Photo: bcpcouncil.gov.uk

HGVs “clipping wing mirrors” due to 11-foot cycle lane narrowing road

A new cycle lane in Dorset, one of the UK's widest, is reportedly causing lorries to clip wing mirrors as a result of the road alongside it being narrowed to just 9 foot and 5 inches per lane. By contrast, the cycle lane is 11 foot and 2 inches wide.

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Dorset Council says the newly opened cycle lanes are part of the Leigh Road – Wimborne Road West sustainable transport improvements, which are being funded by BCP and Dorset Councils’ £100m + Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) programme1.

When the first section of the project was completed in July, Cllr Ray Bryan, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said:

“It is great to see the first section of this major project completed. South east Dorset is one of the most congested regions in the country and we need to start making the change to more sustainable, less polluting forms of transport. Winning the TCF funding from central government has meant that we can start to put the infrastructure in place to encourage more people to take up active and sustainable forms of transport and to leave their cars at home, particularly for shorter journeys.”

The 11-foot+ cycle lane is part of a 27km sustainable transport route linking Poole Town Centre, Wimborne and Ferndown. It also fills a missing section on the Castleman Trailway, part of the National Cycle Network, which links Dorset to Ringwood and the New Forest.

The cycle lane has been praised by cyclists, who enjoy its extra space as well as its smooth surface.

However, in recent days, motorists have vented their anger and frustration over the changes.

Local newspaper the Bournemouth Echo reports that “there have been incidents of lorries clipping wing mirrors as they pass each other, angry motorists shouting at cyclists for not using the path and cars veering into the oncoming lane to avoid bicycles.”

A member of staff at a garage in the area also told the Bournemouth Echo that lorries were entering into the cycle lane in order to pass safely, and that “two lorries smashed their mirrors trying to pass each other on opposite sides of the road.”

The same person claimed that some cyclists are still using the road – despite the brand new, ultra-wide cycle lane being available. However, a local resident has said that further obstacles down the cycle lane mean cyclists have no option but to go into the opposite lane to avoid them.

A 62-year-old man who lives by the road also said the new cycle lane has brought “chaos” and that half of the traffic on the roads is made up of trade and heavy goods vehicles.

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