THE problem of sand being blown onto the promenade since the council replenished the beach with dredged sand has been getting worse and the promenade is not usable safely in some areas (particularly between Portman Ravine and Southbourne) by people on bicycles, mobility scooters and using baby strollers.
Although the council had made some efforts over the summer to clear the sand by bulldozing it back onto the beach, causing large piles of sand to obstruct the access to the beach in some areas, there are still huge drifts of sand which remain untouched.
This problem was probably not thought about when the decision to build up the beach was taken and I doubt whether any proper risk assessment was carried out by the council and any budget provisioned for the clearing of sand from the promenade.
I tried to cycle along this stretch yesterday with great difficulty in some areas, as did many others. The promenade is now not safe with "funnelling" of all users into the small paths where sand is not present.
The council need to be pressured into taking some positive long-term maintenance actions to keep the promenade safely useable by the public.
This is something that affects Bournemouth residents and all holidaymakers and could be making Bournemouth less attractive to them.
PAUL MERRICK
Longbarrow Close, Bournemouth
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