RESIDENTS in Mudeford have appealed to the council to establish a sufficient traffic management system after a busy summer for visitors at the beauty spot last year.

Long queues of cars were seen attempting to park at Mudeford Quay car park last summer as visitors from outside the area, as well as residents within the Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch area, ventured out to the Christchurch car park.

Locals have called for the installation a traffic management system that limits the number of vehicles attempting to park in the car park when there is no available space, and the introduction of clear signage at the entrance to Chichester Way to alternative car parks in Christchurch.

People in the area have also suggested the installation of a zebra crossing on Chichester Road, at the junction between Chichester Way and what is known locally as Old Quay Road, to improve pedestrian safety.

Laurie Philips, who was fined after painting a temporary crossing on Chichester Road, said: “If action is not taken now, we will all be as unprepared for this vast influx as we were last year, and Easter is not so far away.

“I have been requesting, since last year, a plan for managing the vast numbers of vehicles which will come to Mudeford Quay, as soon as the travel and contact rules are lifted.“The number of parking spaces at 450 will no more satisfy 2500 cars arriving each day than it did last year, and it is imperative the council puts in a traffic management system to avoid the non-stop jams around the Quay, the lack of safety on Chichester Way, the extreme air pollution caused by queues of cars stationary with their engines running all day.”

A new petition has been launched to install a zebra crossing on Chichester Way, which can be accessed by visiting chng.it/G2NtSJXSPv.

A study carried out by resident last summer of the volume of traffic entering and leaving the quayside car park during last year’s warm weather conditions.

Estimates suggest that the number of vehicles travelling to the car park amounted to 400 an hour. With visitors arriving as early as 8am and are leaving at 10pm most evenings, this totalled over 5,000 cars every day.

Mudeford resident Graham Rogers said: “The vehicle entrance to the Quay is from Mudeford via Chichester Way, and there is no safe crossing for hordes of families and disabled people on foot.

“Anyone who visits can see, with a little foresight, that this is a serious situation that will not go away without action from BCP Council.“It seems that Christchurch and especially the far east of the Council bailiwick, is out of sight and out of mind, and has not had the attention it deserves as one of BCP’s tourist hotspots.”

The council have explain that the lack of marshals seen managing the traffic at Mudeford Quay was due to staffing cuts brought about by the current pandemic.

The possibility of managing traffic arriving at Mudeford Quay with the use of new, permanent, electronic signs linked to automatic number plate recognition cameras at the car park has been discussed.

A strategic parking review is currently underway that seeks to look at options for signage and technology in the area.

The council have said that a strategy for dealing with traffic at Mudeford Quay is part of a conurbation-wide Resort Management Plan, the details of which are yet to be announced.

Cllr Drew Mellor, Leader of the Council, said: “We are a holiday area. We are proud of that, the livelihoods of many local people depend on the visitor economy, and we look forward to welcoming people back to our amazing towns and beaches, when the time is right.

“We will do whatever it takes to avoid a situation like last summer.

“As part of that preparation we’re working up a multi-partner resort management plan, making sure that lessons are learnt from last year.

“People visiting our towns and beaches this spring and summer will see additional enforcement to deal with issues around parking and anti-social behaviour, and extra security in place.

“We will be clear that the behaviours that we saw last year will not be tolerated, and that our team and our partners will take whatever action is necessary should similar antisocial behaviour be experienced.”