A newly constructed £17 million bike lane has sparked controversy, being labeled as a ‘monumental waste of public funds’ due to its contribution to increased traffic congestion while serving only a few cyclists.
This expansive bike lane, measuring over 11 feet in width in certain areas, provides more space for cyclists than the adjacent, now-restricted, 10-foot-wide car lanes.
Reports suggest that the cycle path sees minimal use, with monitoring indicating that for each cyclist, there are hundreds of vehicles—including cars, trucks, vans, and buses—utilizing the narrower roadway.
As a result, buses and larger industrial vehicles must navigate the restricted lanes more slowly, leading to increased traffic buildup behind them.
This controversial cycling superhighway runs along a two-mile stretch of one of Poole, Dorset’s main roads, creating hazardous driving conditions.
Steve Moody, who leads the campaign group BCP & Dorset Motorists comprising over 5,600 members, has voiced concerns over the situation.
He said: ‘All the anecdotal evidence suggests that cyclists are rarely seen using the new cycle path. And these narrow roads actually increase congestion.
‘They aren’t going to reduce emissions by increasing congestion but this is lost on the council.
At over 11ft wide in places, the new bike lane actually exceeds the width of the neighboring 10ft-wide road, squeezing motor traffic into a narrower lane than the cyclists
Under the new scheme, extended pavement ‘build-outs’ at junctions force vehicles emerging from side roads into sharp, near-right-angle turns. This often causes drivers to swing out into the oncoming lane to complete the manoeuver
‘A major issue is that the main road has become really narrow to make way for the extra wide cycle path and it is dangerous.’
As part of the scheme pavement corners at junctions have been extended which means cars emerging from side roads have to turn almost at right angles and often swing out into the opposite carriageway.
The narrower carriageway means there is hardly any room for motorbikes to overtake and filter in while lorry drivers have to fold their wing mirrors in to avoid the risk of clipping oncoming traffic.
There is also less room for emergency vehicles to squeeze through.
Last week further questions were raised about the materials used for the cycle lane after a 13-year-old girl suffered cuts to her face when the wheel of her scooter reportedly caught on loose chippings and she fell off.
As well as safety concerns, residents have also questioned the impact the works have had on the local environment.
Some locals have referred to the area as an ‘Asphalt Desert’ with trees and grass verges ripped out to make way for widened pavements and the brightly-coloured cycle lane.
Bus laybys have also been done away with which results in traffic backing up behind buses when they stop in the road, causing more congestion and emissions.
The work on Ringwood Road is all part of a £120million project to lay almost 50 miles of new cycles lanes in south east Dorset.
Critics argue that these millions in public funds would be more effectively utilised by repairing crumbling road surfaces and tackling the pothole crisis
The ‘Transforming Travel’ programme in residential areas of Bournemouth, Poole, Ferndown and Wimborne, is aimed at encouraging more people to cycle and scoot to places.
But critics claim it is part of BCP Council’s ‘war on motorists’ in the area and claims officials have pledged to reduce local car journeys by 50 per cent.
They say the millions of pounds of public money would have been better spent on improving the condition of the roads and filling in potholes.
There has also been criticism of the environmental impact of the wider scheme as mature trees have had to be felled in places to accommodate new lanes.
Mr Moody added: ‘There is definitely a war on motorists and people are really fed up with it.
‘This is all part of the council wanting to reduce car journeys by 50 per cent, that is their stated aim. To do that you are going to have to make anti-car measures.
‘What they haven’t taken into account is that people need their cars for work and for business and things like shopping and taking their kids to places like school. Can you do your weekly shop on a bike?
‘The whole Ringwood Road project is an absolute fiasco and a monumental waste of public money and resource.’
BCP Council has previously declared a ‘climate emergency’ and pledged to be carbon neutral by 2040.
A major part of that goal is to increase sustainable travel by getting people out of cars.
The removal of bus laybys now forces buses to stop directly in the flow of traffic; this creates significant bottlenecks, as vehicles are trapped behind them, leading to increased congestion and higher tailpipe emissions
Mr Moody went on: ‘The council has closed its ears to anything other than their own agenda. Their approach is “if you build it, they will come”.
‘They have extended pavement corners so much it is really difficult for cars to pull out and often they encroach into oncoming traffic because they aren’t able to turn as they should.
‘If you have two HGVs in opposite lanes we have heard drivers have to pull their wing mirrors in to pass.
‘The bus laybys have been removed which means the bus stops are on the road which creates more congestion because everything has to stop and wait with engines ticking over.
‘The ideology of certain members overtakes what is beneficial to the vast majority of the residents they are meant to serve.’
