Woodvale’s Liverpool Road Bottleneck – when will it be sorted out?

When are councillors and the authorities going to address the issue of traffic coming into Southport off the Formby Bypass at Woodvale?

For years, north travelling motorists have struggled for position when entering the bottleneck that forms on Liverpool Road, opposite Woodvale Road.

Cars in the left hand lane are frequently bullied by more reckless drivers to the right, as the road narrows and they vie for position.  

Drivers are frequently unable (or unwilling) to agree on who has right of way and so race ahead to gain advantage. This in turn produces a dangerous situation in which tempers are strained, leading to road rage issues.  

Ainsdale’s Cllr Haydn Preece also agrees that the situation is currently unacceptable. He stated…

“You can get stuck behind a vehicle indicating right or from the lights the two merge into one quite rapidly encouraging the motorists to accelerate to beat the other. It is potentially dangerous especially to visitors who are not familiar with this sudden narrowing, which isn’t clearly signed.”

In a perfect world common courtesy between drivers would be all that was needed. However, in reality this bottleneck sees race-track mentality take place, as drivers fight for position.

This creates daily fears and frustration for many drivers. A sensible solution is required.