West Cheshire Pedestrians Survey
West Cheshire pedestrians were invited to complete an online survey in September to November 2009.
There were 100 responses. The main concerns were:
| Major concern | Minor concern | Not a concern / no answer | |
| Vehicles driving onto and parking on pavements | 66 | 17 | 17 |
| Speed limits not enforced | 65 | 27 | 8 |
| Vehicles parked on street corners, making crossing difficult | 56 | 29 | 15 |
| Parking outside schools e.g. on or opposite zig-zags | 56 | 25 | 19 |
| Unsafe routes for schoolchildren e.g. crossing busy roads | 53 | 29 | 18 |
| Pavements fouled by dogs | 52 | 34 | 14 |
| Cyclists cycling fast on pavements | 51 | 23 | 26 |
| Speed limits too high | 49 | 32 | 19 |
| Street layouts designed for vehicles rather than pedestrians | 41 | 36 | 23 |
| Pavements damaged by vehicles | 37 | 34 | 29 |
| Vehicles on grass verges | 36 | 36 | 28 |
| Narrow pavements | 39 | 46 | 15 |
| Key pedestrian routes not well linked | 30 | 46 | 24 |
| Pavements damaged by tree routes etc... | 18 | 45 | 37 |
| Pavements obstructed by wheelie bins | 19 | 44 | 37 |
| Pavements obstructed by protruding branches and shrubs from gardens | 36 | 42 | 22 |
| Businesses encroaching on pavements (bins, advertising boards, goods for sale, tables and chairs) | 18 | 37 | 45 |
There was a feeling that conditions have worsened for pedestrians over the last 12 months.
See the summary or the full report.
Oct/Nov 2009 Wirral Pedestrians Survey of Actions Requested
We carried out a survey of the actions that Wirral pedestrians would like to see taken by Wirral Council, Wirral Police and others. There were online and paper versions, and a total of 138 people took part.
There was support for all the actions included in the survey, with greatest support for
• Strict enforcement of parking regulations around schools
• Better maintenance of pavements by Wirral Council
• Stronger action by Wirral Police against people cycling fast on pavements
• Company vans to stop parking on pavements
• Wirral Police to treat narrowing of pavements to less than 1.8 metres (by parked vehicles etc.) as obstruction of the highway
• Wirral Council to supply the public with "Pavements are for People" windscreen stickers that can be applied to illegally parked vehicles
• Generally better enforcement of parking regulations by the Police and Council
• A reduction in the standard speed limit on residential roads from 30 mph to 20 mph
Other actions suggested by respondents included: Stricter enforcement of speed limits, Wheelie bins should be put back in an orderly fashion after being emptied, Overgrown hedges should be cut back; More routes for safe cycling.
The Report is being sent to decision-makers in the Borough.
See the full report
June 2009 Wirral Survey of pedestrians' concerns
Wirral pedestrians were invited to complete an online survey in June 2009.
There were 90 responses. The main concerns were:
| Major concern | Minor concern | Not a concern/ no response | |
| Vehicles parked on street corners, making crossing difficult | 64 | 22 | 4 |
| Traffic speeds too high and too timidly enforced | 58 | 28 | 4 |
| Vehicles driving onto and parking on pavements | 56 | 23 | 11 |
| Parking outside schools e.g. on or opposite zig-zags | 56 | 14 | 20 |
| Pavements damaged by vehicles | 51 | 24 | 15 |
| Cyclists cycling fast on pavements | 51 | 22 | 17 |
| Unsafe routes for schoolchildren e.g. crossing busy roads | 50 | 24 | 16 |
| Street layouts designed for vehicles rather than pedestrians | 49 | 29 | 12 |
| Pavements fouled by dogs | 45 | 35 | 10 |
| Pavements obstructed by protruding branches & shrubs from gardens | 30 | 42 | 18 |
| Key pedestrian routes not well linked | 28 | 43 | 19 |
| Pavements damaged by tree roots etc | 27 | 40 | 23 |
| Narrow pavements | 25 | 39 | 26 |
There was a feeling that conditions have worsened for pedestrians over the last 12 months.
See the full report
September 2008 Survey
Wirral residents were asked about their concerns affecting pedestrians as follows:
"Please could you spend a few moments replying to this email to let us know what your concerns are. We will then combine these responses (anonymously) and pass them on to the Council. As this stage, we are just looking for your main concerns, and so please limit your reply to 10 to 30 words or so. We will be doing more detailed surveys in the future."
There were 12 responses, with a total of 48 concerns. These can be summarised as follows (e.g. 7 respondents mentioned vehicles on pavements, and so on):
| Number | Concern |
| 7 | Vehicles on pavements (driving along / parking on pavements) especially Council vehicles / or with the tacit approval of the authorities |
| 5 | Pavements obstructed by protruding branches & shrubs from gardens |
| 4 | Narrow pavements - pavements should be widened, not narrowed |
| 4 | Cyclists cycling on pavements - particularly if cycling fast |
| 3 | Pavements damaged by vehicles, tree roots etc |
| 3 | Street layouts designed for vehicles rather than pedestrians |
| 2 | Vehicles parked on street corners, making crossing difficult |
| 2 | Safe routes for schoolchildren e.g. crossing busy roads |
| 2 | Traffic speeds are too high and too timidly enforced. |
| 2 | Parking outside schools - on or opposite zig-zags |
| 2 | Better linking of key routes |
The following were each mentioned by one respondent:
Pedestrian crossing times too short
Shop goods extending onto pavements
Litter, dog excrement
Shop signs obstructing pavements
Cars failing to stop at zebra crossings
I should like to see a tree planting programme,
Deep puddles on some pavements
More pedestrian-only areas
Street lighting powered by renewable energy
Dangerous litter bins
Lack of signs
Bins obstructing pavements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------