Kings Park cycle and walking improvements
The work on Harewood Avenue itself and the new route between Ashley Road and Harewood Avenue is complete. The following improvements have been made:
Harewood Avenue
- A new, raised toucan crossing on Harewood Avenue near the roundabout links the cycle and walking path and provides dedicated space for pedestrians and cyclists
- The existing toucan crossing and speed cushions further south east on Harewood Avenue have been removed
- Extension of the 20mph zone covering all arms of the roundabout onto Harewood Avenue, Littledown Avenue and Harewood Crescent
- Harewood Avenue toucan crossing in use
- New toucan crossing on Harewood Avenue, Kings Park
Ashley Road to Harewood Avenue
- A new, separate cycle path installed next to the existing footpath between the Vitality Stadium and Harewood Avenue, separated by an area of wildflower planting where space allows
- A new separate two-way cycle path and footpath, separated by an area of wildflower planting, has been installed alongside Kings Park Bowling Green
- Improved cycle and walking facility alongside the car park by the Vitality Stadium
- A new informal raised crossing has been installed over Kings Park Drive between the car park at the Vitality Stadium and Kings Park Bowling Green to slow traffic and provide a safer area for pedestrians and cyclists to cross
- Improvements to the old lighting have been made and new lighting has been installed through the park to improve safety and security
- Disabled parking spaces have been relocated from the eastern side of the cricket pavilion and café to the Ashley Road side of the building. This has allowed space for the construction of a new improved access ramp to the cricket pavilion and café
- Installation of new larger raised crossing, improved pedestrian facilities and cycle parking facilities outside the café
- Changing some parking bay locations on Kings Park Drive to create safe access along the new cycle track. Bollards have been installed on the existing line-marked cycle lane on King’s Park Drive to prevent vehicles from parking within it.
It has now been confirmed that further funding will need to be secured to enable the rest of the section to go ahead.
Rising construction, labour and fuel costs, growing inflation and changes to national design standards for cycling infrastructure mean south east Dorset’s original TCF budget, awarded pre-pandemic in March 2020, is no longer sufficient to build the entire network of cycle, walking and bus improvements planned across the region.
Priority has been given to TCF schemes that link into existing sustainable travel infrastructure, providing an immediate interim level of connectivity and more continuous travel routes.
Click here to read the full announcement
Public consultation
Plans for these improvements were put forward for public consultation in spring 2021. A report summarising the results is available here and the response to issues raised is here. There was overall support for the plans with more than two thirds of respondents (67%) agreeing with the proposed changes. The plans for separate cycling and walking paths were particularly popular. All responses were analysed and helped shape the final scheme designs.
