Promenade Road Changes Draw Huge Public Disapproval, Council Remains Unmoved

Sefton is being accused of riding roughshod over public consultation and turning it into a 'tick box' exercise by Lib Dem leader, Cllr. John Pugh. In reference to the scheme for cycle lanes and traffic restrictions on the Promenade he points to an 80% disapproval rate from the general public when consulted, but a clear council intention to press on regardless. 

He says...

“We are all aware that a consultation is not a referendum and the Council do not have to ask the public’s permission, but the seeming indifference to concerns voiced by the general public is troubling. Often the Council defends this apparent indifference by citing the reactions - usually positive- of other, sometimes, remote public bodies- or the results of sessions in schools where leading questions are put to guileless youngsters. All this looks like a technique to disguise the yawning gap between what the council have decided to do and what the public want to see. 

On the Promenade road changes - 80% of the public who responded when asked by the Council ,' Do you think the changes to the central reservation will improve the Promenade for traffic, pedestrians and cyclists ?’ disagreed and 68% strongly disagreed. 

You would think that that at the very least would give pause for thought- even if it was only to query how representative that reaction is amongst the wider population and probe further into data and concerns or go for a bigger sample. The Council’s own data show that the general public, though in favour of more crossing points and greenery on the Promenade, are thoroughly and overwhelmingly unconvinced that the scheme is a win for any category of road user. Just parking that data and sticking to plan A is not what a listening Council does.

Cllr.Pugh has called for a wider debate on how traffic will move around and through Southport, pointing out that plans to turn the Town Hall gardens into an open piazza may require further traffic restrictions on Lord St.

 When raising this at a full Council meeting last year, the debate was summarily and abruptly curtailed by the Mayor. 

“My concern is that we need to look at town centre traffic movements in the round and have a sane debate. It will not be reassuring or sufficient for residents to be told that Sefton is “going to consult” on the Town Hall garden scheme too. I think we all know what that means ! ”