A REPORT has claimed the council’s decision to reopen Keyhole Bridge to traffic was based on “flawed analysis” and cost the local economy £8.5million.
BCP Council, meanwhile, maintain the pedestrianisation of the Poole road would have had a “negative overall economic impact” if left.
In August 2020, BCP introduced an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) to prioritise walking and cycling at Keyhole Bridge between Poole Park and Whitecliff Park.
The ETRO was to be in place for 18 months, however a council decision was made to withdraw the measures more than one month early and reopen the road. This resulted in a successful legal challenge lobbied by the Keyhole Bridge User Safety Group who argued the order was “unlawfully” curtailed.
- Read more: Judge orders Keyhole Bridge will NOT close again but council must pay £20k over legal challenge
One reason the narrow underpass was reopened was based on the council’s assessment that the closure would create delays of around three minutes at peak times, resulting in an economic cost of £220,000 per year.
However, a recently published report by KMC Transport Planning – commissioned by the Keyhole Bridge Group – said the council ignored the health benefits of cycling and walking in its economic assessment.
A revised economic analysis in the independent report claimed there would be a positive financial impact of £8.5m over a 20-year period from closing the bridge to motor traffic, referencing scenario based behavioural adaptions to the closure.
- Read more: Judge's full comments on Keyhole Bridge
Sue Smith from the Keyhole Bridge Group said: “We obviously welcome this report as it shows the reopening of Keyhole Bridge was never justified. However, we are a small group of local campaigners who have had to fight long and hard to get our voice heard, funded entirely through donations.”
Cycling UK also welcomed the report. Campaigns head Duncan Dollimore said: “BCP Council’s policies clearly state that it aims to encourage sustainable travel by prioritising walking and cycling, particularly for short journeys.
“Yet BCP Council is looking backward and robbing people of that option. Sadly, we see this happening all too often, with local authorities caving into pressure from a noisy minority instead of implementing their own stated policies.”
In response, a BCP Council spokesperson said: “The portfolio holder for transport and sustainability made a decision to remove this measure after a range of policy considerations and after carefully reviewing all consultation responses.
- Read more: Keyhole Bridge consultation reopens after court order
"The decision was made in accordance with the council’s democratic processes. The decision to remove the measure included consideration of the economic and health impacts.
“At the time the decision was made, a basic economic assessment indicated that the measure would have a negative overall economic impact, due to increased traffic and congestion on the alternative routes.
“Removal of the measure meant that all routes remained open to cars, cyclists and pedestrians and therefore maintained all existing transport options rather than restricting them.”
A second public consultation ended on April 8.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel