CHEAPER public transport could be the answer to congestion issues in the BCP area.

Or, at least, that's what Echo readers have been saying.

While the age-old issue of congestion and traffic jams can never be attributed to just one factor, our readers have had their say on what the answers could be to alleviating the growing problem.

It follows a report from TomTom which named Bournemouth as one of the most congested places in the world.

And the news didn't come as a surprise to those in the know, with BCP Council's transport lead, Cllr Mike Greene, describing the ranking as "absolutely right".

Thousands of people took part in polls on Twitter and the Echo website to vote for what they felt would reduce road congestion in the area.

On the Echo site, 42 per cent of those asked believed a congestion zone would be the best solution. A congestion zone sees a fee charged on most cars and motor vehicles being driven within an allocated zone. These are mainly found in congested parts of London and have been proven to reduce traffic.

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On Twitter, meanwhile, 36.5 per cent voted for more cycle lanes across the conurbation as their preferred method. The cycle lane option was far less popular on the website poll, however, with just 13 per cent of the vote.

A Facebook comment section saw close to 100 comments, with readers focusing on a range of factors.

One man commented: “Stop closing roads, which just leads to more congestion on adjacent roads. There is so much emphasis now on cycling, but on a recent drive from Poole to Highcliffe, at 11am at the weekend, I did not see one single cyclist. Obviously beach roads in the summer have more, but it is not an all year round option. People have jobs to get to, and family commitments frequently necessitate cars.”

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Another said: “I keep seeing words like ‘sustainable travel’. Problem is it won’t be sustainable as more housing equals more vehicles.”

Several people on Twitter suggested a reduction in roadworks happening concurrently would help free up road space.

Another person, however, said fewer roadworks would harm travel. They wrote: “Do they not realise that the majority of roadworks are either to repair damage to the roads caused by increasingly heavy motor vehicles, or for essential utilities that we all use? They'd soon be moaning if all road works stopped.”

 

On the Daily Echo’s Dorset Travel News page on Facebook, many comments focused on an improvement to bus travel. One woman said: “Reduce the cost of using the bus significantly and improve routes. I’d use the bus but it costs more than driving and parking so I just can’t afford to.”

Cheaper public transport was voted for by 27.5 per cent and 18 per cent by those on Twitter and the Echo site respectively. One commenter went one further than making travel cheaper by suggesting “free public transport”, adding, “I’m ready to pay it even through extra fuel taxes”.

On Wednesday, February 9, BCP Council’s cabinet approved a bid to try and receive funding from the government’s £3bn Bus Back Better scheme.