Bike Lane Criticized for Worsening Traffic

0:00On March 14, a new 17-million-pound bike lane along a two-mile stretch of Ringwood Road and Pool Dorset is drawing sharp criticism for worsening traffic jams. Despite the huge investment, monitors show just a handful of cyclists using it while hundreds of cars, vans, buses, and lorries squeeze through the narrowed road beside it. The cycle path measures over 11 feet wide in places, even wider than the 10-foot carriageway, now left for drivers. This forces buses and big trucks to crawl along slower than before, backing up traffic and creating bottlenecks, especially since bus stops now block. The flow directly. Local drivers say the changes make the road downright dangerous, with extended pavement corners at junctions forcing sharp, near right angle turns, that push cars into oncoming lanes. There's barely room for motorbikes to weave through, or for lorries to pass without folding in their mirrors, and emergency vehicles struggle too. A campaign group called BCP and Dorset motorists, with over 5,600 members,

1:04blast the project as a monumental waste. They point to ripped-up verges, fell trees, and lost greenery turning the area into what some call an asphalt desert, all part of a broader one. 120-million-pound push for nearly 50 miles of new lanes across Southeast Dorset. As BCP council aims to slash car trips by 50% and hit carbon neutral by 2040, critics argue the cash would fix potholes and crumbling roads instead. The tension between greener cycling goals and daily driving needs shows no signs of easing anytime soon.