Transport is a necessary part of life and allows people to carry out everyday activities - it is essential to our quality of life. Both the current and previous Governments have recognised the increasing concern over the quality of our transport systems and their impact upon everyday life.

The car and lorry are the dominant forms of transport within South East Dorset for personal and freight transport and are likely to remain so. Currently, traffic in the conurbation is growing generally by up to 3% per year, although it is clear that on some transport corridors traffic has reached saturation levels. Good accessibility within the area is vital if economic prosperity is to be maintained, yet the environmental consequences of unlimited traffic growth are unacceptable.

The internal road network within the conurbation has improved considerably in the last 30 years with schemes such as the A338 Bournemouth Town Centre By-Pass, improved access to Poole Town Centre by the A350 Holes Bay Road and A3049 Dorset Way/Upton By-Pass.

However, roads with residential frontages still carry significant volumes of both local and through traffic as the strategic road network has not been completed.

The area suffers problems of peak period congestion throughout the highway network, particularly on its main east-west routes. As an example the main A35 between the three town centers of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch carries heavy volumes of traffic with over 30,000 vehicles per day at the Poole/Bournemouth boundary and 43,000 per day on the section through Christchurch. Other sections of roads carry over 50,000 vehicles per day. With the absence of high capacity links, congestion in the area is not confined to the traditional peak hours and has spread to other times of the day. Major relief road schemes, designed to cater for heavy traffic flows have been put forward as a solution in the past, but are not being progressed, largely because of (changing government policy and) severe environmental constraints. Most major road schemes in the conurbation are now proposed for deletion in the Structure Plan.

On some routes, particularly on those serving the Port of Poole and the industrial areas in the west of the conurbation, there are large HGV flows of over 1,000 per day in the Town Centre. The A3049/A348 corridor in particular, which links the centre of Poole to the A31 Trunk Road outside the area at Ferndown carries large numbers of HGVs; in excess of 1,000 per day. This corridor was to have been relieved by the A31 to Poole Link Road, but this has recently been withdrawn from the Trunk Road Programme.

Click here to see Traffic Flows Map 4.2. (This will open in a new window.)

It is not possible to solve all the transport problems overnight. The graph here shows the estimated problem of traffic increases until 2021. The Local Transport Plan proposes transport improvements over a five-year period, but achievement of some aims and objectives will take longer. It recognises that a comprehensive integrated approach needs to be adopted in order to improve the way we use our transport system to help resolve wider issues. This involves including the wider community and the private sector in partnerships, and listening to what the general public feel.

Opportunities include: