Wimborne Road, Poole
Work on new cycling, walking and bus improvements along Wimborne Road in Poole between the New Inn Junction and Serpentine roundabout is currently underway. It forms part of a sustainable travel route between Poole town centre and Merley, Poole.
What's happening
Work completed so far includes:
- Improvements around the Serpentine Road roundabout with three new parallel crossings on raised tables and footways converted to shared use for people walking and cycling
- New landscaping at Serpentine Road roundabout
- Improvements at New Inn junction:
- Dedicated space for cyclists linking to/from Darbys Lane
- New crossing points for pedestrians and cyclists
- Traffic signal upgrades
- Barriers removed for cyclists accessing Mellstock Road
- Widening pavements and converting them to shared use, providing more space for people cycling and walking around the junction
- No left-turn from Fernside Road into Wimborne Road and the removal of the dedicated turning lane to provide space for the new crossings
- A total resurface from Kings Close near Poole town centre, through New Inn junction and up to Daisy Close, Oakdale. This work, funded through BCP Council's highways maintenance budget, was undertaken at the same time as the TCF work to limit disruption and help save on costs
- Upgrading the Tatnam Road/Garland Road junction, with raised table parallel crossings over the adjoining roads and toucan crossings installed to the south and north of the junction
- Removal of the dedicated right-turn lanes on Wimborne Road; right-turn movements into Tatnam Road and Garland Road are still possible.
Current work
The final phase of work on Wimborne Road, between Tatnam Road and Kings Close, started on 6 November 2023 and is due to complete in autumn 2024. Surfacing of the cycle lanes is currently underway (September 2024); the installation of flexible poles will follow.
The improvements include:
- New cycle lanes, separated from traffic with flexible poles, installed on both sides of the road
- Parking removed on the western side of the road between Tatnam Road and New Inn junction to make room for the cycle lanes. The removal of parking was subject to a separate legal process, and a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) was advertised and consulted on in November-December 2021. The decision to make the order was made on 25 May 2022 and can be found here.
- Junctions at Haynes Avenue/Marnhull Road, Stokes Avenue/Sandbourne Road, Winterbourne Road, and Kings Close upgraded with raised tables, double yellow lines, and uncontrolled crossings to improve pedestrian safety and encourage slower vehicle speeds.
- A new pedestrian crossing built just north of the Sherrin Close/Winterbourne Road junction.
- The bus stop south of the Haynes Avenue/Marnhull Road junction moved further north with cyclists giving way to buses at the stop.
- Two bus stops between the Stokes Avenue/Sandbourne Road junction and Winterbourne Road relocated further north and converted into floating bus stops. Cycle lanes run behind the bus stops, creating space for pedestrians to get on or off the bus.
Click here to view the design plan - Tatnam Road to New Inn junction
Click here to view the design plan - Tatnam Road to Serpentine roundabout
What we are going to do and when
Construction along Wimborne Road started on 16 May 2022 and is making good progress.
The first phase of work focused on improvements along Wimborne Road between Serpentine Road and Stadium Way and was substantially completed at the end of December 2022.
The second phase of work started in January at the New Inn junction on Wimborne Road and was largely finished in July 2023.
The current phase of work on sustainable travel improvements along Wimborne Road in Poole started on Monday 10 July 2023 at the Tatnam Road/Garland Road junction with the construction of new pedestrian and cycle crossings.
The installation of the new cycle lanes on both sides of Wimborne Road between Heckford Road and New Inn junction started in November 2023.
Public consultation
Public consultation on these plans was undertaken 24 February to 31 March 2021. All responses were analysed and helped shape the final scheme designs and a report summarising the results of consultation published in addition to our responses to the issues raised. A public information event about the Wimborne Road scheme was held in November 2021.
The designs for the final phase of work on Wimborne Road, between Tatnam Road and Kings Close, were updated following further technical surveying of the area. New cycle lanes will still be installed on both sides of the road, but due to rising construction, labour and fuel costs the cycle lanes will be segregated from the carriageway by traffic wands (small flexible poles in the ground) rather than a stepped kerb, which was originally proposed during the 2021 consultation.
The Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) at the southern end of Darbys Lane was made permanent in February 2022, allowing the design of the New Inn junction to progress.
