Plans for cycle lanes, bus lanes and pedestrian routes are scrapped in BCP

A LARGE portion of planned active and sustainable travel in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has been cut.

Several major routes along the conurbation will no longer see additional cycle lanes and bus lanes as well as pedestrian improvements under revised and signed off plans.

Boundary Road to Redhill Avenue and parts of Ringwood Road running up to Ferndown are amongst the roads no longer included in the plans going forward.

Blandford Road from Hamworthy to Upton and Broadway Lane linking up to Parley Lane by Bournemouth Airport have also been axed.

The cut is being blamed on the government's recent announcement to no longer allocate additional money to the Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) which would cover the rising costs of construction.

Rising construction, labour and fuel costs, growing inflation and changes to national design standards for cycling infrastructure mean south east Dorset’s original £102 million cannot cover all the work.

Marc Griffin, TCF programme manager for south east Dorset’s Transforming Cities Fund programme, said he is “proud” of what has been achieved so far despite “unforeseen” inflated costs.

He added: “With work well underway on all six sustainable travel routes we are pleased to have our revised plans approved by the Department for Transport.
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There are still a number of active travel schemes in the pipework that will be happening across the conurbation, starting later this year or in 2024.