Update: Grange Road West, Birkenhead
As the six‑month trial of traffic measures on Grange Road West in Birkenhead approaches its conclusion, Wirral Council has set out its intended next steps based on monitoring and feedback received to date.
The Grange Road West element of the Town Centre programme was introduced as a trial one‑way system between the Charing Cross junction and Clayton Street, with traffic travelling westbound only.
The aim of the trial was to assess whether changes to traffic movement could improve the operation of the Charing Cross junction and support safer, more accessible routes for pedestrians into the town centre.
As part of the trial, coloured surfacing, planters and benches were installed to help define pedestrian areas and slow vehicle speeds. These were deliberately temporary, lower‑cost measures designed to test how the street functioned in practice, without committing to major civil engineering works such as altering kerb lines or drainage.
All benches and planters removed from the area will be repurposed and reused in other areas of the borough to support ongoing improvement projects across schools and parks.
From the outset, the scheme was introduced as a trial, with the clear understanding that any longer‑term arrangements would be informed by evidence and by what local residents and businesses told us.
In the months leading up to the six‑month trial deadline, the council has been monitoring how the measures have operated, assessing their impact on traffic flow, and listening carefully to feedback from people living, working and trading in the area.
The original proposals were subject to public consultation, with findings previously reported to the Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee in July 2023. As the current trial period draws to a close, officers have been considering a range of potential options for the street’s future, including:
- Fully closing the Grange Road West / Charing Cross junction to vehicles and creating a fully pedestrianised space
- Retaining the one‑way system and introducing permanent kerbs to formalise pedestrian areas
- Retaining the one‑way system, removing planters, surfacing and street furniture, and reinstating parking
- Returning Grange Road West to its original two‑way traffic arrangement and removing all trial features
Based on monitoring data and feedback received so far, the council’s current view is that the one‑way traffic system itself has generally worked well and has helped improve the operation of the Charing Cross junction.
However, the temporary features introduced as part of the trial — including coloured surfacing, planters and benches — have generated significant concern locally, with many responses calling for their removal and for parking to be reinstated.
Leader of Wirral Council, Cllr Paula Basnett, said:
We know that the changes on Grange Road West have been a real concern for many residents and businesses, and it’s important to be clear that these measures were always a trial.”
Over the last six months we’ve been monitoring how they’ve worked and, just as importantly, listening to what people have told us about how it feels and functions day to day. The evidence shows that the one‑way system has improved how the Charing Cross junction operates, but it’s also very clear that some of the trial features – particularly the surfacing, planters and benches – are not what people want in this location.”
We are acting on that feedback. Retaining the one‑way system while removing the unpopular features and reinstating parking is the option that best reflects what we’ve heard and balances traffic movement with the needs of the town centre. We understand the strength of feeling around this issue, and we will continue to listen as these changes are made.
Subject to the six‑month trial formally concluding and the statutory process being completed, the council’s intention is therefore to progress with Option 3. This would retain the one‑way traffic system while removing the temporary surfacing, planters and street furniture and reinstating kerbside parking along Grange Road West.
