SHARED space road schemes are coming under the spotlight amid concerns about their safety.

The schemes, which lessen the segregation of pedestrians and vehicles, have faced criticism, with incidents reported at Christchurch Road in Boscombe and at Horseshoe Common in Bournemouth town centre.

Early on Friday morning a BMW crashed into a bench and a bin at Boscombe precinct and came to rest yards from the Tardis-style police box.

Earlier in October, a cyclist was left with serious injuries after a collision with a car at the junction of Old Christchurch Road and Fir Vale Road.

At the end of September, a cyclist was reported to have hit an unlit kerb at Boscombe and come off his bike while avoiding cars.

The incidents have reignited the issue and Boscombe Forum will discuss it at its meeting on November 12, starting at 7pm at Kings Park Academy.

Chairman Harry Seccombe said he was worried that there could be a “devastating” incident.

“People say it looks better, but I worry about children running into the road, because they don’t realise it’s a road.

“There is nothing there to protect those who might be sat on the benches.”

Last month, an incident in Coventry saw Rowan Fitzgerald, aged seven, and Dora Hancox, in her 70s, die when a double-decker bus crashed into a supermarket while being driven in a controversial shared space scheme.

A Bournemouth bus driver who contacted the Echo said he had serious concerns.

He added: “The surface isn’t slip-resistant, your front wheels slide in the wet.

“I had an incident a few weeks ago in Boscombe where a man let his little girl walk in front of him across the road. I came around the corner and had to hit the brakes.

“There’s no definition and there’s no warning signs.

“I think it’s only a matter of time before someone gets seriously injured or killed.”

The Boscombe and Horseshoe Common changes were implemented under the Three Towns Travel scheme this year.

Bournemouth council said that there were, in the five years before the new layout at Horseshoe Common, 22 accident collisions resulting in 23 casualties, three of which suffered serious injuries, whereas in the six months since the scheme was completed last week’s collision was the first injury reported.

Ian Kalra, head of transportation services, said: “An independent road safety audit has been carried out since the schemes were finished.

“The most recent data shows that there has been a very significant reduction in the number of reported collisions resulting in a casualty since the scheme was implemented at Horseshoe Common.”

Poole campaigner Marty Caine co-founded the Sea View Action Group following the death of David Dixson, who was involved in a collision with a car last year.

Mr Caine, who said he was frustrated that Borough of Poole had not yet released its own report into the death, said: “The thing that really doesn't sit with me is it's now the same time of year that Dave got killed - the nights are darker and I'm worried there's going to be another fatality."

Richard Pinnegar, traffic manager at Borough of Poole, said: “There are less formal road markings on the roundabout at Sea View to encourage users to pay attention.

“There are also conventional zebra crossings and kerbs, which clearly define the carriage and pavement.

“While the scheme has improved Sea View for pedestrians and has some additional characteristics associated with shared space, it has not been designed as a shared space scheme.”

The council also said that it had answered all of Mr Caine’s questions.