BCP Council has installed a second ‘green wall’ at a busy roundabout in Bournemouth, despite its own report questioning the effectiveness of the original one.

A new screen has been put up on Castle Lane West, mirroring Castle Lane East, restricting drivers’ views of traffic using Cooper Dean roundabout in a bid to reduce collisions.

However, a council transport assessment commissioned for the controversial Wessex Fields scheme in October 2018 said it could be having the opposite effect.

Between the beginning of 2012 and the end of 2017, council records show there were 43 crashes on and around the roundabout – seven of which were classed as “serious”.

The first of the green walls was installed at a cost of about £17,000 in a bid to force drivers coming onto the roundabout to slow down, reducing the risk of collisions.

However, its effectiveness was questioned by consultancy firm WSP when it was commissioned to examine traffic in the area around Royal Bournemouth Hospital for the council’s Wessex Fields planning application.

Thirteen collisions were recorded where Castle Lane East joins the roundabout, double that of any other point and three times more than the Castle Lane West junction.

“There is a green wall installed next to the A3060 Castle Lane East approach which presumably is intended to reduce speeds by restricting visibility on the approach to the junction,” the transport assessment said.

“The cluster of collisions suggest that the green wall could in fact have the opposite effect.

“The restricted visibility is causing the road to appear to have the priority as the circulating lanes are not clearly visible by approaching vehicles and the roundabout layout is not easily recognisable.

“This in turn could be causing vehicles to fail to reduce speed on the approach where a cluster of rear-end collisions has been identified.”

Cllr Andy Hadley, the council’s cabinet member for transport and infrastructure, said the new screening had been installed to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists around the roundabout.

“I am aware that work has been going on at the roundabout to improve safety,” he said. “We always need to check assessments, particularly when it questions effectiveness of schemes, but I’m not aware of the comments made in this case.”

He said he would be encouraging council officers to review the contents of the WSP report.