanes and improve junctions along a mile-long stretch between Vauxhall Road and Commercial Road.
The scheme will see temporary cycle routes, introduced during the pandemic, transformed into permanent infrastructure designed to make walking, wheeling and cycling safer and easier across the city.
New cycle routes and junction improvements planned
The proposals include the introduction of a fully segregated cycle lane, upgraded footpaths and new pedestrian crossings at several busy junctions.
Improvements are planned for key locations including:
- Leeds Street
- Burlington Street
- Boundary Street
- Sandhills Lane
The work has also been designed to improve safety along the route, with measures aimed at reducing collisions and creating better connections for cyclists travelling through Liverpool.
The council will now appoint a contractor to deliver the scheme, with construction expected to begin in October and completion currently scheduled for 2028.
Wider Liverpool cycling network set to expand
The Vauxhall Road improvements form part of a wider plan to create a 4km active travel corridor linking Sefton Park with Liverpool city centre.
A separate scheme around Sefton Park is also being progressed, with plans for an approximately 800-metre route running from Princes Avenue Junction, through Princes Park and connecting to Sefton Park.
The project would introduce a fully segregated cycle route through Princes Park, alongside footway upgrades, improved pedestrian crossings and changes to several junctions.
These include improvements around:
- Princes Avenue/Croxteth Road/Kingsley Road roundabout
- Ullet Road/Windermere Terrace/Sefton Park Road/Aigburth Drive
- Aigburth Drive/Croxteth Drive
The Sefton Park scheme is expected to move forward at a later stage, with a design and build contract planned and construction potentially beginning in late 2027.
Plans backed by Liverpool residents
Initial proposals for the Vauxhall Road improvements were shared with residents in September 2024, with Liverpool Council saying more than 80% of respondents supported the plans.
Councillor Dan Barrington said:
“Both of these schemes were pop-up schemes during the pandemic in 2022 so we got funding from Active Travel England to make these into permanent schemes.
“Both are really major schemes in our active travel offer making sure we can make it easier for people to choose to walk, wheel or cycle for journeys across the city.”
The projects are part of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, which aims to develop a network of high-quality walking and cycling routes across the region.
The council says the improvements will help create safer, more connected routes for residents while encouraging more people to walk, wheel or cycle for everyday journeys.
