Cycling "misinformation" blamed for "aggressive, vocal minority" opposing major cycle lane plans, as Tory councillor accused of spreading rumours to alarm residents about "cycle chaos"

A councillor has spoken out about "misleading" opposition to cycle lanes which has seen "misinformation" spread turning people against plans for a major cycling infrastructure project.

Last week, 28 cycle lanes constituting the Wirral Core Active Travel Network (CATN) were given the go-ahead at a Wirral Council meeting that was disrupted by protesting locals; Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat councillors voting to move forward with the scheme, with 12 routes to be built over the next seven years and to be funded via Liverpool City Region Combined Authority grants, not directly from the council.

As with other active travel projects implemented across the United Kingdom, Wirral Council is confident implementing CATN [pictured below] will make the area "healthier, safer and more connected" and has been guided by data, information and Department for Transport guidance.

 CATN was given the green light at a council 'Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee' meeting last week, the meeting also seeing a protest from a group of around 80 anti-bike lane campaigners who described the plans as "ludicrous" and had to be urged not to be abusive and rude by the local authority.

Political opposition has come from the Conservatives, who have waged a long-standing resistance to the plans, having previously branded the new cycling scheme around Birkenhead as "a monumental waste of taxes", a "recipe for disaster", and bizarrely called the people advocating for the scheme "the Active Travel Taliban".

> "Such derogatory remarks have no place in a civilised society": Councillor slammed for branding cycling campaigners "the Active Travel Taliban" and for "spreading unwarranted misinformation" about bike lane scheme

A week on from the scheme's approval, Labour councillor Liz Grey has again questioned Conservative councillors' approach to opposing the active travel infrastructure. Arguing they had been "misleading in the extreme", Cllr Grey accused "naysayers" of having "spread rumours and misinformation that might alarm residents".

Cllr Grey chairs the committee that made the decision last week and, in quotes published today by the Wirral Globe, suggested that Tory councillor Ian Lewis in particular had "repeatedly pushed" a narrative "for years" of "cycle chaos", whipping up opposition and "telling people that they will lose parking spaces and be inconvenienced by cycle lanes".

She continued: "If he puts that much time and effort into telling people that they will lose parking spaces and be inconvenienced by cycle lanes, then many will believe him and his negativity, even if incorrect, will gain traction. The fact that so few people responded negatively elsewhere and in fact many of the routes had a majority in favour means that the claim that a majority of residents oppose the network is misleading in the extreme."

Cllr Grey believes Lewis has encouraged opposition in his Wallasey area, 44.5 per cent of the total responses to a council survey coming from there and all seven schemes in Wallasey facing significant opposition. However, further afield she pointed out that Liverpool City Region Combined Authority research showed over two thirds of Wirral residents want more and better cycle infrastructure.

"The biggest mistake we can make is to ignore the silent majority and back the aggressive, vocal minority especially when that minority represents a very narrow demographic," she continued.

"Children and young adults in particular represent those with the greatest stake in the future and those who pay the highest price long term if we make mistakes now and fail to build a decent future Wirral for them to inherit. I think most people fail to engage with consultations because we don't share our vision for the future very well.

"In the absence of a clear strategic vision, it is easier for the naysayers to spread rumours and misinformation that might alarm residents, for example telling people that ambulances will be held up or unable to access GP surgeries because of bollards when there are no plans for this. What is our vision? What are we trying to create? A cleaner, safer borough, with happier, healthier residents who can live, work and play without road danger and air pollution, two of the biggest killers in Merseyside."

Responding, Cllr Lewis championed the "94 per cent opposition" to the route through Liscard and Wallasey and suggested Cllr Grey is "clearly rattled" because plans "have not been welcomed with open arms by residents and businesses".

Cllr Grey concluded: "It is a fact that there are Conservatives who understand the importance of promoting active travel but it is a sad fact for us that none of them seem to be councillors here."

The back and forth is just the latest episode in the Wirral's long-running bike lane saga. In November, the local newspaper published a baffling anti-bike lane poem protesting the council's "new crazy scheme".

Earlier in 2024, Conservative leader Jeff Green faced criticism for branding those who support the scheme "the Active Travel Taliban". The Labour leader of Wirral Council hit back at the comments and accused his Tory counterpart of "spreading unwarranted misinformation" about the plans and argued that "such derogatory remarks have no place in a civilised society".

Ed Lamb, a Green Party councillor, said the Conservative representatives "are not serious about regeneration, health, climate, and we are allowed to ignore them".