A MAJOR investment into bus infrastructure along with road resurfacing and improving routes for walking and cycling will ‘help to keep everyone moving’.

The £17.5million work in Ringwood Road, Poole, is funded by the government’s Transforming Cities Fund and is needed as it is currently operating at maximum traffic capacity.

The plans include two new bus lanes, 23 side road junction improvements, the reconstruction of the Sea View Road junction and 19 upgraded bus stop shelters.

It will also see 4.5km of road resurfacing, along with 1.8km of improved pavements and a new 2.7km two-way cycle track.

New and improved toucan, zebra and parallel crossings will be installed, too.

This will connect sustainable travel routes into Poole, Wallisdown, Talbot Woods and Bournemouth, with future plans to link to Ferndown and Wimborne.

Councillor Andy Hadley, portfolio holder for climate response, environment and energy, told the Daily Echo that the area has seen increases in bus usage and the work will help to improve routes across the conurbation.

“Particularly the money came down to us from government to improve the bus patronage and it's a major link, between Poole and Ferndown and improvements to walking and cycling along the length,” Cllr Hadley said.

“Morebus have invested significantly in new buses in order to increase the frequency on their routes.

“We buck the trend nationally in terms of bus patronage, because we have a bus company that's prepared to invest and to work actively with us.

“So we had to provide some match funding to government and some of that was a promise from the bus company that they would deliver and they've delivered on some of the other stuff in terms of improvement.”

BCP Council was one of ten areas nationally to secure this funding, with this scheme part of a package of £79million from government for the conurbation.

It is expected to help improve bus routes from north to south in the area, with Cllr Hadley pointing to the current M1 and M2 services, which run east to west, as examples to base these services on.

This work will help to provide a ‘lifeline’ for those who are unable to travel by other means in the area, the councillor said, adding that Beryl has also seen increases in use.

“Every urban area has a problem with congestion and it is just down to too many cars, doing short journeys,” he said.

“If we can persuade some people to change, whether it's walking, cycling, catching a bus for journeys that are appropriate, that frees up capacity for other people.”

Cllr Hadley added: “We've got to try and keep everyone moving.

“That doesn't just mean keeping cars moving, but it doesn't mean stopping cars moving, it means trying to balance that with priority for buses and a bit of space for pedestrians and cyclists too.”

The work will be carried out in four phases to minimise disruption, beginning on September 2.

The first phase will involve the road from Sea View Road to Balston Road and the Alderney Roundabout to Mountbatten Roundabout and is estimated to last until spring 2025.

Then, in 2025, work will be focused on Balston Road to Hunt Road and the Alderney Roundabout to the Mannings Heath Roundabout.

The final two phases are expected to be done in 2025/2026, involving work between Sea View Road to Mannings Heath Road.

Public information drop-in events will be held on August 14 and September 18 between 2pm and 7pm at The Newtown.

The council said it will do all it can to minimise the impact of the roadworks while construction is being carried out.

Richard Wade, Morebus general manager said: “We are excited by the prospect of this project being completed. It is testament to our excellent partnership with BCP Council, which has also led to route improvements, a new fleet of low emissions buses, and an increase in the number of passengers travelling with us across the region.

“Crucially, this latest initiative will give our buses priority over other traffic - much of which includes single occupancy vehicles. This, in turn, will help reduce congestion across our area.

“There will be no gain without pain during the construction period, but we have dates in the diary to engage with our partners at BCP Council to ensure delays to buses are mitigated - and we will be sure to feed information back as the scheme progresses.

“We urge car users to avoid sitting in traffic that they are part of, if other modes of transport can work. Travelling by bus allows work and other tasks to be completed whilst on the move, saving time in the office.

“Active travel comes with many health benefits and is an excellent opportunity to exercise - even for those with limited time. Both of these travel choices avoid contributing to additional congestion - which affects our local economy adversely.”

Full details of the work and traffic management can be found on the BCP Council website.