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Council pledges to act on drivers turning temporary cycle lane into “pop-up car park”Kingsley Road, Liverpool - cars parked in pop-up cycle lane

Council pledges to act on drivers turning temporary cycle lane into “pop-up car park”

Liverpool City Council to write to local residents and businesses followed by enforcement if needed
by Simon_MacMichael
Wed, Jun 24, 2020 11:34
7

Liverpool City Council has pledged to act against motorists parking illegally in a temporary cycle lane in the Toxteth area of the city after a cyclist described it earlier this week as a “pop-up car park.”

As we reported on our Live Blog on Monday, Twitter user Liverpool Wanderer took 17 photos of vehicles parked partly in the lane, which is separated from the main carriageway using wands, and partly on the adjacent footway.

> “The Kingsley Road pop-up car park” – “around 2” cars parked in pop-up cycle lane over a stretch of just 0.2 miles

Vehicles shown in the photos, taken in just a 0.2-mile stretch of the road, included a licensed taxi as well as vans belonging to Providor and Carter Synergy, with the parking rendering the cycle lane unusable.

Cars were still parked in the lane yesterday, with Simon O’Brien, the actor and former Channel 4 Tour de France presenter who is now Liverpool City Region cycling and walking commissioner, tweeting a video yesterday morning.

According to the Liverpool Echo, the city council has now pledged to act on the problem, initially through sending letters to local residents and businesses, then through enforcement if necessary.

A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: “The new pop-up lanes are being installed to reflect people’s transport needs presented by the Covid-19 lockdown.

“There have been some teething issues with is totally new process, with the problem of cars parking on them being an example.

“The council is in the process of drafting new road traffic orders to address this and will be letter dropping residents to remind them of the safety hazards cars present to these lanes.

“Enforcement options are being looked at but it is hoped behaviours will change as these new pop-up lanes bed in. However, if car parking persists action will be taken.”

This week, local authorities in England have been handed new powers to help deal with motorists parking in mandatory cycle lanes, something highlighted by the city council on its Twitter feed on Monday.

> Councils get new powers to fine drivers parking in bike lanes

Liverpool
Liverpool City Council
Kingsley Road
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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7 comments

Avatar
Bmblbzzz | 4 years ago
1 like

The lane could beneficially be widened while they're at it (if they ever do clear the parked cars out).

Avatar
eburtthebike | 4 years ago
3 likes

Perhaps a few complaints of dangerous parking, which I think is still a police matter, might resolve things a bit quicker.  It certainly worked on the A38 in SGlos when a car was abandoned in the cycle lane and no-one wanted to know.

If it forces the cyclist from the cycle lane into the motorised traffic lane, it's dangerous imho.

From Merseyside police website:

"Illegal parking

If the vehicle is parked:

on zig zag lines
dangerously
In a way that would prevent emergency vehicles from accessing"

Avatar
Sriracha | 4 years ago
3 likes

The cars should park in the roadway, or in their own driveway. Some jurisdictions require proof of ownership of a car parking space before you are permitted to own a car.

Avatar
brooksby | 4 years ago
4 likes
Quote:

the city council has now pledged to act on the problem, initially through sending letters to local residents and businesses, then through enforcement if necessary.

Why bother with sending out letters?  Surely that's an unnecessary expense.  Those people all know what they're doing and have got used to zero enforcement in the majority of cases for parking matters.  Enforcement - its the only way to be sure.

Avatar
mdavidford replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
2 likes
brooksby wrote:

Enforcement - its the only way to be sure.

I thought that was taking off and nuking them from orbit?

Avatar
brooksby replied to mdavidford | 4 years ago
1 like
mdavidford wrote:
brooksby wrote:

Enforcement - its the only way to be sure.

I thought that was taking off and nuking them from orbit?

To deal with parking?  I feel a nuke might be overkill.

Now: precision kinetic weapons launched from orbit, maybe that would work...

Avatar
ChasP | 4 years ago
8 likes

Council sends out letters, residents complain, cycle lanes removed...

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