Three-way temporary signals will be used during the peak afternoon and early evening period at the Studland Road junction to help keep drivers safe.
Starting today, Wednesday 31 July, for an initial trial period of four days, three-way lights will be set up on the A351 junction with the B3351 to Studland from 2pm to 6pm each day. These will be operated manually by a member of staff from Dorset Council Highways who will also ensure the traffic flows as it should.
Increased traffic at the junction, which is always busy but has become more so due to the Sandbanks Ferry being out of action, has led to drivers becoming frustrated and taking risks when trying to turn right out of Studland Road on to the A351. These actions are putting themselves – and others – in danger.
Cllr Ray Bryan, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said:
“As a result of the Sandbanks ferry breakdown, Studland Parish Council called an extraordinary meeting last night, which I and my colleague Cllr Cherry Brooks attended.
“Residents and the parish council are very worried that there is going to be a serious collision at the A351 / B3351 junction. After listening to local people’s concerns, we have responded swiftly and have agreed to the trial of three-way temporary traffic lights at the junction.
“Many drivers have chosen not to follow the signed optional one-way system which we put in place last week which is there to help keep traffic flowing by minimising right-turns on to the A351 at the junction.
“We would appeal to all drivers to be patient and plan their journeys ahead as delays are possible.”
Following the trial period of four days, Dorset Council Highways will assess the effect on traffic and decide whether to keep three-way signals in place at the junction, between 2pm and 6pm only, until the ferry is back in service, currently likely until October.
Are you kidding me?? The traffic is backing up worse than the M25 at the moment in Corfe!!!!! THIS is making drivers frustrated. It is Carnival week and the council put up lights??? Some of us are just wanting to get home from work without being stuck in this for ages!!! The traffic on that junction has always been bad in the summer, especially this week. Take the lights down!
It’s only been happening for 50 years! So why now? Do you want to be seen to be doing something, even if it causes utter chaos?
A key reason why the advisory diversion via Swanage isn’t working is that it isn’t signed properly. Drivers heading from Studland towards the A351 see a sign saying “Swanage traffic advisory diversion”, but anyone heading for the A351 isn’t going to Swanage, so they ignore it. The sign needs changing to say “Wareham traffic advisory diversion” instead !!
Dam ridiculous by the time we had a bridge the ferry point
As a local resident may I point out that the traffic has been flowing perfectly normally since the ferry closure and the Studland road junction is always busy in the summer season. Judging by the comments on local Swanage group today the traffic lights have simply made the situation worse with longer delays and congestion.
I regret this madcap idea is not working as the traffic has been backing up to Harmans Cross and it is taking at least 20 minutes to travel 2 miles. Please remove them straight away. Response times for ambulance callouts are going to be atrocious. The old system isn’t perfect but it’s far better than what you have done today. It’s Carnival Week and these queues are going to have a severe effect on the Swanage economy.
I can only assume the people who decided that this would be a good idea doesn’t live or work in the affected area total chaos and stress for all especially the drivers going to and from work .
Great idea but your man had no idea of telling how long the queues are.
You’ll get a lot of negative comments but get the timing right and this will help.
If this is day one then heaven help us, its an absolute nightmare living here at this time of year but you have just added insult to injury, we will be confined to barracks again come the weekend, take them away ASAP PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE
If you wanted to make I one way system around Purbeck like you suggested make it mandatory then it might work and you wouldn’t have to put traffic lights at the Studland junction in C.orfe
So far The traffic lights have further hampered the problem
The Greyhound Inn
Corfe castle
Would it be possible to allow another company to provide a passenger crossing service from Sandbanks to Studland as a temporary measure whilst the ferry is out of action?
Unfortunately your operator is unable to see the que backed up to harmans cross, which is made worse by pedestrian lights and crossings, as well as parked cars. so in practice the light system is not working! Many did follow the diversion but returned the same way as your wording was “avoiding congestion in corfe castle” If you plan to keep lights, then you need staff on radios in corfe and beyond norden roundabout.
It’s absolutely ridiculous the amount of traffic you are causing by putting the lights there and now u want to put them there till October for 24hours now do any of the council workers that drive can say it has actualy helped the traffic when it takes back to harmans cross and back to the halfway inn pub
You have got to be joking!!! Wouldn’t you be better off directing the Studland traffic off down the ulwell road junction as come out of Studland towards Swanage !?? Then at least the traffic is all going the same way. No need for any lights at Corfe. But that said why 24h?? How much traffic do you think is going to come out of Studland between 9pm and 11am? Why don’t you do something useful like draw up a plan for a new road to get rid of the bottleneck from Wareham to the Bakers Arms and at the same time reopen the level crossing to traffic at Carey!!
Backed up from bakers arms roundabout to Corfe! What a ridiculous idea.