The Daily Telegraph, quoted our very own Mark Davison and the BCP&Dorset Motorists FB page. Well done everyone who supported us on this. Working together we can have influence and help protect motorists from our ‘climate change fixated’ council.
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Great Interview, drawing attention to the Local blight of cycle infrastructure and its cost, the impact that is having on motorists and residents alike.
link to full telegraph article
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BCP leader was swift to U Turn on her fatally flawed idea of introducing permits for residents parking outside their own homes due to immense pressure from our group and others. There is also a cloud over the unusual way in which this policy seemed to suddenly just appear without proper oversight.
Victory for Common Sense – Thanks to You!
We’re proud to announce that our part in the campaign has helped to successfully halt the council’s unfair parking permit scheme. This is a win for local motorists and a reminder that when we stand together, we can make a difference.
To the council: This is a clear message – you must start listening to the people. Voters deserve a say in all policies, not just the ones you find convenient. Stop trying to push through changes without proper consultation and support.
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MEDIA RELEASE
BCP and Dorset Motorists Group score a victory with BCP Council
Tuesday 3 June saw the BCP and Dorset Motorists group petition being read out to the full BCP Council and subsequently debated. This was a significant victory as we needed more than 2000 signatures to force the Council to hear our petition at a full Council meeting.
Many councillors indicated that they agreed with the overall sentiment of the petition, in that motorists’ interests and requirements are being overlooked whilst those of the very small minority cyclists are being prioritised by this council.
After an hour of discussion, the council voted to pass the contents of the petition to the Local Transport Plan 4 which is run by the same group of councillors who created much of the havoc and congestion in the first place. The Motorists Group has little faith in that process and it is more likely that our petition will be carefully parked in the long grass and ignored. Not only ignored but consistently rejected by this active travel focused council. Which of course follows their mantra of declaring a climate emergency as their first action on becoming BCP council.
Increasingly the public are beginning to realise that terms such as ‘Climate Emergency’ ‘Net Zero 2050’ and ‘Active Travel’ are wasting peoples’ time and money in the UK and will have no effect on the world’s climate.
The size and number of people who signed a petition has raised the whole issue amongst not only the council but the wider public so that increasingly we are gaining support and our ultimate aim is to make sure that needs and requirements of motorists is considered proportionate with our use of the road network. Many say there is no ‘War on Motorists’ however many people think that that is just not true and that there is little short of a war on Motorists by BCP Council.
Our Petition
As local residents and motorists we are both very concerned and apprehensive about the current transport and infrastructure policies being implemented by BCP council. This petition is to highlight our lack of confidence in the management of our local roads by BCP Council. We call on BCP Council to review their current local transport strategy and ensure in future that it is proportionate for all residents and not just those that support Active Travel.
Currently, local residents and businesses are suffering excessive delay, disruption and inconvenience caused by the poor planning and management of our local roads by BCP Council. The construction of extremely expensive and obviously under-utilised cycle paths, along with a huge numbers of local Roadworks , all being carried out at the same time with minimal co-ordination by BCP Council are real and major issues. As a result the quality of local residents lives are being severely and adversely impacted. Accessibility for the less mobile and elderly , who for them the car is their only option. is also significantly reduced. The repercussions of these BCP policies fail to deliver the expectations and needs of our local community. It's not just about congested streets and increased drive times, It’s not just about more carbon emissions rather than less, it's about how these BCP policies are impacting the safety, environment and overall quality of life in our region. As stated by the UK Department for Transport, each year we are seeing an increase in road traffic in Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole (BCP) area compared to the national average. This indicates that the existing policies are not mitigating transport issues and need to be reevaluated. Moreover, critical decisions affecting thousands of motorists and residents appear to lack the inclusivity and transparency that's required. We feel our voices and concerns are ignored. Therefore, we call for the BCP council to reevaluate current transport policies and provide a transparent, inclusive decision-making process and develop a partnership with all local road users not just those of Active Travel. Help us champion the cause of improved infrastructural planning and strategies by signing this petition.
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Thank you Madam Chair
This petition asks BCP Council to review its current transport and infrastructure policies. Launched in December 2024 , it quickly obtained 3261 signatures.
We started it because of a real lack of confidence in the current management of our
local roads by BCP council.
We have recently seen several major , lengthy and expensive infrastructure projects in support of Active Travel initiatives. For example , just one mile of completed cycling infrastructure can cost £5.5m!!
Views expressed in the public consultations for these were frequently ignored and the original council proposals implemented.
As a result, residents, businesses and trades especially those in Poole, have experienced
significant delay, disruption and inconvenience to their daily lives.
Many arterial roads have been severely narrowed with reduced access for the Emergency services. Many bus lay bays have been removed , buses now stop on the main carriageway causing increased traffic congestion.
Several Council Cabinet members said their aim is to remove 50% of cars from BCP’s roads. This is a huge concern to residents, 83% of whom use a car regularly.
BCP”s approach and mantra to the construction of these cycling infrastructure projects is “ if we build them they will come “ .
However, they remain virtually empty.
Residents have real concerns over the gradual creep of 20 MPH Zones throughout BCP. Currently 77 such zones. We understand that the target number is 120. It will be an effective blanket 20MPH speed limit.
20MPH zones are appropriate near schools and in proven accident black spots but should operate only on a part time basis outside schools. They are certainly not required 24 hours a day/ 7days a week!
Utility Companies need to be held more accountable. Works should be completed within agreed timescales and repairs durable and fit for purpose. Most potholes are as a result of poorly reinstated surfaces following utility companies work.
BCP should review its routine roads maintenance programme to ensure co-ordination in terms of timing and location to minimise traffic disruption.
There are several practical steps that could be taken to ease congestion in BCP especially at peak times.
Firstly ,the introduction of a Free School Bus programme for all students under 18 This would greatly alleviate pressure at school drop off/ pick up times and reduce the need for Mum/ dad’s taxi services!
BCP could also implement a comprehensive review of current Traffic Light phasing and necessity Residents familiar with Fleetsbridge Roundabout know traffic flows better when the traffic lights are not working!
BCP and Dorset motorists group fully support all aspects traffic enforcement by the police as outlined in our group mission statement.
We represent a large often silent ignored group of Road users.
All we are asking is for BCP Council reviews its current transport and infrastructure
policy to ensure it is fair, equal and proportionate to all road users.
Please listen to your electorate - “ stop the war on motorists!! “
Thank you!
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I think there are two distinct aspects to this. Firstly, there has always been a synergy between our group and our colleagues in the LPPA. We both are having to deal with a BCP Council Administration that frequently ignores the opinions and wishes of the majority of residents. They do this in pursuit solely of their own personal agendas and ideologies. The LPPA group exists to protect the history, heritage and customs of Poole park for the people of Poole….and of course to reopen the gate. Our group has always recognised that BCP Council in closing the Park Gate against the wishes of a large majority of local people was also closing a road. This denied an important access through the gate is discriminating against Motorists, the elderly and the less mobile. BCP unilaterally took this action as a part of their ongoing “ war on motorists “ and their continuing appeasement of the vocal but small cycling minority. Our group is against closing roads / LTN’s when they are clearly against the wishes of residents. On that basis we are very happy to fully support the “ Open Poole Park Gate” or OPPG Campaign. As such we will now include that objective in our group mission statement and look forward to working with others to ensure that the gate is reopened for the benefit of all.
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You may be aware that BCP are proposing the establishment of Town and Parish councils throughout the BCP area. I have engaged with a couple of councillors on this issue and it is the subject of one of the council’s infamous consultation processes, ‘Have Your Say’. https://haveyoursay.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/cgr-consultation
A word of warning when completing this consultation the council tell me that they cannot take into account additional cost as a reason to oppose this. So if you only mention costs on your consultation response it may be ignored, you must add more, perhaps bureaucracy or unnecessary additional staff or just object.
You may also be interested to see the various parish and town precepts in Dorset. Worth looking at those close to BCP. https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/parish-council-tax-charges-april-2025-to-march-2026#C
Corfe Mullen Band D £152
Lytchett Minster and Upton and Upton Band D £159
You will rightly ask what has that got to do with motorists? Hopefully nothing, but I remain suspicious regarding this council. These new councils will get their funds from a precept (an extra charge on your council tax). We don’t know what the precept will be. The reason is that until these are formed we don’t know what additional services they will provide, that will be up to the new town councillors. So we the people are being asked to pay for new unknown services with a new unknown cost. Only in Local Government this makes sense, the councillors assure me this is mandated by Central Government. They show the additional likely precepts on the consultation page, but they seem low to me. The average in England is £85. Link to Dorset’s is above.
It occurs to me that the council tell me that they have managed to get Central Government funding for all their Active Travel programme, running to over £90m for BCP and a further £2.3B for England. They even employ two additional full time members of staff who work on Active Travel. Given that Central Government has run out of our money it is quite likely that this funding will dry up, but the new precept could be used to fill the gap to create new, largely unused, cycling infrastructure that impedes motor traffic during it construction.
In short you are being asked to pay an additional amount to provide new unknown services, which may or may not include Active Travel. I have asked what the extra money will be used for but BCP don’t know, that’s down to the new councils.
If the BCP approve this proposal then your council tax will go up, how much by, we don’t know, to pay for what, we don’t know that either.
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Recently we saw a newspaper article, following a Freedom of Information request regarding the Active Travel spending by BCP. However the numbers I was sent following a Freedom of Information request are completely different. The newspaper quote £18.9m whilst the FOI response I got showed that £70 million has been spent. I am confident that the newspaper is quote the figures they got, but why are council publishing different figures to different people?
If they can’t get figures like right or even the same what hope have we got for getting the truth from the Council.
This is an extract from my FOI
1. How much money had BCP spent in total in the last 5 years on Active Travel Projects (any projects that deliver cycle lanes, for example Ringwood Rd), please include the all the relevant salaries and staff costs for those involved in bidding and delivering these projects. ANSWER
£70,062,362 Note this includes approx. £14m TCF grant allocated to Dorset Council
2. How much money has been received from Central Government, directly and indirectly over the same period to directly deliver these projects. ANSWER
£90,568,849 Note this includes approx. £14m TCF grant allocated to Dorset Council
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From a BCP Council regular update: it’s a 1 min read. The important thing they are currently consult ing with local businesses on the next Local Transport Plan. ( LTP 4)
Then BCP Council are going to widen the consultation to BCP Residents so they can give their views. When the time comes we need to be ready to tell them exactly what we think!!!
I know people will say… What’s the point? The 3 Towns Alliance just ignore consultations and do what they want anyway. Well unfortunately recent history shows that to be true but such Apathy will be our biggest enemy in this. Just like it is usually inLocal Council Elections.
We cannot just allow BCP Council to think it is ok to continue to ignore consultation views.
We cannot allow the Three Towns Alliance to think it is ok to continue to ignore the interests of Motorists in favour of their own personal ideologies.
We need to hold them to democratic account. If they continue not to listen they risk a major rejection by residents at the next BCP council elections in May 2027. Watch out for this consultation!
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What many motorists may not appreciate is that many of the BCP’s ‘traffic improvements’ will not help motorists, but are part of the Active Travel programme. These have caused significant congestion along Ringwood Rd and Wallisdown Rd. Active Travel is a central government’s programme to improve cycling, walking and wheeling (scooters). This turns out to be mainly cycle lanes. £90million has been spent in BCP alone since 2020 and £2.3billion nationally, of you, the tax payer’s money. Personally I have nothing against cycle lanes, I’m a cyclist, but when we have pot holed roads and these schemes are completely under utilised you have to question the priorities. BCP will tell you it doesn’t matter because the local council tax payer doesn’t pay, but these are funded from grants from the previous central government, a Conservative government. At this point you should be asking why, well it’s part of Net Zero. Active Travel programme has a target of 50% of town and city journeys to be completed by cycling, walking or ‘wheeling’ (Active Travel) by 2030. The interim target is that 46% of town and city journeys are by Active Travel by 2025, but that is going to be missed, by a long way. The Active Travel lobby (mainly cycling zealots) will tell you that’s because the government is not throwing enough of your money at it. What they won’t tell you is that to meet this objective they will make it increasingly difficult for you to make your journeys by car. This will be through; LTNs, 20mph limits, road pricing, ULEZ, Congestion Charging, removal of bus lay-bys and restricting junctions. Net Zero is of course becoming increasingly controversial, as people start to realise it is going to become increasingly expensive for all of us. A few facts; the UK emits 0.9% of the worlds CO2, it reduced its CO2 by 50% since 1990, it is now lower than it was in the 1870s. Whilst the Chinese increased their CO2 by 300% since 2000. They built 47GW of new coal powered stations in 2023, which is more to the total of the UK’s power average requirement, which is 30GW. Their plan is to continue to increase their CO2 output until 2030 and only then decrease their CO2 to Net Zero by 2060. America has now left the Paris accord and Trump has committed to maximise its fossil fuel exploitation, with “Drill, Baby Drill”. At this point you might ask why are we bothering with this? It is clear that all we, the UK, is doing is ‘virtue signalling’ whilst our industries are collapsing under the weight of net zero and making the UK poorer. An expert recently reckoned that the cost of net zero for the UK was in excess of £4 trillion, even the government thinks it is £1.4 trillion. Given the Government’s ability to accurately forecast future expenditure, I know which forecast I am inclined to believe is accurate! If all our virtuous efforts are not effective then perhaps we should divert the resources to making the country climate resilient; ready for floods, droughts, storms and other extreme weather events. The most the UK could ever do is reduce the world’s CO2 by 0.9%!
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