Urban Transit by Jonathon Heyes

LIVERPOOL A Guide

Jonathon Heyes

Angus Donald

URBAN TRANSIT

CONTENTS Foreword: From a cyclist to Liverpool Foreword: Skatebording in our cities Liverpool City Guide: City Centre Old Town Ropewalks Waterfront Baltic Triangle Cathedrals and University Suburbia References

A FOREWORD: From a cyclist, to Liverpool Angus Donald

***** Cycling around Liverpool can only be described as frustrating. At night, Liverpool city centre, the docks and the main roads surrounding it are some of the most peaceful, calm and surreal spaces I have ever ridden, providing a sense of freedom and solitude that I haven’t found anywhere else. Unfortunately the illusion of Liverpool as a cyclist’s city is shattered at dawn as inconsiderate motorists, taxi and bus drivers once again dominate the streets. At what point was so little consideration and provision made for the most efficient and sustainable form of urban transit? It isn’t as though Liverpool is unique and particularly backwards compared to the rest of the United Kingdom, but the United Kingdom has fallen far behind its European neighbours. Amsterdam is world renowned as a haven for cyclists within the city. Mention Amsterdam to anyone and if the first thing they think of isn’t cycling then it’s probably legal marijuana. For locals cycling is an essential part of their everyday lives and it often seems like children can ride a bike before they can walk. Bicycles are not a status symbol to the Dutch they are instead a sturdy companion, often single speed and with a coaster break they are merely the most efficient and enjoyable form of travelling around the city. Parents cycle with their children on top of the seat tube, business people cycle to work in their suits and friends converse side by side along the canals . For a tourist the only way to explore the beautiful picture postcard streets and canals is by bicycle, in fact the whole city is pretty much an urban cycling park. But how has this happened? Well it’s largely down to Dutch stubbornness. Pre war Amsterdam was awash with bicycles, as were most other European cities. However after the war, Holland was not immune from the spreading of the motorcar. Traffic increased, and the city responded by building wider streets and bridges, and by 1970 the percentage of journeys by bicycle dropped from 75% to 25%. The residents fought back, given cause to fight by the 3000 deaths (including 450 children) that occurred on the roads in Holland in 1971 . The social movement ‘Stop de Kindermoord’ (Stop the child murder) was formed and in conjunction with the Middle East oil crisis in 1973 enough doubt was formed over the motorcar to inspire change. In response the government pushed city planners to address a cycling infrastructure, a vast network of cycle paths was built, and continues to be added to. Included in this is ‘the main cycling network’, an array of cycle paths so comprehensive that commuters rarely have to share the road with cars, and other routes bearing signs that read ‘bike street - cars are guests’. Amsterdam is clearly the ideal when it comes to attitude and infrastructure, but this is so engrained within the Dutch culture, thanks to those who drove for change in the 70’s, that it is difficult to comprehend an equal stance ever being taken by us Brits! So perhaps some answers for change can be found elsewhere. In Copenhagen, whilst the city historically holds a similar cycling mantel to Amsterdam, the drive to continue to improve an already incredible cycling infrastructure is simply part of a bigger picture, namely the aim to make Copenhagen carbon neutral by 2025. If it isn’t already, Copenhagen is striving to become the most pleasant city for cycling in the world, moreover it is encouraging others to do the same

through the Copenhagenize Index. The initiative to rank cities across the world using a range of criteria, into a cycle friendly order, aims to act as a catalyst for improvement. Unsurprisingly not one city within the UK featured on the 2013 list. The index has pushed for cities worldwide to seek the help of Copenhagen’s city planners to improve their own towns. Copenhagen’s cycling success is impressive, 35% of commuters cycle to work, (55% in the city centre), creating 0 tonnes of CO2 emissions . Cycling seems safe on all of its roads, with 211 miles of cycle routes throughout the city. Perhaps most importantly, these include both a segregated network of routes alongside vehicle routes as well as ‘green’ cycle routes that pass through parks and green spaces, completely undisturbed by cars. These ‘green’ routes give cyclists a route that is utterly enjoyable. Should you find yourself on a main cycle track or route into town at a peak time, the chances are you will hit a ‘green wave’, a traffic system that ensures a cyclist travelling at 12mph is swept along a string of green lights for the length of their journey . The implementation of the ‘green wave’ not only shows the hierarchy being offered to cyclists but also guarantees that cycling is the fastest way of moving around the city. Coming back onto home soil, I worry about how badly wrong we seem to be getting this. Between 2006-11, 2.3million was supposedly invested in Liverpool’s cycling infrastructure. Having been a student and cyclist here since 2011 I feel very much qualified to say that I have never seen any evidence of this. Placing Liverpool’s and Copenhagen’s proposals side by side is worrying enough, although the content maybe similar and hopefully we are beginning to learn how to Copenhagenize, Liverpool’s document is the most uninspiring, dreary piece of information you could lay eyes on, in comparison to Copenhagen’s vibrant, positive and graphically stimulating equivalent, how can we hope to inspire change if the effort at the very roots is so uninspired. Cambridge is perhaps one of the UK’s most advanced cities when it comes to cycling with 18% of people cycling to work in 2011 . However even in Cambridge priorities seem to be confused, in a recent super market development that provided 2000 spaces for car parking only 20 bike stands were provided . How can we be pushing to encourage the use of cycles for health and wellbeing as well as trying to reduce the city’s carbon footprint if we continue to provide no infrastructure whatsoever? The same problem blights Liverpool’s centre, the development of Liverpool One brought a new car park to fit 1900 cars in whilst providing cycle parking for only 50 cycles . To truly encourage the increase of cycling within Liverpool and not just talk over the positive health implications of taking up two wheels three stages must be achieved. All aspects of the journey must be considered, provision of cycling storage at home as well as high quality guidance and training for new cyclists. Secondly a safe network of cycle routes, which are comfortable and connect key parts of the city unaffected by traffic speed and congestion. Finally at the destination, cycle parking is needed at schools, workplaces, public services and leisure facilities . 2013 was supposed to see Liverpool launch its bike sharing initiative in the city centre, this didn’t happen. Maybe if we look at the prime examples of cycling success, this for the time being may be positive. Introducing such a scheme in a city so lacking in cycling infrastructure might not have had a positive outcome. If these objectives can be achieved there is no reason why cycling could not become the favoured form of urban transit. Our city can evolve into the city described below, an outtake from Copenhagen’s city cycling strategy.

“A bicycle-friendly city is a city with more space, less noise, cleaner air, healthier citizens and a better economy. It’s a city that is a nicer place to be in and where individuals have a higher quality of life. Where accessibility is high and there is a short route from thought to action if one wants to head out into nature, participate in cultural or sports activities or buy locally. Bicycle traffic is therefore not a singular goal but rather an effective tool to use when creating a liveable city with space for diversity and development.” - The city of Copenhagen’s cycling strategy 2011-25 I believe cycling is the most enjoyable way of travelling, you are able to travel at your own pace and therefore have an interaction with your surrounding; you can gain an appreciation of surface and space that is lost when travelling by car. If you slow your pace down you see far more and you are able to interpret your route as you see fit. There is so much to see in Liverpool that is being overlooked by road users every day. I don’t think you can truly know the place that you are in until you have cycled in it and felt the sense of freedom that comes with it. London 2012 happened, it was wonderful, but it’s been over for more than a year and its legacy, a healthier more inspired Britain doesn’t exactly seem on the cards. So surely if we can ride the Olympic wave for a little longer, now is the perfect time to start making genuine and accurate improvements to our cities cycling infrastructure and therefore the cities themselves. *****

A FOREWORD: Skateboarding in our cities Jonathon Heyes

Perhaps unconsciously, skateboarders and architects work together every day, and nowhere is more concentrated with their concrete playgrounds than our cities, where skateboarders utilise all of its “nooks and crannies”, [aa] exploring and rejuvenating our city’s neglected spaces. Skateboarders give life to these spaces and elements of architecture in ways inconceivable to the designer. And this bridge has, every so often, been fulfilled; skateboarders becoming architects, and vice versa, as I myself have made the step from skateboarding to architecture. Skaters by their nature are urban guerrillas: they make everyday use of the useless artefacts of the technological burden, and employ the handiwork of the government/corporate structure in a thousand ways that the original architect couldn’t dream of” Craig Stecyk, 1976 [a] A spatial understanding is a primary skill required for skateboarding. Time and space are ratified intensely during a line, which can have both set and free intentions for its end product. Speed of travel, compared to a bicycle, gives for much more of an experience of the spaces along a route, rather than the route itself. A storyboard of start and end points in time and space is imagined, sometimes over the course of a line lasting mere seconds. The Derive is dictated randomly by tiny fluctuations in direction, surface, and body position, an outcome is produced. Tricks are performed striving for absolute perfection, often attempting them over and over until it occurs. An understanding of the effects of physics is developed, (forces and equilibrium, surface friction, moments, centripetal acceleration) and the effect of the body on balancing, turning, spinning, and releasing the board from the ground, by endless practice. Skateboarders have been long developing a close relationship with architecture: travelling across its surfaces, connected by the wheels, trucks and deck of the skateboard and its hardware. Skateboarding began in the 1950’s in California, when the youth, enthralled by surfing, experimented with home made contraptions for ‘sidewalk surfers’. Made up of 2x4 planks of wood, nailed to metal wheels from old roller skates; these were little compared to the refined, engineered systems of today. “Such boards provided, for example, the children of east LA with a form of rattling neighborhood transport” Marcello Cruz, conversation (26 June 1989). [b] This attachment to your surrounding surfaces is a developed instinctively; perhaps from the experience of being thrown off by a stone or a crack in the pavement, sliding on wet surfaces or being vigorously vibrated by rough asphalt. A sensitivity is developed between feet and wheels, recognising the characteristics of a surface whilst moving, with knowledge of how the skateboard is about to react, and make quick decisions, especially prevalent on the broken, neglected and often puddled pavements of Liverpool. Architecturally a skateboarder’s domain can be defined by changes in surface, not necessarily masses and voids of architecture, but “the microarchitecture of surface grain, asperity, surface cracks and ripple”. [c] Rhythm and sound also play a strong part in special recognition, “aural salvos remind us that space is listened for” [book], with surface changes affecting the sound made by the skateboard. Modulation of

floor slabs, speed of movement, and the roughness dictate possible boundaries, obstacles and thresholds to the skateboard. These minute physical thresholds could change the way we plan the infrastructure of our cities, as opposed to the mere painted lines highlighting our cycle lanes, which are few and far between in Liverpool. The Oslo Opera House is a haven for skateboards, with its addition to the usable landscape. The design encompasses spaces for skateboarding, occurring in zones purposefully acoustically and visually separated from performance space, dictated by forms and surfaces off limits to skateboards. A gift to skateboarding from architecture was the modernist revolution; an influx of smooth concrete plazas, ornamented with sharp lines and multiple levels. Tony Bracali wrote “Skateboarding energized many of these poorly conceived and underutilized spaces with a new activity” in his essay “Thanks Le Corbusier (from the skateboarders)”. [d] The city, as a collection of architecture, is highly saturated with skateboarding opportunities; only removed by their persecution. Skateboarders understand material qualities of architecture in all matter of environments: the limitations and actions that must be performed to pull off trick mastery. Whether it is for complete intrinsic value, or for a film for the Internet to behold, an understanding of the urban environment and elements of architecture is paramount. The architecture of our buildings and their surroundings provide space for creativity to flow, sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally. “Skateboarding offers the potential to relate the body and architecture in new, exhilarating ways” [e] London’s Southbank undercroft was never intended to become the iconic space it has. And yet, the space is being threatened by capitalist-driven efforts to give the space to the consumer industry; highlighting the hierarchy of society, handing over an iconic space to skateboarders and passing audiences alike to a measly couple of shops. “We [currently] have this fascination with buildings becoming topography”,[f] environments ideal to extreme sports. Architects are even beginning to design with the intent of societal cohesion, such as Zaha Hadid’s “design for the Phaeno Science Center to be an all-inclusive venue for pedestrians and skateboarders”. [g] Negativity toward skateboarding is a strong issue in Britain, stemming from both the influence of reactionary tabloid journalism, and some from negative experiences with skateboarders. But it is those with strong opinions who go noticed in a democracy; those without a care do not voice it. To scapegoat the minority and stereotype all skateboarders is a disparate tragedy, which can be diverse in nature. In its early days skateboarding became a major mode of transport, beginning in poorer parts of California. In the 1960s and 1970s, skateboarding had boomed, with mainstream manufacturers like Humco selling millions of boards.[h] The excitement stretched far from the youth of California, to businessmen of New York, and worldwide, looking for a fun way of commuting to work. This seems lost in today’s society, solely because of the stigma attached to skateboarding in the United Kingdom. Longboards, however, are now becoming a trend amongst people of all ages, seen as an alternative to the challenge of conventional skateboard, providing faster, smoother and quieter travel, which is easier to learn. During its initial beginnings

as a sport, skateboarders imitated the smooth turning techniques of surfing on concrete, and the shape of the deck was curved, to resemble a small surfboard. This is continued in the development of the longboard. This evolution is both reuniting nostalgic parents with skateboarding, as well as a new prospect as a way of commuting. (And hopefully, the dissolution of the umbrella of stigmatisation of skateboarding in society, currently enveloping longboarding.) Barcelona has become a mecca for skateboarders of all different types. There is a distinct local understanding of skateboards, which reside as a form of transport with the bicycles, in designated, well-spaced lanes. There is also a passion for exquisite architecture missing from British society, in all spaces independent of their functional importance. This provides a great environment for people in the city, and to skateboard in, combined with the mostly wonderful weather, city beach and sangria, of course. A question of the United Kingdom, is where, in the infrastructure of our cities, do skateboarders use for travelling? Classification of transport prevents them from often using our roads, cycle lanes or pavements. With the boom in personal public transport, and a huge variety in types of sustainable urban transport, where these devices reside in our highway infrastructure is a pressing issue, resolved not by capitalist-driven urban planners, but thoughtful design for a sustainable future. Segways, powered scooters and roller-skates… huge varieties of personal mobility are being developed. And as electric motors prevail, sustainability becomes of greater importance, and more and more people live in our cities, this category of transport will become much more popular. We cannot continue this strict policy of either walking or driving, with transport including cycling being pushed to the side. Limits of what can be achieved on skateboards have always been pushed, leading to many different kinds of methods and types of riding. The Zephyr team, in the dilapidated Venice Beach, California, were a hardy team of surfers from the Zephyr Surf Shop, whose youth following adopted skateboarding. They developed a signature style, became the first real icons of the sport. This group of skaters, such as Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta, were attributed to ‘birth of modern skateboarding’. “We worked and worked creating new moves, new this, new that. Everybody brought something to the team; everybody did something different. Everybody had a different style, and that’s what the whole thing was all about.” (Jeff Ho, Zephyr Team Member) [i] This rebellious, or more revolutionary and creative attitude, is what has made skateboarding what it is today. Skateboarders seek out the most radical or grand scale of props and sets to perform, and record, their form of athletic theatre. Grinding down handrails, leaping down stairs over ten steps in length, whilst the board flips mesmerizingly underneath their feet with incredible levels of control. But it is this level of exploration that has brought persecution to skateboarders. The Zephyr team began, during a drought in the area, practicing in empty swimming pools “adapting from waves to walls with stylistic finesse”. [j] “Within the aggression, edge condition was paramount, the skater addressing the very limits of the wall, and the precise micro-space of the skateboard wheel and truck in relation to that edge”, [k] feeling minor changes in the balance of the board in relation to

their own centre of gravity. The skaters were deemed to be trespassing on property, and this may have been the early beginning of stigmatism of skateboarding. But with this, began the idea of riding on transition, developing into the skateparks we now know: spaces created solely for skateboarders. Creation of these spaces requires intense designing, based on the limitations of a skateboard. Often seen as contrived, they are too often designed by city planners, placing ramps randomly and thoughtlessly on a stretch of poor concrete. It is here where the objective of containing skateboarders, extreme cyclists on BMX bikes, or children on scooters falls down. If we are to confine these creative minds to a space, it must be designed to give endless possibilities. It needs the eye of a skateboarder. Professional skateboarder and landscape architect Janne Saario echoes this in his plazas and skate parks, which integrate the local environment and contextual thematics into their designs. With the evolution of street skateboarding, skateparks have developed into plazas, which mimic our architectural endeavors, based on what skateboarders have achieved outside of the skatepark. These have been an opportunity for reuse and recycling, as well as temporary spaces, such as Converseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cons Space 00 Series, where disused spaces were transformed into art and skateboarding exhibitions. A fusion of the space for skateboarding and public could create an inspiring realm, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The social practice of skateboarding challenges prescribed notions of public exchange and forwards alternative visions of the city.â&#x20AC;? [l] So why recreate our architecture in spaces completely separated from society, to avoid persecution, rather than provide ample space for coexisting safely and unimposingly in our cities? *****

LIVERPOOL A City Guide

LIVERPOOL CENTRE Liverpool One to Lime St

Liverpool’s modern day centre is a shopping mecca for retail enthusiasts, a black spot for cyclists. The commuters of central Amsterdam and Barcelona would wretch at the sight of the wide-open boulevards of Church Street and Lord Street, with not a provision or an ounce of respect for those using sustainable urban transport. How a city encouraging these modes of environmentally friendly transport can pass bye-laws against skateboarding and cycling in its central district is a crime itself, driven by a capitalist notion to retail and ‘the consumer’, and complete municipal ignorance. Like many British cities, an attitude has been developed opposing the act of skateboarding. Liverpool, in the modern day centre of Lord Street and Liverpool One, has an almost zero-tolerance policy toward skateboarders, regardless of its nature. And yet, by night or by weekday, when the city isn’t overrun by the hoards of shoppers, some still make their trip by bicycle or longboard, and what a joyous surface it is to use. Liverpool One has transformed a dilapidated area of the city centre into a modern extension of Liverpool’s historic centre. Mainly consisting of chain shops and restaurants, the content provides little toward local culture or produce of interest to the traveller. To enjoy the real cultural aspect of Liverpool, and a fulfilling derive

by skateboard or bicycle, this area of Liverpool should be left behind. Nearby Liverpool’s oldest surviving building, The Bluecoat Gallery, houses art exhibitions and teaching, as well as a fantastic coffee bar. Also in the area, heading south along Hanover Street uncovers more bars and restaurants, as well as an Evans cycle shop, bordering the southern end of the Ropewalks district. Care should be taken here; Hannover Street is a minefield of buses and taxis, heading towards the town’s major bus station at Liverpool One. For a commonly used, and somewhat tolerated skate spot, however, head west along Lord Street to Derby Square. The historic site of the former castle overlooked by the brutalist Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts. Benches, ledges and the steps surrounding Queen Victoria’s statue provide ample, relatively smooth space for grinds and fliptricks. The more daring will use the edges, steps and rails of Liverpool’s biggest train station, the monumental Lime Street. St. Johns Shopping Centre, Liverpool’s seventies shopping centre and market, is now the centre of cheap copies of high street fashions, fishmongers and butchers, left in the wake of Liverpool One. The Radio City tower, formerly a revolving restaurant, provides a beacon for the nomadic traveller or those drunk in search of a familiar area. Around the centre are great stairsets for skateboards, and the open expanse of Williamson Square. But like the majority of spots in the city centre, these could only be safely used for street skateboarding in the dead of night.

Formerly a grand area of town, some of the extravagantly designed public houses and buildings remain, such as the 1907 Baroque pub building the Vines, but the area is in dyer need of a ‘spruce up’. Renshaw Street leads towards the Ropewalks area of the city, but is somewhat in a state of disrepair. With lots of buses and taxis in the area, it is a difficult place to cycle or skateboard. The Adelphi Hotel was once regarded as Britain’s most luxurious hotel, and will perhaps be rejuvenated by the redevelopment of the former Lewis’s department store, just opposite. Grand Central Hall, once a methodist meeting place, is now an eclectic mix of local shops, “warren of stalls are a tonic to chain store-weary senses”. [sevenstreets] Catering to some of the more alternative and colourful personalities, it is inhabited with many of the tattoo artists, vintage chic and rock music fashionistas of Liverpool. Despite the proximity from the major train station, there are little provisions for cycle lanes on the surrounding roads. Opposite, along the great highway plaza of Grand Central is Liverpool’s largest building, the neoclassical St Georges Hall; and impressive colonnade with incredible interiors, once described. Geoff Rowley, Liverpool’s best professional skateboarding export, says he always goes for a roll around the Plateau surrounding the building. Opposite Doctor Duncan’s, a pub named after Liverpool’s medicinal saviour, and next to St George’s Hall, is the pleasant St John’s Gardens. Opening out into a fantastically grand collection of classically designed architecture of stone, William Brown Street is a remarkable collection of public spaces, culminating at the entrance to one of Liverpool’s tunnels, Queensway (though prohibited to cyclists). The Museum houses a fantastic global collection, and the library’s spectacular Picton reading room is well worth a visit. It also houses the world’s most expensive book, Birds of America. Continuing up the street, the Walker Art Gallery and the Empire Theatre reverberate in the grandeur of the area. ***** Refuelling Lunya, BEM Brasil, the Hub, Bistro France, The Crown, Doctor Duncans, The Vines, Tavern on the Green

OLD TOWN Castle St, Water St, Mathew St

Liverpool’s old town and now the business district is built around the seven ancient streets. Old Hall St, Tithebarn Street, Juggler Street, Dale Street, Castle Street, Water Street and Chapel Street, and bound to the east by the Strand, originally the banks of the Mersey. Although a minefield of one way systems the area is well serviced by 2 train stations, James Street and Moorfields, leaving the streets fairly quiet throughout the day, and therefore make reasonably comfortable cycling. Buses can still be an issue, so keep your wits about you. Leave the shopping district via Matthew St, officially pedestrian so keep your eyes peeled for anyone official looking as by-laws prevent cyclists and skateboarders from using the smooth quiet streets. The reason for approaching the old town this way is to pass or pop into one of Liverpool contemporary icons, The Cavern Club. Built in 1957 , the club is known best as being an early venue for The Beatles, live music is still the main purpose of The Cavern Club, with local artists and big names filling the opening hours. From Matthew St cut up through Cook St (against the traffic so take care) you open out on to Castle Street, follow it to the corner of Dale Street and the building in front of you is the Town Hall. Originally designed in the mid 1700’s by John Wood, it has be modified and reconstructed through the years. Wood, from Bath, was considered one of the great architects of his time, Liverpool’s wealth and lack of architectural flair lead to his commission . Turning left onto Water St offers you

an open aspect of the view between the Cunard building and the Liver Building. Another of Liverpool’s ancient streets, Water St is incredibly architecturally diverse, from Martins Bank to Oriel Chambers it showcases a wonderful range of facades. An area that should be driving to encourage commuters to cycle unfortunately has a distinct lack of provision for cyclists. The one-way system being the biggest issue, cycle specific lanes would improve the efficiency and enjoyment of a commute by bicycle. As stated being well served by the rail network it should be further encouraged to combine these two modes of transport. Return to this part of town late at night and you will probably find it some of the most enjoyable cycling in the city, the streets come alive with an orange glow from the street lights and there is little to no traffic. As the area is fairly low in residential buildings and the one-way system encourages taxis to avoid it completely or end up travelling round in circles. The small interconnecting alleys and streets make for some really interesting routes. Last year the area was heavily featured in a Liverpool night race, organised by a local bike messenger taking encouraging steps to increase the presence of cyclists on Liverpool’s roads. Another cheeky haunt that comes to life at this time of night is Jenny’s, formerly a Seafood Restaurant, just off Fenwick St. Pass the intimidating looking bouncers and head downstairs into a 70’s time warp. Enjoy probably the best cocktails in Liverpool as well as the very best of 70’s funk. ***** Refuelling Jenny’s, Racquet Club/Ziba, Newz Bar, Flanagan’s Apple, Fonsecas, Ethnical Glass

ROPEWALKS Bold St, Berry St and Duke St.

The Ropewalks, encompassing Bold St, Berry St and extending to Duke St, are a historic centre of town which has developed a thousand-fold in the recent decades. Once an industrial zone of rope making and similar activities, which characterises the long streets laid out for lengths of rope. With yarn bombed* trees, lights stretched above the street twinkling, It possesses a great local and youth culture, and has become one of Liverpool’s best cultural offerings for local shops, bars and restaurants. Bold Street possesses the magic of a street that cannot be fabricated by city planners, and is one of Liverpool’s best locations to grab a coffee form an independent café. Mostly prohibited to cars, and with defined pavements and roadway, it is relatively easy to cycle along even when relatively busy. Bold Street Coffee is well known by local cyclists, for both its fantastic cups of Joe, as well as the cycling events organised for the public. Another Venture by the local Baristas is Duke St Espresso Bar, found on the nearby Duke Street. Lost Art is Liverpool’s only skate shop, so its impact on the skateboard scene is recognisable, as well as a reactive push toward getting a local skatepark. Skateboarders representing the store are seen across the city’s spots, with aspiring youths stickered to the hilt with the locally iconic logo. The beacon at the top of Bold Street is St. Lukes church; designed by John Foster Sr, and built in 1811, the internal was bombed and engulfed in flames during the Blitz of Liverpool during the Second World War. The church now hosts a variety of music events and exhibitions, inhabited by free spirits of the world. The steps in front of the building have also become a skateboard haven, for the general ignorance of the authorities, and the gardens within used as a place of refuge from the city. St Peter’s Square is one of Liverpool’s most widely used skate spots, with benches and ledges, as well as the odd powerslide contest. In the Parr Street and Seel Street area is one of the United Kingdom’s best restaurants, Alma de Cuba, and bars such as East Village Arts Club and Heebie Jeebies can be found. FACT is one of Liverpool’s creative hubs, for independent film and cinema. Stop here for a local or international movie with a cold beer, or a café from the café below. The creativity inside spills out into the spaces around, with floor and wall art in the space in front, and a space to the rear formerly devoted to a film exhibit, now a good open space with slopes and steps, ideal for skateboarding. Be weary of the local residents in flats and apartments above late at night, however. Concert Square was once a dilapidated area of car parking, but a local venture has transformed it into a vibrant square of bars and nightclubs. Adjacent to the square, through the transience of day, a small, well-surfaced alleyway consisting of a stairset and a vastly long ledge becomes a great little skateboarding spot. The area of Ropewalks, heading towards the city and Hannover Street, has a great variety of traditional and Irish pubs, to nightclubs open until the early hours, catering to any desire for drinks, environments and music. Duke Street, and the recently adopted East Village public space, has a good variety of window ledges and entrance stairsets, in a not too hectic environment. The backstreets of Ropewalks provide a challenge to cyclists and skateboarders alike,

with cobbles and rough brick paving. Wolstenholme Square is no objection to this, housing a vivid, wavy sculpture of floating spheres, outside two of Liverpool’s best known music venues: the Kazimier and Nation. Watch out for Liverpool Sound City festival, a showcase of both local and worldwide musical talent. With events across the city, but concentrated into bars and transformed industrial spaces around Ropewalks, it is a magical weekend. Berry Street leads from St Luke’s to the junction of Duke Street. Those with a taste for Whiskey or Gin should sample the inconspicuous Berry and Rye, a bar hidden behind a plain black façade, unsigned. The magnificent China Town gate at the end of Berry Street was built in Shanghai to honour the century old Chinese community of Liverpool, and a great variety of Chinese and Asian restaurants in the area give a sample of the local heritage Asian culture.

***** Refuelling Tapas Tapas, Bar Bodega, Lucha Libre, Alma de Cuba, Soul CafĂŠ, Leaf, Tabac, Bakchich, Berry and Rye, The Grapes, Shipping Forecast, Tribeca, Some Place, Santa Chupitos, Kasbah

THE WATERFRONT The Pier Head and beyond 28

Cross the Strand (the dual carriage way) on Water St and you will have The Royal Liver building on your right and the Cunard building on your left. Continue through and you arrive by the Pier Head ferry terminal, where the ferries departing inspired the iconic song. This whole area is built on land that was formerly part of the river, all the way back to the Strand. The Liver building as you now look back on it is on your left and is the first and probably most iconic of the three graces. Designed by Walter Aubrey Thomas, it was completed in 1911 . On top of both towers stand the fictional Liver bird, it is said that if either one was to fly away the city of Liverpool would cease to exist. The Cunard building sits next to it and then the Port of Liverpool buildings. These make up the three graces and much of Liverpoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recognisable shoreline. The Pier Head is also a diverse skate spot, with smooth concrete, ledges and step sets. At night the area is deserted and is probably the best time to skate.

Heading inland along the Mersey, you probably see more bicycles than anywhere else in the city, especially at the weekends. Just across the Canning Docks is the Albert Dock, an area of the waterfront that has undergone a huge and successful redevelopment since the 1980â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. A vibrant hub of restaurants and bars occupy the restored warehouses as well as Tate Liverpool on the riverside of the dock, with apartments filling the upper stories. The Albert Docks are in fact the most visited multi-use tourist attraction in the UK, outside of London . By Bicycle you can continue along the river on the Mersey cycle route, but take care the surface is mostly cobbled, whilst this is uncomfortable on a bike it is impossible to skateboard. For a path that is supposedly a recognised cycle route it could do with some major improvements. At present, although it takes you along the Mersey and can be a beautiful ride, it is disjointed and annoyingly stop starty. There is also no definition between a cycle path and a pedestrian path. Liverpool could learn a lot from cities such as Barcelona and its seafront promenades. Although pedestrians and cyclists share the space each path is clearly defined whether by a change in surface or a physical boundary. Not only does this help to improve the safety of pedestrians but also the flow of cyclists. Surface is vitally important, in Barcelona the fast and smooth lanes mean that the routes can also be enjoyed be skateboarders and cyclist alike, longboarding has therefore become a viable means of commuting. ***** Refuelling Circo, Gusto, Blue Bar, Liverpool Comedy Central, The Pumphouse, Smugglers Cove, Vinea, Bean Coffee, Brasco, Matau, Pan Am.

BALTIC TRIANGLE Jamaica St, Parliament St

Liverpool’s industrial heritage is a prevalent theme in many areas of the city. Liverpool had once been the world’s greatest shipping port, accommodating a great percentage of the global wealth. The docks played a vital role in the U.S and worldwide trade routes, and the city developed around them. The Baltic triangle was once a busy area of industry and storage of goods, with examples of the red brick warehouse, with long slots in its façade, seen across the area; many now transformed into apartments and modern space. Rough Trades named Liverpool one of their top ten cities to visit in 2014, “keep an eye out for new creative quarters like the Baltic Triangle, where bars and fashion studios are springing up in old, brick-built warehouses near the Mersey.” [rg]

After becoming essentially unused in Liverpool’s brief demise, cheap premises brought small businesses and industry to the triangle, and is now becoming one of Liverpool’s most popular creative hubs. Described as “Liverpool’s answer to New York’s Meatpacking District”, it has brought an influx of new studio spaces, with the Baltic Creative scheme. Also, Unit 51 houses a fantastic coffee shop, art exhibitions and meeting spaces. And in turn, hip bars such as the Camp and Furnace have arrived, a vibrant converted warehouse, with fantastic food, drinks and live music. With that demographic, seems to bring the collective goal of sustainable urban transport, transient with youth culture. The Contemporary Urban Centre, a redevelopment of an old warehouse building, also provides studio and office space, as well as a bar, the Baltic Social, and a Giant Bicycles Store (with a workshop, for any hardware mishaps). At the pinnacle of the Baltic Triangle on Jamaica Street is the beacon of the Cains Brewery: recently closed, but with plans for creation of a cultural centre, and reimagining of the nightmare of a pedestrian and road junction at Parliament Street. Skateboarders prize the area locally; New Bird Skate Park is a rough, broken concrete paradise, which has developed completely organically within Liverpool’s skateboarding scene, aside the interference of ignorant planners. Local skaters, armed with cheap concrete and strong will, “wearing hi-vis vests so that they looked like council workers”[docu], transformed the unused wasteland. Then through a series of protests and some local philanthropy, the land was donated and insured to the local shop, Lost Art, and so it has remained. And despite its rough and ready, DIY aesthetic, it has become iconic as a Liverpool spot, hosting international events by Nike SB and Vans, with skateboarders like Geoff Rowley and Eric Koston in attendance.

The pilgrimage of skateboarders arrives daily from Lost Art, across the newly smooth, newly laid concrete of Jamaica Street, synchronous with the development of the Baltic Triangle. Generous pavements are ideal for skateboarding, and surface changes on the roads crossing the pavements allow space for the casual cyclists to travel with minimal disturbance, and seemingly atop the hierarchy of travel. This kind of attention is something desperately needed in areas such as the Ropewalks. Just south of Liverpool One, off Wapping, has become a large development of apartments and hotels: ranging from a Hampton by Hilton to a Youth Hostel, all within great access to the Waterfront and Centre. The Baltic Fleet is known worldwide as an iconic sailors watering hole, secret tunnels leading to the docks, and its array of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ghostlyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; visitors. ***** Refuelling Camp and Furnace, Unit 51 (Baltic Creative), Elevator/ Baltic Social, Baltic Fleet, Baltic Bakehouse, Amalia

THE CATHEDRALS AND UNIVERSITY Hope Street, Mount Pleasant, Rodney St & Brownlow Hill.

A short distance from the City Centre up Mount Pleasant is Roscoe St, hang a right and a number 2 you will find a small bike shop that is currently the heart of Liverpool’s cycling scene. Predominantly a workshop producing magnificent custom builds it is the perfect place to drop in for spares, a browse or just to ask any questions about cycling in the city. Carry on up the hill and you will reach the open plaza that meets the steps of the Metropolitan Cathedral. Designed by Frederick Gibberd and built 1962-7 the Cathedral stands on top of the beginnings of an earlier far larger and more costly design by Edwin Lutyens. Gibberd favoured a centralised design over traditional longitudinal planning and is truly a product of its time, 1960’s monumental concrete . Ascend the stairs and enter through the huge doors into a vast space quite different from what you might expect. The interior remains in a sense classic, on a sunny day coloured light from the array of stained glass floods the space, take a seat and some time to explore the individual chapels. As you leave turn right out the door around its base, the city opens up in front of you with a view over the centre and down to the river Mersey. Later on in the evening the smooth surface is nice for fliptricks. Continue down the steps at the rear of the Cathedral and you have arrived at perfect wet weather refuge for skaters and BMXs with smooth concrete, steps and overhead shelter. At the top of Brownlow Hill stands a large amount of the University of Liverpool’s campus, directly opposite the back of the Cathedral stands the Victoria Building, designed by Alfred Waterhouse and completed in 1892 it is the first purpose built building of what became the University of Liverpool . The building that inspired the phrase “red brick University” was converted into the Victoria Gallery and Museum in 2008. A focal part of the University, passed by hundreds of students daily, is well worth a visit. Head back along Mount Pleasant, with the Cathedral on your right and the University of Liverpool on your left, the University campus provides a massive range of well maintained surfaces and rails to skate, but be aware that the area is heavily monitored by campus security. The trip back around the corner and along Hope St is relatively nice by bike, running perpendicular to the busier roads in and out of the city. Having said that take care, there are no specified cycle lanes and roadside parking can lead to cars pulling having not looked for a bike. Be aware of cars and buses when crossing Hardman St, (one of the main bus arteries in and out of the town centre) the street named after

famous the Liverpool photographer, whose former house is well worth a visit. The first building on your left is the Philharmonic Hall, 1936-39, Herbert J Rowse, the interior of which is a stark contrast to the cubic linear form of the exterior with lavish flowing curves. This portion of Hope St has flourished in recent years, a quiet stretch of road filled with popular eateries, as well as the boutique Hope Street Hotel. So if you fancy a bite to eat on Hope St you have plenty of options, with great early evening offers if you are on a budget. The London Carriage Works has a great reputation, but can be pricey, so you may want to try Host, just opposite. Filter down into the streets below and you’re not short of pubs either, The Pilgrim on Pilgrim St, and The Grapes on Roscoe St are a couple of options. The last building on the right as is LIPA, Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. Founded by Paul Macartney, and formerly the Mechanic’s Institute by A.H Holme, 1835-7. As you come around the corner onto Duke Street the Anglican Cathedral comes into sight. The intimidatingly large building towers over you as you approach. Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, construction begun in 1904 as the city prospered, however it wasn’t finished until 1978, and was largely funded by the City’s merchant class . The interior is characterized as Gothic by vaulted ceilings and solid walls rather than pillars. For arguably the most outstanding view of the city take a trip up the Cathedrals tower.

***** Refuelling Side Door, Fredericks, The Philharmonic, Host, The Pilgrim.

SUBURBIA North, East and South

The North of Liverpool holds some of the city’s most treasured sites. These include Anfield: home to Liverpool Football club, and Goodison Park: home to Everton Football Club, within minutes of each other, through the division of Stanley Park. Further north is Aintree Racecourse, which hosts the most famous and controversial horse race in the world, held every year, the Grand National. Forty horses tackle sixteen fences in pursuit of the most sought-after prize in racing. Liverpool’s Northern Coast is home to a variety of wildlife, and the beaches of Crosby and Formby, where Anthony Gormley’s infamous statues reside. Unfortunately this is not the most comfortable area of Liverpool to explore by bicycle, due to difficult roads and a hostile atmosphere. The Trans-Pennine Trail, a former railway beginning in Southport and ending in Hornsea, passes through Liverpool. It can be a great route in the clear of day, despite some parts of the trail seeming oppressive. Due to a serious lack of lighting the transpennine route is less than appealing at night making winter commutes few and far between. The trail can be joined toward Wavertree, where despite a vast amount of students cycling in the area, is not particularly easy to cycle in. Parked cars as always make for difficult road cycling, particularly on Smithdown Road. Smithdown is a vibrant suburb, with hidden gems such as Kelly’s Dispensary.

The spectacular Sefton Park, designed by Eduoard Andre, is a stones-throw away from Wavertree, and can make a scenic visit, or a pleasant roll on a longboard. Its circumferential route also makes for fantastic fixed gear races, implemented by local organisers like Bold Street Coffee. Also nearby is also the vibrant Lark Lane, a suburban answer to Bold Street perhaps. With an array of fantastic independent bars and restaurants, it makes a fantastic meal stop. Heading East is a picturesque ride, avoiding some of the dual carriageways. Villages like Woolton, Aigburth and Hale are scenic tours, also accessible by the TPT, or via the Waterfront and Speke (airport). A trip along the Mersey cycle route will bring you to Speke Hall, now a national trust property and perfect for a afternoons trip out of the city. The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour covers a fantastic range of their historic venues, The Casbah Coffee Club is essential to music lovers, and could also be easily accessed by bicycle. Expanding on Liverpool, the Wirral, with cycling heritage such as Chris Boardman and Philip Liggett, provides fantastic cycling routes, such as the scenic Heswall/ Deeside route: through the RSPB wetlands and MOD practice grounds of the Dee estuary. Take the ferry across the Mersey from Pier Head for the full experience. ***** Refuelling Kellyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dispensary, Tribeca, Meat and Liquor, Bier, Que Pasa Cantina, Moon and Pea.

References i) BBC news, ‘Why is Cycling so Popular in the Netherlands?’ http://www.bbc. co.uk/news/magazine-23587916 ii) BBC news, ‘Why is Cycling so Popular in the Netherlands?’ http://www.bbc. co.uk/news/magazine-23587916 iii) The City of Copenhagens Cycling Strategy from 2011-25, http://kk.sites.itera. dk/apps/kk_pub2/pdf/823_Bg65v7UH2t.pdf , page 6. iv) Rapha City Cycling Guides, Rapha, Thames and Hudson, 2012, Copenhagen Edition, page 6 v) Rapha City Cycling Guides, Rapha, Thames and Hudson, 2012, Copenhagen Edition, page 4. vi) Allen, Alexandra Source: Planning (14672073). 10/31/2008, Issue 1793, p25-25. 1/2p. vii) Q Park Liverpool, http://www.q-park.co.uk/parking/liverpool/q-parkliverpool-one viii) Allen, Alexandra Source: Planning (14672073). 10/31/2008, Issue 1793, p25-25. 1/2p. ix) The City of Copenhagens Cycling Strategy from 2011-25, http://kk.sites.itera. dk/apps/kk_pub2/pdf/823_Bg65v7UH2t.pdf, page 6 x) Liverpool, Joseph Sharples, Pevsner Architectural Guides, Yale University Press, 2004, London, p 83-89 xi) Liverpool, Joseph Sharples, Pevsner Architectural Guides, Yale University Press, 2004, London, p 223 xii) Liverpool, Joseph Sharples, Pevsner Architectural Guides, Yale University Press, 2004, London, p 238 xiii) Liverpool, Joseph Sharples, Pevsner Architectural Guides, Yale University Press, 2004, London, p 73-77 xiv) Liverpool, Joseph Sharples, Pevsner Architectural Guides, Yale University Press, 2004, London, p 155 xv) Liverpool, Joseph Sharples, Pevsner Architectural Guides, Yale University Press, 2004, London, p 42-48

xvi) Liverpool, Joseph Sharples, Pevsner Architectural Guides, Yale University Press, 2004, London, p 70-71 xvii) Liverpool, Joseph Sharples, Pevsner Architectural Guides, Yale University Press, 2004, London, p 103 ***** [aa] Young, Bobby. A Skateboarderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide to Architecture or an Architectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide to Skateboarding. The Kids are Alright, (Volume 3, Number 4) Loud Paper. [a] Peralta, Stacy. Dogtown and Z-boys. Agi Orsi Productions. [b] Borden, Ian. Skateboarding, Space and the City. Berg, Oxford International Publishers. Oxford. 2001. [c] Borden, Ian. Skateboarding, Space and the City. Berg, Oxford International Publishers. Oxford. 2001. [d] Bracali, Tony. Thanks Le Corbusier (from the skateboarders). http://www. anthonybracali.com/t_lecorbusier.html [e] pp20-21. Muirhead, Thomas. Building Design, Issue 1733, 8/4/2006. [f] Blum, Andrew. Zaera-Polo, Alejandro. New Oslo Opera House Is Really a Stealth Skate Park. Wired.com. 24/11/2008 [g] [http://www.skate-the-planet.com/articles/builtToSkate.html] [h] Borden, Ian. Skateboarding, Space and the City. Berg, Oxford International Publishers. Oxford. 2001. [i] Jeff Ho, 19:23, Peralta, Stacy. Dogtown and Z-boys. Agi Orsi Productions. [j] pp100. Skateboarder, vol.4 no.6. January 1978 [k] Borden, Ian. Skateboarding, Space and the City. Berg, Oxford International Publishers. Oxford. 2001. [l] Vivino, Franscisco. Waxing ledges: built environments, alternative sustainability, and the Chicago skateboarding scene. Routledge, 2001. [g] [http://www.roughguides.com/best-places/2014/top-10-cities/