Ringwood Road, Poole (Hunt Road to Mountbatten roundabout)

Major work on bus, walking, cycling and road improvements including resurfacing along Ringwood Road between Hunt Road (Parkstone) and Mountbatten roundabout (Alderney/West Howe) started on 2 September 2024. It forms part of a sustainable travel route planned between Poole, Ferndown and Wimborne which includes the new improvements on Wimborne Road, Leigh Road and Ringwood Road in Ferndown and St Mary’s Road in Poole.

An artist’s impression of the proposed improvements on Ringwood Road looking south towards Newtown Business Park.

Work phases

The work will be undertaken in phases to minimise disruption.

Phase one

The first phase of work on Ringwood Road takes place from 2 September 2024 until spring 2025 at two locations on Ringwood Road: between St Clements Road and Hunt Road, and Mannings Heath Roundabout and Mountbatten Roundabout, and is anticipated to complete in spring 2025.

An update on the works completed as of December 2024 can be found here.

The following traffic management, which is subject to change, is planned:

Sea View Road to Balston Road

Sea View Road will be closed to northbound traffic at its junction with Ringwood Road until mid-May 2025. You will not be able to exit from Sea View Road onto Ringwood Road, in any direction. No right turn from Ringwood Road into Sea View Road. Southbound traffic on Ringwood Road will still be able to turn left into Sea View Road. Diversion route:

Diversion map for works at Sea View Road

Due to unforeseen poor ground conditions, the northbound lane of Ringwood Road requires a full depth reconstruction of the road, rather than just resurfacing. Whilst this means more work at the current time, the aim of the full depth reconstruction is to prolong the life of the road and avoid the need for more works on this section in coming years.

Work on the full depth reconstruction will start on 17 March and last approximately 6 weeks. Work will be carried out in phases:

Phase 1 - Lacey Crescent (north) junction with Ringwood Road will be closed from 17 March 2025 for approximately 6 weeks
Phase 2 - Walton Road junction with Ringwood Road will be closed for 2 days, anticipated 16-17 April 2025. Residents will be contacted by our contractors M Group Highways in advance
Phase 3 - St Clements Road junction with Ringwood Road will be closed overnight for 2 nights, sometime between 22 April and 6 May 2025. Residents will be contacted by our contractors M Group Highways in advance.

Works will be carried out under two-way traffic lights. During these works vehicles travelling northbound on Ringwood Road will be able to turn right into Sea View Road. Vehicles on travelling north on Sea View road will not be able to exit onto Ringwood Road.

Those affected by access restrictions have received letters.

Access for pedestrians and cyclists will be maintained throughout the works.

Nighttime surfacing: 22 April to 2 May 2025

A series of overnight closures will take place each night from 7pm to midnight. Ringwood Road will be closed in both directions from just south of Balston Road to just north of St Clements Road. Sea View Road will be closed in both directions from Ringwood Road to just south of Grove Road (please see closure area map below).

Traffic management for nighttime closures:

Walton Rd/Lacey Crescent/Kinson Avenue/St Clements Road - Access will be maintained at all times either via Walton Road or St Clements Road
Balston Road and Tolstoi Road – residents will not be able to access their property by vehicle from 7pm to midnight each night. Should you need to use your vehicle during these times we advise that you find alternative parking outside of the closure area
there will be no entry or exit from Sea View Road onto Ringwood Road during the closure periods
Grove Road will be accessible at its eastern end
roads will reopen and be accessible during the day – however there will be no exit from Sea View Road onto Ringwood Road – Diversion via Ashley Road, Alder Road, and Wallisdown Road
residents whose properties directly front onto the road within the closure areas will not be able to access their property by vehicle from 7pm to midnight each night. Should you need to use your vehicle during these times we advise that you find alternative parking outside of the closure area.

Pedestrian access will be maintained, cyclists will need to dismount and use the footway where there is no designated cycle path. Access for emergency services will be maintained.

Please be advised these dates are weather dependent.

Full weekend closure of Ringwood Road/Sea View junction: 7pm Friday 9 May to 6am Monday 12 May 2025

Ringwood Road will be closed in both directions from numbers 318 to 177. Sea View Road will be closed in both directions from Ringwood Road to 103 Sea View Road (see closure area map below).

Sea View Junction Full Weekend Closure Extent

Traffic management for the full weekend closure (please see diversion map below):

Lacey Crescent – residents will be able to exit onto Ringwood Road via the northernmost junction but will not be able to enter from Ringwood Road. Entry to Lacey Crescent should be made using either St Clements Road or Walton Road
residents whose properties front onto the road within the closure area will not be able to access their property by vehicle. Should you need to use your vehicle during the closure weekend we advise that you find alternative parking outside of the closure area.
residents on Sea View Road should follow the usual diversion via Ashley Road, Alder Road, and Wallisdown Road.

Pedestrian access will be maintained; cyclists will need to dismount and use the footway where there is no designated cycle path. Access for emergency services will be maintained.

Please be advised these dates are weather dependent.

It should be noted that during the full weekend closure, due to the type of surfacing being laid, there will be a 24hr period after the completion of the laying of the surface where no activity is taking place. This is because the material requires time to set; access will still be restricted.

We would like to thank you for your patience during the works at Sea View junction, it is anticipated the the main disruptive works at Sea View junction will be completed by late May and the junction fully re-opened to traffic.

Bus diversion route during Sea View Road/Ringwood Road junction closure

Bus routes 14, 16 and 17, which would usually travel north along Sea View Road will now be diverted via Ringwood Road and not serve Constitution Hill Road or Sea View Road. Travelling southbound to Poole the 14, 16 and 17 will stick to the normal route.

Route 18, and school routes 415 and 703 will divert (in both directions) via Constitution Hill and Ringwood Road to Dorchester Road. Affected bus stops will have information about the nearest bus stop for the route you are trying to access. For more information please visit the Morebus website https://www.morebus.co.uk

Alderney Roundabout to Mountbatten Roundabout

This is now largely complete.

Belben Road bus layby surfacing is expected to take place on the weekend of 9 May, with a lane closure.

On the week of 12 May 2025, surfacing of the cycleway and footway will begin from just north of Alderney roundabout to Alderney Avenue. There will be lane closures.

There will be an off peak lane closure between 14-16 May for street lighting, and some other ad hoc lane closures for bus shelter installations and signage.

The left is Ringwood Road before the works, and the right is after the works

Stretch between Alderney and Mountbatten roundabouts, before and after works.

Phase two

This phase of work is estimated to take place from spring 2025 to autumn 2025 between Balston Road and Hunt Road and between Alderney Roundabout and Mannings Heath Road.

Alderney Roundabout to Alderney Avenue

The following sustainable travel improvements will be constructed between Alderney Roundabout and Alderney Avenue:

Two-way cycle lanes on the eastern side of Ringwood Road from Alderney roundabout to Alderney Avenue
Upgrade to the footway on the western side to create a shared use path
Improvements to the existing controlled crossing at Alderney Avenue
Improved links to the subway
Carriageway and footpath resurfacing
Tree planting and landscaping at Dolbery Road South

Work started on 24 February and is expected to complete in early summer 2025. Work will be carried out in two phases; to ensure the safety of the operatives working on site, the following temporary traffic management will be in place:

The Ringwood Road southbound closure will be fully reinstated from Alderney roundabout to just south of Alderney Avenue from 28 April 2025. Southbound access to Portelet Close and Bedford Road South will be removed. Please follow on road signage and note that:

Residents from Portelet Close will be required to turn right (northbound) upon exit.
Residents from Bedford Road South will be required to turn left (northbound) upon exit.
Residents of Alderney Avenue will be required to right (northbound) upon exit.
Alderney Hospital – whilst outside of the closure area, will only be accessible to traffic travelling northbound.

A signed diversion will be in place via Canford Way, Dorset Way, Old Wareham Road, and Ringwood Road. Pedestrian and cyclist access will be maintained; however cyclists may need to dismount and use the footway at times. Access for emergency services will be maintained.

In addition to the southbound closure, Ringwood Road will also be closed in both directions from 7pm to midnight each night from 12 May 2025 for up to 2 weeks. The southbound closure will remain in place outside of these times (7pm-12am).

Please follow on road signage and note that:

Access to/from Bedford Road South will be maintained at all times, either to/from the north or the south, please follow on road signage. This is due to the way work is carried out in sections throughout each night.
Portelet Close – no guaranteed vehicle access/exit between 7pm-midnight – should you need to use your vehicle during these times please find alternative parking. It may be possible to access Portelet Close from Alderney Roundabout at certain times, but this cannot be specified or guaranteed. Please follow on-road signage.
Alderney Avenue junction with Ringwood Road will be closed 7pm-midnight. – exit via Manor Avenue and Herbert Avenue.
Alderney Hospital – whilst outside of the closure area, will only be accessible to northbound traffic.

Southbound traffic is advised to follow the aforementioned diversion route above.

Northbound traffic should follow the signed diversion south via Ringwood Road, Old Wareham Road, Dorset Way and Canford Way.

Pedestrian access will be maintained, cyclists will need to dismount and use the footway. Access for emergency services will be maintained.

Please be advised these dates are weather dependent.

Following the surfacing works the southbound closure will remain in place, with access only for Bedford Road South and Portelet Close from Alderney Roundabout where possible. Please follow on-road signage. This is to allow the contractor to carry out works including but not limited to; signage, traffic signals, anti-skid application, tactiles and surfacing around the pedestrian crossing.

It is anticipated that the works between Alderney roundabout and just south of Alderney Avenue will be completed and all traffic management removed by early June.

Alderney Hospital to Mannings Heath Mini Roundabouts

Between 13-19 May, there will be surfacing taking place on the west side footway from Mannings Heath to just north of Alderney Hospital.

Phase three

Due to works on Ringwood Road progressing well, phase three works between Sea View Road and Old Wareham Road Roundabout will start ahead of schedule.

Phase one of these works, from Old Wareham Road roundabout to the Wessex Trade Centre, will start on 14 April 2025. Work will be carried out using temporary road narrowing - traffic will still be two-way.

The following sustainable travel improvements will be constructed between Old Wareham roundabout and Sea View Road junction:

A new northbound bus lane between St Clements Road and Old Wareham Road roundabout
Footway on the western side to be upgraded to shared use path from Old Wareham Road to St Clement’s Road
New two-way cycle track on the eastern side of Ringwood Road from Old Wareham Road roundabout to Sea View junction linking with those sections already complete to the south.
Crossing improvements
Crossing outside no 223/225 Ringwood Road to be upgraded
Crossing adjacent to Cynthia House to be relocated slightly further north, closer to Tesco Express
Zebra adjacent Rosemary Road – to be removed
Upgraded bus stop shelters
4 bus shelters upgraded, remaining in same location
Tesco Bus Stop (Southbound) relocated to adjacent to Cynthia House (40m)
All bus laybys are being removed
Side road junction enhancements
Removal of the dedicated right-turn filter lane into Albion Close. Vehicles will still be able to turn right
Carriageway and footway resurfacing
New landscaping and trees plantings.

The final phase of work is estimated to take place from spring 2026 to winter 2026 between Old Wareham Road Roundabout and Mannings Heath Road.

What's planned

A new northbound bus lane between St Clements Road and Old Wareham Road roundabout
A new southbound bus lane from Mannings Heath Mini Roundabouts to Old Wareham Road roundabout
4.5km of road resurfacing from Hunt Road to Mountbatten roundabout
Improving 1.8km of pavements on the western side of Ringwood Road between Hunt Road junction and Mountbatten roundabout including upgrading sections into shared paths for walking, wheeling and cycling
A new 2.7km two-way cycle track on the eastern side of Ringwood Road, between Hunt Road junction and Mountbatten roundabout. This includes sections of shared path for walking, wheeling and cycling
New and improved toucan, zebra and parallel crossings to enable east-west connectivity for people walking, cycling and wheeling along Ringwood Road. Click here for further details
Major improvements to Sea View Road junction to improve the traffic flow for buses and motorised vehicles. A new dedicated bi-directional cycle crossing and new pedestrian crossing will be installed across Sea View Road
23 side road junction upgrades including improvements to bus, walking and cycling provision
Upgraded bus stop shelters at 19 locations; five bus stops relocated. Click here for further details
Improvements to Old Wareham Road roundabout including wider footways and new crossings on all arms
Removal of dedicated right-turn filter lanes into Balston Road and Albion Close. Vehicles will still be able to turn right
Removal of dedicated right-turn filter lane into Rossmore Road. The northbound lane will be widened so that vehicles can still turn right and northbound traffic able to pass stationary right-turning traffic
Several trees will be removed between Old Wareham Road roundabout and Sea View Road. New and additional trees and landscaping will be planted as part of the final layout.

To support the improvements, the speed limit between Alderney roundabout and Mountbatten roundabout has been reduced to 30 mph to improve safety.

Detailed plans:

Detailed general arrangement drawings of the plans on Ringwood Road:

For any problems interpreting the plans please email transformingtravel@bcpcouncil.gov.uk.

Full details of the traffic regulation order process and outcomes for these improvements are available here.

The improvements require changes to parking, with double yellow lines being introduced outside the following property numbers:

142 – 160 Ringwood Road
182- 200 Ringwood Road
206 – 232 Ringwood Road
244 - 252 Ringwood Road
47 – 59 Ringwood Road, and up to the bus stop on the eastern side

This will result in the removal of approximately 30 parking spaces (using BCP Council’s standard measure for parking lengths).

The introduction of these parking restrictions was subject to the outcome of a separate legal process. We invited comments on the proposed Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) earlier in June 2022 and the TRO was recommended for approval in October 2022. Full details of the traffic regulation order process and outcomes.

Surveys were undertaken reviewing the parking levels in the area, over one week in April 2021 and 2022, at the same morning, lunchtime, and evening periods. The average occupancy across all roads surveyed was 47% in April 2021, and 45% in April 2022. These results suggest that there is available parking in adjacent and nearby roads to accommodate the loss of the parking spaces. View the results.

Public consultation

Public consultation on these proposals was undertaken May – June 2021. For the consultation, the proposals were split into three sub-sections: (Fernside Road – Sea View Road; Sea View Road – Mannings Heath mini roundabouts; Mannings Heath mini roundabouts – Mountbatten roundabout).

All responses were analysed and helped shape the final scheme designs. Reports summarising the results of the consultation are available here:

A report detailing our responses to issues raised is available here.

A public information event about the proposals was held on 8 June 2022.