Photo that may help explain decision to drop pedestrianisation idea for Castle Street
This photograph of Liverpool's regeneration leader Cllr Peter Millea may help in part explain today's announcement that plans to pedestrianise Castle Street in the city centre have been dropped.
The picture was taken in September 2005 when the street was closed for European car-free day.
As you can see the street is deserted but traffic is backed up in Dale Street.
Liverpool Council was heavily criticised for this at the time (before I worked at the Post and ECHO).
Part of the proposal to pedestrianise Castle Street was predicated on the city getting a tram system as fewer buses would be needed.
As things stand the tram is not yet a runner, so keeping a single lane of traffic in Castle Street, which is used on numerous bus routes is seen as necessary to keep public transport working properly and traffic flowing.
But in a bid to make it a better environment pavements will be widened from 4metres to 10metres.
"The aim of the proposals is to balance the needs of pedestrians, traffic and public transport. A lot fewer vehicles use Castle Street now as there are better routes to take around the city centre," said Cllr Millea.
This seems to be a pretty good compromise.
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Dale Street Associates
David Bartlett
City editor of the Post and Echo covering politics, regeneration, and urban affairs.
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How's this going to work? Castle St is already bumper-to-bumper with buses. Reducing it to one lane doesn't sound like a solution to very much at all. A pedestrianised Castle St would be good though - but for the reasons offered, this won't happen. No supertrams either. So what to do? I know! It must be time to resurrect the multi-lane, elevated, 21st century, state-of-the-art Inner Ring Road. I do so much miss the Press-inspired lobbying for this scheme once upon a time.
If you go by the picture above, it will soon be BUNKER-TO-BUNKER with busses!
I'll get my coat, thanks...