Cyclist's experience of riding a bike on Bournemouth's roads

More and more sustainable travel routes are being built across BCP, with the council actively promoting sustainable travel in a bid to encourage more people out of their cars.

Here is their account of what it's like to cycle around town.

Adjusting to the bustling highstreet roads of Bournemouth after transitioning from the quiet country roads of Salisbury certainly took some time.

Making the first trip out of my house onto Winton’s busy highstreet required courage but traffic is only a fraction of the trouble I’ve faced.

In an attempt to travel more sustainably (and keep fit) I decided to upgrade to my first road bike in January after owning the same hybrid for many years.

I found that road conditions are less than ideal, with main roads consisting of humps, bumps, and holes. However, once you venture outside of Bournemouth's heart, you can find some incredible routes.

The implementation of new cycle lanes is a push in the right direction. Some would argue that the size of the cycle lanes are outrageous, and that no cyclist deserves that much room (Wimborne Road West in particular) but this is about making a statement.

Read more: 

• Council and travel group defend Whitelegg Way cycle lanes
• Two-way cycle lanes in Wimborne 'working well'
• BH Active Travel reacts to Wallisdown Road cycle lane works

Of course cyclists don’t need that much room, yet if it helps encourage more people to take up cycling, I’m all for it.

My regular routes into university and Bournemouth’s town centre have some cycle paths but the most troublesome roads are those without them.

Almost all hours of the day, Wimborne Road is cluttered with cars and the busy section of Winton high street doesn’t have a cycle lane.

Dodging through cars is not only dangerous for me, but annoying for motorists - cycle lanes resolve this problem. Furthermore, with cars parked on both sides of the road at some points, cars pass extremely close to cyclists which makes it even worse.

The truth is, cycling can be dangerous, but this isn’t because the activity itself is inherently dangerous - motorists add that element of danger.

In my unsuccessful attempts to get my fiance to take up cycling, her biggest fear has been riding on the road alongside other vehicles.

A cycle lane in Wimborne

“What if they drive too close? What if they make me fall off?” are her main concerns.

Changes in the highway code have helped but the response from motorists is loud and clear, cyclists are treated as ‘less than’ when compared to other road users.

I get it, all drivers have been in the situation of an elitist cyclist taking up far too much space on a busy main road, but you must understand that this is a tiny minority.

Most of us are using cycling as a more sustainable means of transport and the thought of being shunned by other road users is enough to put anyone off.

So, I propose that instead of immediately shooting down any plans or changes that encourage cycling, instead, take some time to understand the methodology behind such changes.

We should take inspiration from The Netherlands and shape our cities with sustainable travel in mind, instead of it being an afterthought.