Cycle lane improvements and additions 2017 Jason Falconer
I wrote these originally on – 25 January 2017 to coincide with publication of the joint Bournemouth/Poole Cycling strategy draft action plan 2017, supplied to Bournemouth Cycling Forum and produced by Peter Wickett and Lawrence Harrell, 2019 current Cycling officers for Poole and Bournemouth respectively. (P.W leading on LCWIP)
Includes the following quotes:-
“permeability improvements by undertaking reviews of opportunities for retrofitting”
“Finalise definition of the strategic cycle networks within and between the urban areas. Assess the potential merits of routes according to established principles: • Coherence • Directness • Safety • Comfort • Attractiveness • Overall potential/demand for cycling within the urban area • Connectivity to and completing gaps in existing cycle routes ”
Have been looking back at what actually happened since that time, heres what I asked for :-
Firstly . Dealing with existing marked cycle routes created in 1970s. These routes mainly around Poole still take users on good direct lines alongside arterial roads. Now seeing increased use there are several ways to make these quality routes, such as cutting along side existing tarmac surface into grass verges to double tarmac widths for moving cycles that at present are forced to brake to pass other riders. With addition of a solid white line roadside locations listed would become user friendly and to be better promoted. Following locations:-
A3049 Canford Way North side to Dorset Way. Dorset Way A3049 all way to Fleets industrial estate
B3074 To continue Canford Heath road South side all way to Adastral Road.
Secondly. Providing Segregated Routes alongside arterial roads. For cross conurbation journeys and journeys out of area commuter cyclists are likely to use main roads habitually. Providing these roads with separate space for cycling where it exists would increase likelihood of use for new riders.
Secondly. Providing Segregated Routes alongside arterial roads. For cross conurbation journeys and journeys out of area commuter cyclists are likely to use main roads habitually. Providing these roads with separate space for cycling where it exists would increase likelihood of use for new riders.
A341 Queen Anne Drive/ Magna Road. Space exists for quality segregated route both sides of this road as Wheelers Lane. (where routes via Canford Heath avoid Ringwood road entirely) Benefits anyone visiting Wimborne/ Broadstone /Poole. –Done in 2018 see below, needing junction improvements.
Thirdly– Improvements to existing routes-
Bourne Valley Greenway Middle and Upper Gardens sections. Again last century building. Here are two parallel routes one pedestrian and one cycling. Improve lighting along entire route. Improve surfacing to eliminate roots and uneven surface. Remove useless white paint lines on cycling side and designate Cycling side/ Pedestrian side/ centre for clarity.
After Dalling Road, provide surface and improve gate access to continue onto Winston Avenue. Planned waiting Natural England approval.
Bourne Valley Greenway North end. All this area is desirable for improvement. Including removal of circular gates unsuited to cycles. Directional Perfection exists at end of Bloxworth road North onto existing signed route, surface is sandy and could be improved. Route alongside St Brelades Avenue also needs proper surfacing.
Bourne Valley Greenway North end Evering avenue South East end. Is gated access road which joins Bloxworth road, surfacing along this route and small slope down to Bloxworth road. Surfacing intelligently along desire lines has proven to not interfere with SSSI’S within nature reserves. Effecting these changes provides residents of Canford Heath , Branksome and Rossmore almost entire off road route into Bournemouth town centre.
Fourthly Chines and others.
Branksome Chine. From St Aldhelms Road Southwards. Where service roads exist and within the chine a surfaced route direct to the seafront. Providing an alternative way of reaching the beach at peak holiday time from Branksome Station could significantly improve annual parking problems. Currently proposing through the consultation on Branksome chine seafront, and through Seafront strategy, although no knowledge of seafront strategy in transportation.
Alum Chine. To complement the signed first opening of Middle Chine a route that many already cycle. Space exists alongside for separate surfaced route using the whole chine valley floor. At North end steep slope included still with separate capability underneath bridges to join valley floor to seafront.
Bournemouth.
Advice -Re-designating existing routes. There was in 2017 re-designation of Wimborne road from Richmond Hill Roundabout to Cemetery junction as mandatory cycle lane, with no parking rule.
Expand this and include all wide avenues that currently hold advisory lanes on wide avenues, re-designation immediately creates better routes and prepares for the future when funds may become available for protected / kerbed routes. Example:- Glenfurness Avenue,
So what happened?
Poole work 2017-18.
Announcement 08 August 2017- Boro of Poole win from only 19 councils . 535 k from LTP . Re-surfacing work on roads to include areas below with Challenge fund money, largely last minute plans shoehorned in before end of financial year
Blandford rd Poole port – to Boro boundary Intermittent junctions lanes, minor changes-done
Magna Road- Queen Anne drive to boundary, pavement on north side, subsequent south side improvements adequate with both sides, major changes- done
Alder Road, advisory lanes on uphills added, substandard intermittent sections one of which repainted as below minimum width, wasted paint -done
Wimb rd, George rdbout- Fleetsbridge- currently advisory lane until around Fernside rd/ Dorchester road junctions, then advisory after to Fleetsbridge –repainted as previous with dangerous door zone width, wasted paint-done
Several other re-paints of existing advisory cycle lanes
January 2019 Ringwood rd seaview to old wareham rd. (No protected lanes on downhill on seaview road, meets East side segregation) -Postponed until 2020-21 Financial year-
Bournemouth schemes completed 17-18
Riverside Wick Village
Tuckton Roundabout.
Iford Lane , Roundabout
Town centre improvements.
Minor works include, re-designating 7 contraflows, opening 2 minor road ends, underpass and bridge re-designations.
2019 work, First stages of building Wallisdown road shared cycle track. Encouraging that the sequence of events on this scheme went as follows- engineers invite forum to see first draft designs, public consultation, engineers take to Cllrs to get approval and ultimately portfolio holder for transport to approve. Plans are published on Council website. Work starts. Bournemouth have showed that they are continually improving within the constraints. Transforming Cities for the future funding will be the next tranche of money that can be attributed to upcoming schemes in the area, hopefully the joining of BCP into one council will enable this progress. Bournemouth engineers are clearly the most progressive as can be seen from evidence shown here. The test will be whether LCWIP will listen to user experience and continue to improve the great potential we already have in the area, and not just try to fulfil the drives of the DFT modelling, which like many forms of modelling for design dosent work. Why do I say this? If the census information from 2011 is used on purely one way commuting trips only, thats very limited. In fact the first Desire Lines slide below shows nothing on the Sandbanks road (I live on it) which anyone in the entire area knows is the Number 1 arterial bike route in the Poole area, for commuting via seafront for 10 months of the year, for ferry use to Purbeck hills leisure rides and more. So I invite the engineers to listen to the cycling forum on what users here actually want. 
Youll have seen from my other advice to the engineers that closing roads, -modal filtering, is how to make neighbourhoods more attractive and stop short journeys through local neighbourhoods. Believe it or not there are several areas treated such even in Poole, example here below from years ago Sterte Avenue West, we just need vision and guts too take on the status quo of massive single occupant short car journeys across the conurbation.
Other campaigners have also informed me of the obvious that closing rat runs makes those areas safer for walking and cycling so people feel safe to switch short journeys and the removal of people diving into and out of side roads actually make the main roads run a little better. This is also known as Braess Paradox,
Also from Cycling Embassy UK– this could lead to perhaps a 15% traffic reduction over an area;
Lots more about how G.B is starting to build for Active Travel here.
Do come to the next BCP Active Travel Meeting, 05th March at the Bournemouth Town Hall, 6pm. I will be chairing.