By Frankie Elliott For Mailonline
Published: 01:30 AEDT, 6 November 2024 | Updated: 01:42 AEDT, 6 November 2024
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Furious residents claim they have been blocked in their driveways after a council installed 'ridiculous' cycling wands along a new bike lane.
The 1ft tall posts are intended to make riding a bike safer by stopping cars parking on the freshly-laid cycle path.
But they have instead made pulling in to and reversing out of driveways much more difficult, in some cases trapping locals in.
Some homeowners on Wimborne Road in Poole, Dorset, now have nowhere to park at all after the bike lanes were laid on either side of the busy road.
The controversial work is part of a £120million scheme to build a network of almost 50 miles of cycle lanes in south east Dorset.
Dorset and BCP Councils - that have declared 'climate emergencies' - say the project will make travel more sustainable and reduce congestion on the roads.
The 1ft tall posts are intended to make riding a bike safer by stopping cars parking on the freshly-laid cycle path
The posts have made pulling in to and reversing out of driveways much more difficult, in some cases trapping locals in
But many locals say the prolonged scheme is a waste of taxpayers' money and that the cycle lanes that have already been laid are hardy used.
Residents of Wimborne Road today said their lives had become a 'nightmare' since the council installed dozens of cycle wands without prior notice.
They now dread having to get in and out their driveways as the posts, some just 10ft apart, make manoeuvring on to a busy road 'more dangerous'.
They say that the wands mean they have to back into the other side of the road to avoid hitting them, making a collision with oncoming traffic more likely.
And there are fears that it makes access for fire engines and ambulances worse by narrowing the road.
Carol Williams, 65, a shop assistant, said: 'It's a nightmare. We don't see the point of it. I'm not against cyclists but this is a step too far.'
Debbie Woodcocks, 50, a carer, has two wands in front of her drive.
She said: 'It's a nightmare trying to get out. I'm just infuriated by it. At least before you could reverse out with some more haste but now you've got to navigate those things which force you to reverse into the other side of the road.
'It's made things more dangerous for cyclists and drivers, and I think an accident is more likely now.
'The thing is you only see maybe 10 cyclists a day so it is a waste of money.
'If an ambulance or fire engine is trying to get passed now how is that going to work, when they've made the road so much narrower. I almost wonder if they've done it out of spite.'
The controversial work is part of a £120million scheme to build a network of almost 50 miles of cycle lanes in south east Dorset
Residents of Wimborne Road today said their lives had become a 'nightmare' since the council installed dozens of cycle wands without prior notice
Residents now dread having to get in and out their driveways as the posts, some just 10ft apart, make manoeuvring on to a busy road 'more dangerous'
One pensioner, who was working on his driveway, said: 'I'd love to knock them out.'
Homeowner Samantha Clarke, 44, said: 'My neighbour complained to the council about the wand outside her driveway and they have removed it because it was blocking it.
'But it is so much more difficult now; there's no turning into the driveway anymore. You have to go in in a straight line.'
Meanwhile residents who had been invited by BCP Council to submit a £100 application to have a dropped kerb installed along the road to make parking easier have now been told they can't have them.
Ms Clarke said she was 'promised' a dropped kerb outside her home and applied to BCP Council for the planning permission required.
She said: 'Eventually I got a letter from them saying 'no, you can't have them anymore, we're putting the cycle lanes there instead.
'I paid £100 for the planning but haven't got that back a year on. And they took the parking away on the road to put the cycle lanes in.'
A spokesperson for BCP Council said they wanted to protect the cycle route from parked cars but would consider 'adjusting the positions' of wands that had blocked property access.
Andy Hadley, the cabinet member responsible for roads and cycle lanes at BCP Council, said: 'We are committed to creating safe, sustainable and active ways for people, including schoolchildren, to travel locally to and from Poole town centre along this busy road.
Dorset and BCP Councils - that have declared 'climate emergencies' - say the project will make travel more sustainable and reduce congestion on the roads
Some homeowners on Wimborne Road in Poole, Dorset, now have nowhere to park at all after the bike lanes were laid on either side of the busy road
'To encourage people to cycle they must feel confident that they are safe.
'These wands are intended to give them that confidence, by alerting both people cycling and those driving vehicles to the presence of the cycle route, affording a degree of separation from moving traffic and preventing vehicles from blocking the cycle lane.
'The team have attempted to balance maintaining access to driveways with protecting the cycle route, but have listened to feedback from residents and acknowledge that a few traffic wands have been installed in locations that impact informal access to properties.
'In locations where this creates the most difficulty, we are looking at adjusting the positions of the wands to ensure continued property access.'
He apologised for the 'inaccurate' letters sent promising dropped kerbs for residents, adding that they can reclaim their £100.
A spokesperson for BCP Council said they wanted to protect the cycle route from parked cars but would consider 'adjusting the positions' of wands that had blocked property access
One pensioner, said he would 'love to knock out' the wands from the ground
He added: 'We sincerely apologise for sending inaccurate letters to residents on Wimborne Road and for raising expectations.
'The letters lacked clarity on the planning and highways permissions required to support the installation of dropped kerbs.
'Furthermore, these permissions could not be attained in the timeframes outlined in the letter. We understand how frustrating and confusing this must have been.
'The offer to adjust kerbing should only have been offered to a handful of households whose properties were within the planned kerbing alterations being undertaken as part of improvement work.
'We have contacted the residents who had responded to the letter, apologising for our error, and offered a refund to those who wanted to withdraw their application.'
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
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