An experimental traffic order in Swanage town centre is being suspended.
Kings Road East was reversed, with the flow of traffic heading into town, as part of the traffic management arrangements during work on Institute Road – which saw the town centre route closed to vehicles for five months.
Following the completion of the improvement works, Swanage Town Council asked for the reversal to remain in place as an experimental order to see if it could help the flow of traffic around the town with Institute Road reopened.
For many years there has been a desire for a second route into the southern part of the town, with Kings Road East being the only viable route to fulfil this.
Following representations made by local residents and Swanage Town Council the experimental order is being suspended, with Kings Road East reverting to an out of town flow from Thursday 13 August. The weight restriction on High Street will also be reinstated.
Cllr Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said: “We’re always happy to work with town and parish councils to investigate what can be done to help improve highway conditions in their area.
“Working with Swanage Town Council there was an opportunity to put into practice a long sought-after additional route into the town and gain feedback from residents.
“It’s clear from the representations made that this route does not work for local residents.”
Around 90 objections were received as part of the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) consultation which was due to run until 7 August. Plans are now in place to return the road back to its original flow from the High Street towards Kings Road West.
ETROs can only be modified or suspended, rather than revoked. On paper the Kings Road East ETRO will continue to run for its full 18 months but the suspension overrides this, allowing the road to revert to its original flow earlier than anticipated.
I support the reversal of King’s Rd East in Swanage and it should not be suspended until the end of the consultation period when all views would have been collected and considered. It was not a valid trial as the parking restrictions along the High Steet were not enforced whilst the scheme was in progress, there is constant illegal stopping/parking on double yellow lines outside the URC Church and on the Bus stop and west of Cost Cutters at Herston this restricts Traffic and is dangerous for pedestrians. Both these areas need to become ‘no parking or loading’ at any time.
Other areas that need attention and taken into consideration are as follows
The reconfigured and narrow Institute Road has made cycling hazadous because of the dangerous, impatiant, abusive and inconsiderate drivers of Motor Vehicles (see highway code in regard to distancing).
The benifits of not having to go though the Town Centre for all those accessing the south of Swanage and Durlston are considerable. Provided the factors I’ve mentioned are addressed, any potential problems could be overcome and general traffic flow through the Town eased considerably.
Another major improvement to traffic flows could be the creation of a mini- rounderbout at the bottom of Church Hill and making the Northbrook Road railway bridge one way (heading north). This Bridge is an Accident waiting to happen, there’s no pedestrian provision (a busy school route and access route to the town’s major car park), it’s too narrow for more than one vehicle at a time, it’s a blind corner and also frequently used as a viewing platform for the Railway.
Mr Plowman seems to be unaware that all vehicles choosing to use Kings Road East as it now is (one way in a southerly direction), can only access South Swanage by travelling up the High Street and turning left up Townsend Road by the Black Swanage.
Also large and heavy vehicles wishing to travel to North Swanage have been turning right down Church Hill (there is no warning sign for these vehicles at the top of Church Hill). Since the start of this scheme, as there is a narrow double bend half way down the hill, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of large vehicles having to reverse, or try to turn back up the wrong way of the hill.
However the next alternative for a right turn is down Court Hill, which is a difficult turning anyway.
For vehicles emerging at the bottom of Church Hill it is difficult to see oncoming traffic and a roundabout is unlikely to improve that.
There are other problems with the experimental system, though. It’s not just illegal parking which causes problems for vehicles exiting town via the High Street. The road is not wide enough for HGVs as they pass the British Legion, and there is no alternative route. Furthermore, crossing the road from what was the Earthlights cafe to the Library means taking your life in your hands as it’s a blind corner. Yes, there is a crossing, but you still need to be able to look and check in case someone doesn’t see the lights or decides to ignore them.
A roundabout at the bottom of Church Hill would make the junction with Kings Road safer but a better solution would be to reverse the flow of traffic along Church Hill (while returning Kings Road East to its original direction) to provide an alternative route to Durlston and the south of town.
I fully support Mr Plowman’s viewpoint. What particularly appeals to me is that the trial route allows ambulances and fire engines to reach the upper part of south Swanage without being delayed by traffic manoeuvring in Station Road, or being held up and therefore going slowly (appropriately) along institute Road.
It is so much more convenient also for those of us who live to the south of the High Street, close to and above the Hospital.
I would like to see a picture plan to show what is being proposed. A picture paints a thousand words. I am finding it difficult to fully understand what is being proposed.
The headline of the article about Swanage is wrong and misleading. What is going to happen, hopefully on Friday, 16th August, is that the one-way flow in King’s road East will revert to its former route – from the Con Club to the Library. The weight restriction on the High Street will be re-instated too.
Clearly, although there is disagreement about reversing King’s Road East, the 1 way system in Swanage does creates problems for residents living in South Swanage especially during the summer months when the amount of traffic flowing through Station Road is unacceptable to many residents. I believe that we do need to find a solution that will work. For many years, the reversal of the flow of traffic along Church Hill has been suggested and has been used when the Carnival procession happens. I believe this would help to bring some relief to the Station Road route and I do believe this merits serious consideration.
I would also like to support many of the suggestions made by Robin Plowman regarding parking along the High Street., especially the illegal parking at Cost Cutters in Herston. I also believe like Robin that serious consideration should be given to making the railway bridge one way and I would like to add the elimination of parking on Court Road on the approach to this bridge. Eliminating parking on the High Street opposite Jewsons would also help the flow of traffic in that part of town. Clearly, we will never get universal agreement with any of these suggestions but we and the Town Council should not shy away from finding some solutions to help the flow of traffic which is a problem especially in the peak Summer period and will undoubtedly get worse as time goes on. We need planning not just for now but for the future and we need to decide what is best for the town overall.
I shall welcome & support the traffic restrictions to be lifted and the access to Swanage reverted back to how it has always been, especially for residents in the Durlston area.
I’m a member of Swanage Town Council. There was a unanimous vote by Swanage Council to have the experimental order continued for a period after Institute Rd re-opened, after requests for the flow in King’s Rd East to be reversed. It was simpler to add the experimental period to the road closure for the Institute Road improvements. Clearly, the experiment showed that reversing the flow in King’s Road East made the traffic situation much worse. Traffic accessing the town centre from the Durlston area is funnelled down Church Hill and, if not using Institute Road, has to return via the High Street and Townsend Road (by the Black Swan). Any large vehicles delivering in Station and Institute Roads, or beyond, have to exit the town via the High Street which is unsuitable for heavy vehicles – as is Church Hill. At the Full Council meeting (on Zoom) at the end of July, Swanage Council voted unanimously to request a return to the “old” system as soon as possible.
I do not support the idea of a mini-roundabout at the bottom of Church Hill as the visibility on the corner of Church Hill is poor.
Parking on double yellow lines outside the URC and elsewhere in the High Street has been a problem for a long time and is not connected with the “experiment”, and yes, more enforcement by Dorset Council is a grand idea.
There might possibly be a case for putting a barrier in Church Hill near the Rectory Classroom and having 2-way traffic for access at either end, thus removing the danger of wide vehicles mounting the narrow pavement and endangering pedestrians – or getting stuck and having to back up the hill!
I think it is a shame that King’s Rd E will be reversed back to the original going out of town as the current experimental direction provides much better access to the lower end of the High St.