Liverpool City Council has confirmed that it has been given the go ahead to press on with plans to improve the way that people get around the city.
Key routes such as The Strand and Lime Street are set to be enhanced further, after the Council’s Cabinet has agreed to accept half a million pounds to fund the development. With the funding being approved by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, a review of the main issues concerning mobility and connectivity around the city centre will form a roadmap to help the push to become carbon neutral by 2030.
The project is set to go hand in hand with the council’s Clean Air Plan, with the overarching aim of making it as easy and safe as possible for people to get into and around the centre of the city. This will be done through active travel such as walking and cycling, as well as public transport.
One key aspect of the strategy is analysing the area around the former Churchill Way Flyover, near the Queensway Tunnel. The analysis will help to inform the St George’s Gateway project, which will create high quality public space improvements, as well as a reconfiguration of the network of highways around the tunnel entrance.
Councillor Dan Barrington, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Highways, said:
“This funding is key to kick-starting work on a number of projects which will vastly improve Liverpool city centre’s environment.
“Much progress has already been made to start rebalancing how we use the city centre as pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users, but there is a lot more still to do.
“This is the next phase in the journey to understand what is required to make the city a much healthier place to live, work, study and visit. Projects like St George’s Gateway and Upper Central are fundamental to delivering a true modal shift in how we travel around the city centre which will eventually benefit tens of thousands of people every week.
“A better connected, easier and safer to use city centre is not just good for the environment, it also makes it more attractive as a place to invest in – and so this money is a fantastic investment in our future health and wealth.”