Helping everyone move on Merseyside
As Merseyside begins to recover from the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic and with lockdown restrictions lifting in most areas, we are seeing an increase in traffic on the roads. People returning to work, shopping for non-essential goods and socialising mean our quiet, empty roads are becoming busy once more.
During lockdown Merseyside like the rest of the UK, saw increased walking and cycling activity. Now more than ever it’s vital people choose to continue to walk or cycle. Whether it’s to work, for necessity, for exercise or for leisure purposes we want people to feel safe and confident and have the support for active travel.
There’s a lot of talk about getting ‘back to normal’ but we may need to adapt to a ‘new normal’ in the coming months and into next year.
Merseyside Road Safety Partnership are working in conjunction with Liverpool City Region, Metro Mayor, Merseytravel and BikeRight to provide information and resources to suit all road users. We are continuing to look at safe, sustainable options, to help you make smart and informed travel choices, now and in the future. We want to help everyone move on Merseyside.
Pedestrians & Cyclists
Since March 2020 we’ve introduced temporary measures like pop-up walk ways, cycling lanes and traffic calming solutions in a bid to accommodate more people wanting to participate in active travel. In July Liverpool City Region announced plans for six new walking and cycling routes across Merseyside. Most of these routes are set to be completed by the end of the summer and will make it safer and easier for people to travel by foot or bike.
For more information about these routes click here to read the news article on Liverpool City Region’s website.
Cycling
Cycling is great for boosting your mental and physical well-being. It’s a low impact activity, so it’s ideal if you’re looking for a gentle form of exercise. It’s also one of the best forms of physical activity if you’re recovering from a joint injury or you suffer with arthritis – it can help strengthen leg muscles and so actively support your joints and in some cases lessen joint pain.
Whether you’re a seasoned cyclist, new to two wheels or you’ve rediscovered a love of cycling, we have some handy tips and advice to make your cycling journey a safe, easy and happy experience. From free adult and child cycle sessions (see below), we also have a ‘Cyclists’ section on our website, where you’ll find practical advice and see what we are doing to help cyclists in general.
Adult Cycle Skills Sessions – FREE
Merseyside Road Safety Partnership and Liverpool CA have identified funding to provide, free one-to-one and group Cycle Skills sessions for adults who live, work or study in Merseyside. These National Cycle Training Standards sessions are tailored to suit the individual’s needs.
The sessions last for two hours and you can choose from: Basic Cycle Skills, Urban Cycle Skills and Advanced Cycle Skills. For full details of what these sessions entail and to book individual sessions and group courses online click here.
Student Cycle Skills Sessions – FREE
We all know that cycling is as easy as riding a bike – right? But not all of us know how to navigate through busy traffic, understand what position we should be in when crossing or turning into a junction or at the traffic lights – two of the most common places collisions occur.
We’re offering FREE cycle skills sessions to all students in higher education – who live and study in Merseyside. So, if you’re thinking about cycling or you have a bicycle and want to build your confidence or brush up on road safety, get in touch.
You can choose whether you want a one-to-one or group session if you have friends who are interested in cycling too. We have different types of courses from basic where you can build your confidence away from the roads to urban, refreshing your technique and develop new skills to navigate local quiet routes to advanced for improving your knowledge when dealing with complex junctions, busy roads and cycling at night, etc.
- Skills and knowledge tuition to help you get around town safely by bike
- Journey and route advice to help you get the most from your ride
- Advice on equipment and clothing to keep you comfortable
These cycle sessions are delivered by BikeRight – the national cycle training organisation. For more info or to book a FREE session click here.
Child Cycle Training – FREE
Every parent or guardian wants their child to stay safe and be road aware when they cycle. The ‘Bikeability’ cycle training sessions are designed to teach children road safety techniques from an early age.
The sessions are a great idea for:
- Providing them with on-road experience
- Helping them make safe choices
- Giving them an understanding of road use
These training sessions are delivered by BikeRight – the national cycle training organisation and take place in school and during school holidays. To check whether their are sessions in your area or to book your child’s FREE place click here.
Walking
We all know that there are many physical and mental benefits to going for a walk. It’s great for alleviating stress, anxiety and boosting your self-esteem. It also improves your sleep patterns, mood and active people have up to 30% less chance of becoming depressed.
So, why do you walk – to get to work, to the shops, to see friends or family or to get out in the fresh air? We want people to keep walking, but we recognise pedestrians need support in order to do so. In the ‘Pedestrians’ section on our website we’ve put together some practical advice, information and a list of resources to help keep you safe. There’s also support and information on the Living Streets website, click here to read what they are doing for pedestrians.
Pavement parking
Pavement parking is a real issue and one that shouldn’t be overlooked or ignored. Pedestrians have the right to walk along a pavement unhindered by obstacles that may cause them harm or force them to step out into the road. We’ve put together a section on our website to inform drivers of what they should and shouldn’t be doing with regards to pavements. There’s also a resource for pedestrians to provide evidence of poor parking activity. Read about pavement parking.
Liveable Streets
To help us identify locations that require traffic calming measures for pedestrians and cyclists, during the coronavirus crisis each local authority set up a liveable streets website. The site allows people to report any issues or enhancements that can be made to reduce incidents on the road.
Click one of the local authorities below to find out more or to report an issue. Please note comments must be submitted before the 31st August 2020.
Drivers
If you usually drive to work and have started back or you are about to – have you considered walking or cycling as an alternative to driving? It needn’t be a full-time commitment, making an active travel choice once or twice a week could give you great physical and mental benefits, not to mention it’s good for the environment too.
We appreciate for some this just isn’t an option, so you’ll need to bear in mind there are a lot more pedestrians and cyclists on the road. And to help keep all road users safe we’ve introduced changes to road layouts and increased traffic calming measures. You can find details of these changes on Liverpool City Region’s website.
We ask that you continue to be considerate of other types of road users:
- pass cyclists at a safe distance (1.5 metres from the side of their bicycle to the side of your vehicle)
- look out for cyclists at junctions/traffic lights (where most collisions occur)
- make safe parking choices
- watch out for pedestrians using road crossings (where most collisions occur)
If you’re 60+ and you haven’t driven for a while we have initiatives like Drive Safely for Longer to help you refresh your driving skills. For young adults (aged 17 to 24) our Engage Driving initiative will help them learn the skills they need to be a safe and confident driver. You can also find advice about all aspects of driving in the ‘Drivers’ section of our website, from driving offences to child car seats.
Public Transport Users
For the most up-to-date information about using public transport go to Merseytravel’s website.
