Heavy traffic as work Wallisdown Road cycle lane begins

Parts of Wallisdown and Kinson had heavy traffic as a diversion route was put in place to make way for a new cycle lane in Wallisdown Road westbound. 

Wallisdown Road eastbound from Mountbatten Roundabout and from University Roundabout had long queues of cars with frustrated drivers on Monday afternoon. 

A diversion route for the work, which will last for 10 weeks until before Christmas, is in place via Kinson Road, Turbary Park Road and Ringwood Road. 

Wallisdown Road on Monday afternoon (Image: NQ)

Bus diversions

Morebus have made changes to their usual routes, with routes away from the roadworks expected to be disrupted because of traffic using alternative routes. 

A spokesperson for the company said: “Due to the closure of Wallisdown Road between Wallisdown Roundabout and Canford Avenue, our routes 6 and 6a towards Bearwood/Wimborne and 14 towards Poole and school routes 425 and 450 towards school and college route 702 towards college will be diverting. 

“While routes 15, 16, 17, U2 and X6 won't be affected by the road closure, they will be subject to delays across the service due to the nature of the works and traffic using alternative routes.  

Wallisdown Road on Monday afternoon (Image: Bournemouth Echo)

“We recommend keeping an eye on our service updates while the roadworks are taking place.” 

Speaking last month ahead of the works, Councillor Mike Greene, portfolio holder for transport and sustainability, said: “Giving more people the freedom, confidence and ability to make sustainable travel choices is a key priority for the council. 

“By improving Wallisdown Road, a major connecting route between our three towns, we will help reduce journey times and encourage more people to embrace healthier and environmentally sustainable modes of travel. We will also be contributing positively towards our wider transforming travel initiative.” 

Work began at 8am yesterday (Image: NQ)

Residents of Wallisdown Road have expressed their displeasure with the closure and new cycle lane, with some saying they are not used enough to justify the costs of the new lanes. 

One resident, Rob Gilbert, said: “It’s a waste of money. I’ve seen the top end of the road, which they’ve finished, and I can count how many people use it on one hand. All the times I’ve driven through I’ve only seen one cyclist use it.”   

A poll run by the Echo last month showed 82 per cent of nearly 1,000 participants thought the Wallisdown Road cycle lane was a bad idea.