Cllr Mike Prendergast is calling for cycle lanes in some Southport streets to be removed ASAP

Conservative Leader on Sefton Council, Mike Prendergast, is calling on all Southport councillors to support his motion at Thursday’s full council meeting to have the lanes along Hoghton Street, Chapel Street, Talbot Street and Queens Road removed as soon as possible.

Councillor Prendergast said, “It is abundantly clear that the people of #Southport do not want these lanes. They are not wanted by residents and they have been hugely damaging to local businesses."

"They are barely used and the parking that has been removed to accommodate them has harmed businesses along the roads impacted."

"Unlike most of the other Southport councillors, I run my own business and I know how hard it is to attract customers and clients without your local council actively making it harder for people to get to you and reducing the parking options outside your door."

"These lanes were clearly designed and thought out by somebody who has never run their own business."

"The latest consultation had a pathetic 71 responses from a potential 1505 in total. It was a tightly controlled consultation with responses only able to be submitted by those chosen by Sefton Council. Even with these controls, Sefton Council have been unable to garner any real support for the lanes."

"Accompanying the consultation results we have mountains of data from sensors along the routes. All this seems to reveal is that pedestrians use the pedestrianised areas, vehicles use the roads and some people cycle."

"The last consultation on the proposed extension to the scheme saw over 4,000 people respond, with the overwhelming response being against the scheme. This was open to far more people, although in the eyes of Sefton Labour, perhaps these were the wrong people. This maybe explains why the most recent consultation was limited to a chosen few."

"We proposed removing these lanes back in June 2021. Labour councillors voted against our proposals then and Lib Dem’s abstained. Now over 2 years later we have a chance to fix something for our town with a vote on the issue at the next council meeting."

"Recent press comments indicate that at least Southport Lib Dem’s have now seen sense and will hopefully support our motion. I would also call on Southport Labour councillors to do the same and make it clear that the entire town does not want these lanes."

"From its inception, installation and continuation the whole cycle lane saga has been a massive waste of time and money. I fear that the way this has been handled by Sefton Labour has set the cause of cycling back in Southport and caused reputational damage to Sefton Council."

"We now need Sefton Labour to recognise their mistake and simply remove the lanes to restore some trust and confidence in the local authority.”

Photos by Google Maps