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news
Poole Park (Facebook/Leave Poole Park Alone)Councillor defends closing park "rat-run" to drivers to promote cycling and address "challenge" of "dominance of the car"
A councillor has urged locals to respect the consultation process and "see how the trial progresses" amid noise and protests from an outspoken group of residents unhappy at the decision to close a "rat-run" through a park in order to promote a safer environment for cyclists and walkers.
Councillor Andy Hadley, BCP Council's portfolio holder for the environment, insisted the council does not have an "anti-car agenda" but there is a "challenge on our roads about the dominance of the car" with vehicles "getting bigger and more of them".
From 17 January, a road through Poole Park, in the Dorset town, has been closed to through-traffic, preventing rat-running drivers using the heritage listed park in a conservation area as a cut-through near Sandbanks, one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the country.
The trial period is running for four-weeks while public opinion is gauged, the park still accessible for drivers, but not as a through-route, BCP Council believing it will "create safer routes for people walking, wheeling and cycling" and tackle noise and air pollution.
And while cllr Hadley told the Mail that during the first weeks of the trial he had heard from residents who have said the "closure has transformed the park", with people "saying how nice it is to hear birdsong in the park and how nice it is to be able to let their dogs off the lead", there is also an outspoken portion of the community, particularly on social media, expressing vocal opposition to not being able to drive through the park.
Much of the rhetoric mirrors what has been heard up and down the country during the debates about active travel schemes, low-traffic neighbourhoods, 15-minute cities, ULEZ and more.
Some have claimed not being able to use the park as a through-route means congestion has built up elsewhere, Bob Lister, the co-founder of the Friends of Poole Park group, calling it a "madcap idea that will be a disaster if this becomes permanent".
One resident angered by the decision said: "Previously we have easily and safely used the park road to get to Sandbanks Road and Shore Road. Now we have to squeeze into the queue of traffic waiting to get to the Civic Centre and then have to join a long queue taking it in turns to go through the railway bridge along Sandbanks Road.
"So, more irritation, more delay, potentially more accidents, and more petrol being used up as we wait in stationary cars to navigate these blockages. So much for cutting the carbon footprint. In the meantime the park is nearly empty and a perfectly good road to avoid these pressure points has been blocked off.
"I can't imagine the chaos which will occur in the summer when festivals and other events which go on in the park try to contend with a system that only allows one exit point for all vehicles."
Another added: "I live on the other side of the park and now have an added five miles to my daily commute to work. Now traffic can't go through the park and the roads round it are gridlocked at the busiest times of the day."
A picture posted on a Facebook group protesting the decision showed one protester stood at the road closure with a sign asking if it is a "sinister agenda" and stating "we do not consent" below a list of projects that included: 15-minute cities, 20 mph speed limits, ULEZ, LTN, and "blocking roads".
However, in his comments mentioned earlier, cllr Hadley insisted there is no "anti-car agenda", while pro-cycling group BH Active Travel has championed the potential "environmental improvements" and benefits to "health and wellbeing".
Lucie Allen, chair of BH Active Travel, said: "We firmly believe that parks should be safe, open green spaces for people to use, whether that be for recreation, leisure, or quiet contemplation. It's always amazed me that commuters are allowed to cut through the park, particularly during the end of the school day and rush hour, effectively using the park as a rat-run to avoid congestion on the road network.
> Richmond Park reopens to rat-running drivers after almost five months of car-free roads
"Closing one of the exits will reduce the amount of through traffic, while still allowing visitors who need to drive there, the ability to drive in, park up and enjoy its amenities. Bournemouth's park users have benefitted from both Meyrick and Kings parks being car-free. We are not quite there yet with Poole Park, but this is a very positive step in the right direction."
Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.
Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.
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37 comments
The irony of the behatted protestor is that there has indeed been a sinister conspiracy, for many decades. To promote motor vehicle - and thereby oil - dependence, and deny the harm it does us all.
And no, we did not consent.
Indeed, it took a lot of pushing (and huge sums of money) to get the system going.
Once it was at the point where "aspirational motoring" could exist people would drive it themselves (ha). Now it's deeply embedded in our built environment, our economy, organisational structures and our culture (like horses became about more than just transport).
But there's still regular local (but large scale) opposition from those who are suddenly confronted with the side effects (eg. a main road is coming through).
Catching up on this.
That is a large road in a park which is mainly water (~2/3), dominating the narrow space between two lakes, running right through the park splitting it into two pieces.
The section of road between the lakes simply needs removing, and replacing with a natural space.
Once it is gone, no one will miss it.
Just need to have the backbone to see it through and the noise will die down.
The park is a much more pleasant place to visit now now the through traffic has been stopped. All areas of the park are still accessible by car. Unfortunately many of the vocal opponents, oppose any local active travel schemes improvements. It does not help when the local Poole Conservatives encourage people to protest against this scheme, with the local MP Sir Robert Syms attending a protest. All the local prospective Conservative Cllr at the last local election actively campaigned on an anti active agenda, with many losing seats. If we can't challenge car dominance in a park of all places, then that does not bode well for the future.
But if the people opposing active travel lose their seats, that can't be bad.
These schemes are always wrapped in fabricatred issues and perjorative terms like 'rat runner'. Are cyclists therefore 'mice-runners'? The noise and pollution claims are risible. Cars are very quiet and clean. The agenda is anti-car and the councillor immediately contradicted himself to confirm it. Cycling should not be a comfortable home for those seeking to sow division and hatred on the roads.
That's true, I used to own a few and most made very little noise. Some did, they were the kind you could pull backwards and they would scuttle forwards under the table like running rats or mice. Brilliant!
Obviously you were not around during lockedown when for the second time in my lifetime it really was quiet and clean. The first time was during my chldhood in the 50s. Unfortunately we will never experience that again.
Sundays in the 70s.
It's a park, not a through road. Presumably those same drivers would object if people started wandering freely, walking their dogs, throwing frisbees on the main road. What do you mean, it isn't the same thing?
Well done to the council for standing up to the bullies.
Where does it say a park cannot be driven through? The park has a road. There is plenty of room left over for other activities.
I used to take a car to the park and nobody complained!
Umm... check out the photo above maybe?
Pretty sure that collection of characters says "closed to through traffic"
How does that add 5 miles to their journey. The park road is only half a mile long and there is a road that runs parallel
It doesn't really, probably adds a mile or less. I know that area really well and there's next to nothing in it. In fact, when driving, I would never go through the park anyway, it's not really suited to motorised through traffic due to width, traffic calming, etc. It's actually easier going Sandbanks Road/Parkstone Road and around the Civic Centre, although that's sometimes gets congested. The only way the commute mentioned could increase by 5 miles is if it's go to work, home for lunch, back to work, home again.
I'm a local too, hi. I suspect with the traffic calming that already exists (including the narrow keyhole bridge) it would be quicker to just go via the main road anyway.
During our Christmas break in Dorset, we visited the Poole/Bournemouth/Sandbanks area, and found ourselves using the road that the park cut through avoids.
Allowing for the fact that I wasn't familiar with the area, and it was a quiet day, I can see why people would want to avoid that road - but rat running through a park isn't the answer.
I wonder if people will begin to see the unsustainability of car ownership growth, before I retire...
Kudos to the councillor for having both vision and bravery.
Nobody is a 'rat runner'. It should be added to the list of unacceptable perjoratives used against any group of people and treated accordingly. A route is a route. The objectors to cars are using the same tired lies ablout nloise and pollution.
True, in most places you barely notice they're there!
Do you have the trolling permit required to post here with such nonsense?
Great story.
But the councillor is correct about the generational dominance of cars, which let's not forget, are the invasive species on our roads. Cars are a growing problem (in more than one sense) and endlessley giving over public space to them is not the answer I'm afraid. It is inevitable that some minor inconvenience is going to be encountered by the motorist, just seems like a vocal minority can't live with any degree of personal inconvenience or (horror) change.
"A picture posted on a Facebook group protesting the decision showed one protester.." says it all really
Don't forget also that environmental noise is increasingly recognised as a major source of stress, with real health consequences. And currently the major source of that is motor traffic on the roads.
It is often ignored and many people can 'blank it out'. I can't and find it stressful. I dread to think what it is like living beside a clogged city route every day.
"Traffic noise has been flagged as a major physiological stressor, second to air pollution and on roughly equal footing with exposure to second-hand smoke and radon."
From https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210315-why-noise-pollution-is-bad-f...
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/19/light-and-noise-poll...
I moved from a Bristol suburb to a Wl
Welsh village just over a year ago - chalk and cheese. I remember phoning my wife on the first night I spent in the Bristol house and saying "You just hear traffic noise all the time".
Looking back on it, it was fucking awful - just CONSTANT noise. Chavs with bean tin "exhausts" on their Saxos, "modified" mopeds that made a ghastly racket.
Want to eat or spend time in your garden? Forget it
I found a suitable rat-runner for you!
Is Boo back again? We're meant to be ignoring this cunt, right?
Apologies, I was hunting the snark... I'll go for a ride on a Sturmey 3-speed and let it go.
It's a park, they should have cut off traffic years ago.
Loving the look of Agenda 2030. I see NOTHING the loony in the hat is highlighting to object to.
Where do I sign up?
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