Cutting cars over four years will boost journey times in Bournemouth and Poole by 12 per cent, says council

• Bournemouth council wants to cut number of cars on the roads by five per cent by 2023
• Travel app warning of delays on railways and roads could be launched, along with 'Oyster card' tickets
• Some £110 million could be awarded - the highest amount ever granted to Bournemouth and Poole for any programme
• Council officials hope to 'change the way people travel' with the cash

Last month Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole councils won a joint bid for part of the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund.

Bournemouth, which began the bid two years ago, has now revealed the scope of its “game-changing” ambitions for the cash – it wants to reduce the number of cars on the conurbation’s roads by five per cent by 2023.

“If we can reduce the number of cars by five per cent that equates to a 12 per cent saving in terms of journey times,” said Adrian Hale, major bids manager for the borough and for Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership.

The process by which these gains might be won has yet to be determined – the councils are currently carrying out surveys and mapping to determine the most popular routes motorists take through the borough, and there are no firm projects in the works.

New app will provide live information, while 'Oyster card' ticket system may be introduced

One early project is expected to be an “all-encompassing” travel app, said Mr Hale.

This would be designed to provide live information on traffic, buses and trains, times and prices and directions to transport hubs, and made as easy to use as possible through voice activation.

A common ticket system for multiple forms of public transport, comparable to London’s Oyster card, is also being considered.

Rather than filling roads with cycle lanes, the scheme is expected to create priority cycle routes along key directions of travel, and to co-ordinate these with bus and train hubs to allow for an easy interchange.

The bid incorporates Christchurch, East Dorset and parts of Purbeck into a wider 'city region' for planning purposes, since a large volume of traffic in the urban core is commuter traffic from or via more rural areas.

Traffic queues in Christchurch

'This is by a huge margin more than Bournemouth and Poole has ever won for any programme'

One delaying factor at present is the Government has yet to reveal the full sum the conurbation will receive.

Bournemouth councillor Mike Greene, cabinet member for transport, said the borough bid for £150 million, and can expect at least £110m if the money is divided evenly between winning bids.

“On average those 12 cities will be getting over £100m each,” he said.

“That is by a huge margin more than Bournemouth or Poole has ever won for any programme.

“That is why businesses and transport companies are jumping for joy.

“We will be very disappointed if we come out with less than three figures.”

Bus firms have expressed interest. Last week Yellow Buses announced it was changing its school transport timetable, in part due to the ongoing A338 roadworks, but also as a response to growing congestion in general.

Simon Newport, the firm’s commercial manager, also told the Echo he was looking forward to discussing the Transforming Cities proposal with officials.

As well as improving the network for those eschewing the car, the changes will also make life much easier for motorists, Cllr Greene said.

“If a road is operating at 60 to 99 per cent capacity, traffic still flows,” he said.

As soon as you get over 100 per cent, like on many Bournemouth roads, you get a a slow down.

“And the difference between 102 and 105 per cent in terms of journey times is an awful lot more than three per cent.

“By reducing the number of cars on the road by five per cent, that is a massive win for the other 95 per cent of drivers who may not want or be able to switch to public transport.”

Cllr Mike Greene

Council 'wants to transform how people travel'

Cllr Greene said the grant would be “10 to 20 years worth of improvement money as a one-off extra”.

“This is about transforming how people travel,” he said. “The conurbation has too much traffic for roads built 100 years ago, it is as simple as that, and population growth is working against us.

“We are among the fastest growing populations and economies in the UK. We are among the top 20 for economic activity growth.

“We have been very successful keeping the use of cars down, but there was still an increase. You can build more roads, or you can reduce the number of cars with either the stick or the carrot.

“Our administration, and it is the same throughout the conurbation, does not believe in taking away people’s choice.

“This is about reducing demand for the car by improving sustainable transport links.

“Our ambition is to make a fundamental difference to how people travel in a relatively short amount of time.”

The bid follows on from the Three Towns Travel joint scheme between Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole councils, which had similar goals but a budget of only £12.1m.

Three Towns projects, some of which have proven controversial with residents, included shared spaces in central Bournemouth and Boscombe and road reshaping in Richmond Hill, Seabourne Road and at Bournemouth Station. In Poole, the scheme has seen changes in Ashley Road, Poole Road, the Sea View bus interchange and gyratories at the civic centre and County Gates.