Pupils from Halewood Academy have given their approval to the new segregated cycleway between Finch Lane and Leathers Lane, making their journey to and from school safer and more enjoyable.
This section is part of the 2km Active Travel Corridor that is being developed along the A562 Higher Road, as part of a wider £30m investment in Halewood.
Hear what the students had to say about the new cycleway and crossings:
Work on this section of the Active Travel Corridor was completed in July, around 13 weeks ahead of schedule. This included:
- The removal of the Higher Road / Baileys Lane roundabout and the creation of a new traffic signalised junction, which will improve junction capacity, improve safety and provide pedestrian and cycling crossing facilities
- A realignment of the carriageway and introduction of an enhanced central reserve between the junctions with Finch Lane and Baileys Lane which will eventually include an attractive gateway feature. This will reduce traffic speeds, improve safety and provide new landscaped areas.
- The installation of new traffic signals with pedestrian and cycle crossing facilities at Finch Lane, promoting road safety for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as improving access to and from Everton’s Finch Farm training facility and Hale Village
- The introduction of upgraded traffic signals to include provision for cyclists at Leathers Lane and a new segregated cycleway from Finch Lane to Leathers Lane
Cllr Tony Brennan, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, said: “Although the new cycleway has only been open a couple of months we have already seen a 50% increase in the number of cyclists along Higher Road. It is great to see the students from Halewood using the route and getting such positive feedback from them. Our vision is for Halewood to become more accessible for everyone and we want residents from all corners of the town to enjoy the improved facilities that are being created. Active travel improvements provide a host of benefits; improving people’s health and wellbeing, reducing congestion and pollution and making the local area more accessible to a wider range of people.”
Gareth Harrison, Vice Principal at Halewood Academy, said, “We have a large number of students who cycle to school, with many of them using Higher Road for part of their journey. This new facility is fantastic as it provides a much safer, and more pleasant route to school and will encourage more to travel to school on their bike.”
Next phase of works
The next phase of the Active Travel Corridor works along Higher Road are scheduled to commence in early October. This will deliver improved active travel facilities from the junction with Leathers Lane to the junction with Torrington Drive. More details will be announced shortly on Knowsley News and on our social media channels.
How are the works being funded?
Funding for the Higher Road improvement works has been secured from UK Government, the Liverpool City Region Sustainable Travel Settlement and S106 contributions from developers involved in the East of Halewood development.