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

It is anticipated that the main construction works will be completed by 17 March. However, the final surfacing course of the cycleway and footway will likely not be completed until the surfacing works are completed.

Due to unforeseen poor ground conditions, the northbound lane of Ringwood Road will require 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 - Walton Road junction with Ringwood Road will be closed for 2 days
Phase 2 - St Clements Road junction with Ringwood Road will then be closed for 2 days
Phase 3 - Lacey Crescent (north) junction with Ringwood Road will then be closed for the remainder of the six weeks of work.

Works will be carried out under two-way traffic lights. Those affected by access restrictions have received letters.

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

Dorchester Road to Hunt Road

A light-controlled crossing while footway works are underway.

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

There will be short term ad hoc northbound and southbound single lane closures until 28 February 2025.

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

Works will start on 24 February and are 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:

3 March to 13 April 2025: southbound road closure from Alderney roundabout to Bedford Road South. Residents from Portelet Close will be required to turn right (northbound) upon exit. Reisdents from Bedford Road South will still be able to turn right (southbound) upon exit.
14 April to 22 June 2025: southbound road closure from Alderney roundabout to just south of Alderney Avenue. Residents from Portelet Close and Alderney Avenue will be required to turn right (northbound) upon exit. Residents from Bedford Road south will be required to turn left (northbound) upon exit.

The third phase of work is estimated to take place from autumn 2025 and spring 2026 between Sea View Road and Old Wareham Road Roundabout.

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.

An image of work in progress on the left, with newly resurfaced road ahead with cars on it

Stretch between Alderney and Mountbatten roundabouts, February 2025.

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.