A NEW route on to the Wessex Way to help ease congestion outside Royal Bournemouth Hospital has been proposed.

Employees at the trust had become fed up with lengthy waits trying to get out of the car park and on to Castle Lane East at the end of the working day.

The hospital’s chief operating officer Richard Renaut had described the situation as “extremely frustrating” for staff, patients and visitors.

“There also remains significant concern regarding ambulances accessing and leaving the site with the ongoing potential for our patients’ safety to be com-promised by unacceptable delays due to congestion and the design of the road network,” he said.

However, after a meeting between the council and senior hospital staff, a spokesman for both parties said an agreement had been reached.

“As an interim solution and subject to planning permission, the local authority will work with the trust to support the estab-lishment of a new entry/exit route on to the south bound slip road coming off the Wessex Way,” he said.

“As a longer term solution the trust and Bournemouth Borough Council will work together to create a split grade junction linking the hospital directly with the Wessex Way.

“This will require support from the government, Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership and other local partners.

“Subject to agreement with partners in the locality, prelim-inary investigation will also be undertaken into creating an additional lane for Deansleigh Road.”

In the meantime the council and trust have proposed installing traffic lights within the hospital to manage vehicles exiting on to Castle Lane and to modify the westbound bus lane.

The trust’s chief executive Tony Spotswood has welcomed backing for the initiatives. He said: “We’re really pleased at the support given to help address these issues and look forward to instating them as quickly as possible for the benefit of our patients, staff and visitors.”

Council leader, Cllr John Beesley, added: “Keeping the town moving is a top priority and we will continue to work in close partnership with RBH and other local businesses to improve the flow of traffic around the hospital.”

The council had previously said it could not afford to create a new access route on to the Wessex Way.

Cllr Beesley claimed such a scheme could cost “anything between £5million and £10million or more.”