I have mentioned this on the Newsham Park thread but I think it is worth noting here as there will be an obvious impact on residential areas close to the town centre. Already you can see similar situations exist in many areas of Liverpool - Kensington being a prime example as it is close to the City Centre but essentially cut off from it, other areas and within it there are divides, caused to an extent by major roads.

Anyway, here is the point!:
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"In the late 1960s Appleyard conducted a renowned study on livable streets, comparing three residential streets in San Francisco which on the surface did not differ on much else but their levels of traffic. The 2,000 vehicles per day street was considered Light Street, 8,000 traveled on Medium Street and 16,000 vehicles passing down Heavy Street. His research showed that residents of Light Street had three more friends and twice as many acquaintances as the people on Heavy Street.

Further, as traffic volume increases, the space people considered to be their territory shrank. Appleyard suggested that these results were related, indicating that residents on Heavy Street had less friends and acquaintances precisely because there was less home territory (exchange space) in which to interact socially.

Light Street was a closely knit community. Front steps were used for sitting and chatting, sidewalks for children to play and for adults to stand and pass the time of day, especially around the corner store, and the roadway for children and teenagers to play more active games like football. Moreover, the street was seen as a whole and no part was out of bounds.

Heavy Street, on the other hand, had little or no sidewalk activity and was used solely as a corridor between the sanctuary of individual homes and the outside world. Residents kept very much to themselves, and there was virtually no feeling of community. The difference in the perceptions and experience of children and the elderly across the two streets was especially striking"

Essentially, a divide is created. And the research shows that there is a higher percentage of mental health problems within high-volume traffic areas. In the inner-cities we are already most affected by this. It is criminal that people either have this inflicted upon them or inflict it on others. Even worse when it comes down to what is in your pocket as to whether you are victim or perpetrator.
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So the issue is not simply a "green" one, nor is it essentially an air quality issue either. Sheer volumes of traffic WILL have a detrimental effect on the residents.

Along with most local residents, the 3 Labour councillors representing the Marybone area are strongly opposed to the widening of Leeds Street as part of the City Centre Movement Strategy.

We'll be supporting the march and local residents' calls for a public inquiry on the proposals, which have not taken into account the potential public health implications of increased traffic in the area with a high proportion of elderly residents and children which already has a high incidence of asthma and respiratory disease.

Good for the residents to have your support as well Nick. Can you raise any objections to this on your shadow "green issues" platform?

Assemble for march at 8.45am outside Holy Cross School, Fontenoy Street L3 on Wednesday 1st September.

After the 'Cloud' fiasco here we have yet another example of arrogance on
behalf of Liverpool City Council. Another example of putting the cart
before the horse! Only this time it is an Invisible Cloud of noxious fumes
looming ominously over the Marybone area of our City.

What irks me most is that the LCCMS actually acknowledge that things will
get even worse in our area. Below is an extract from the LCC Report which
will be put to the Traffic and Highways Committee On Wednesday 1st
September:

'Clearly the movement of traffic from more core areas of the city centre to
the periphery, although advantageous for the centre as a whole, must have
an adverse impact on those areas adjacent to the increased traffic flows
and it is accepted that Marybone falls into this category.'

How dare they make such a statement! Do they really expect us to sit back
and accept this preposterous proposal? Well they've got another think
coming!

Let me put you in the picture. The community I live in can be considered as
an 'Island' and is one of the oldest existing communities in Liverpool. We
can trace our Liverpool Heritage back to over 200 years. It covers an area
of roughly 500 yards square and is surrounded by four major roads, Byrom
Street, Leeds Street, Vauxhall Road and Great Crosshall Street.

Contrary to the popular conception of 'Inner City Communities' ours is a
quiet, peaceful and thriving community, much sort after by big developers
of luxury apartment blocks (which by the way is another of our
problems...the robber bees around our honey).

We have a thriving and growing Infant school, a youth centre, sheltered
accommodation, old peoples bungalows, family housing with front and back
gardens, a medical centre and local shops, all of which has been fought
hard for and we are not about to give it up, or be forced out as easily as
they think!

Liverpool vision has described Marybone as an important, traditional family
area which should be supported and maintained.

As you have read in the leading article the air around our community is
already designated as being one of the two 'bad' areas (AQMA's), along with
the Rocket Junction.

We refuse to be the sacrificial lambs to the god of popularity. We demand
our right, as long standing members of the Community of Liverpool, to
breathe clean air and watch our community thrive and prosper.

PS. After a complaint by MICRA, the venue for the Traffic and Highways
Committee Meeting has now been changed from Millennium House to the Town
Hall, 10 AM, 1st September,.

Please join us in our protest by joining our March to stop the council
riding roughshod over our community. We need your support!

Assemble outside Holy Cross School, Fontenoy Street, L3 at 8.30 on the day.