AT LAST week’s national budget announcement, chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed nearly £80 million had been awarded to BCP and Dorset councils as part of the transforming cities fund.

The money will be used to create two new “sustainable connectivity corridors” and four new “cycle freeways” across the south east of Dorset.

Although the announcement was largely welcomed, the plans did raise some doubts among Dorset residents.

East Dorset Friends of the Earth, a group hoping to create a safer climate, were glad the local authorities adopted ideas put forward by the group, but believed they needed to go further to meet the needs of their climate and ecological emergency strategies.

Dr Martin Price, spokesperson for the group, said: “We congratulate the councils on their successful bid, and for identifying a range of sustainable transport options.

“We feel that upgrading it is long overdue. However, the councils will need to go further to meet the needs of their climate and ecological emergency strategies. For example, ‘reconfiguring local congestion hotspots to speed up journeys’ will not work, it merely moves the congestion to the next junction.

“As Dorset councillor Ray Bryan says, ‘there are simply too many cars on the road’. EDFOE’s new transportation policy argues that what is needed is to help travellers to move out of their cars, shifting short journeys to walking and cycling, and longer ones to cheap, convenient mass transport.”

Cycle freeways linking Lansdowne to Christchurch, Bournemouth to Ferndown, Wareham to Poole and Merley to Poole were included in the plans, alongside new “bus priority infrastructure” and a £250,000 lorry management system for Longham.

With additional funding from BCP and Dorset councils, as well as other third parties including Morebus, Yellow Buses and Beryl, the overall budget is now £98.3 million.

Over 180 readers took to Facebook to comment on the story about the new cycle freeways and bus priority.

Josie Lawrence said: “Why not proper cycle training also, around Castlepoint a nightmare?

“I believe a cycle insurance should be brought in.”

Sheila Ann Allpress added: “The council spent our money putting in cycle lanes on Canford Heath Road and Adastral Road, and do they get used? Rarely. Cyclists still insist on using the road.”

Councillor Andy Hadley, cabinet member for transport and infrastructure at BCP Council, told the Daily Echo: “We anticipate that not only will the TCF money enable us to make a step-change in the nature of provision, but also a key element of the bid was the promotion and encouragement of people to cycle and walk more.

“People will use well-designed cycle lanes, but they need to ensure that cyclists and pedestrians are protected from encroachment from vehicles (the only enforcement that can take place). Cyclists, as other road users, will make choices based an understanding of the space available, their destination, and their confidence and balance of risk and efficiency. It is important for other road users to recognise that, and all road users need to give each other space and time. We cannot force people to use facilities that do not suit their journeys.”