Contraflow cycling confusion as council paints bike markings on "narrow one-way" streets, raising fears over "accident waiting to happen" layout

The introduction of contraflow cycling markings on a series of narrow one-way streets in Bournemouth has raised questions among residents and active travel groups about what the benefit of opening the route up to two-way cycling is and whether the site is suitable and safe to do so.

While the initial reports of community concern were published by the Daily Mail, and feature the usual headline-grabbing complaints from a portion of outspoken residents heard when almost any new cycling project is undertaken, there have also been comments online from a local active travel group on the matter, normally pro-active travel people suggesting that the layout could be dangerous and may spark conflict.

One comment on the BH Active Travel group from Sue Saunders, who happened to be visiting family on the road and saw the new markings, described the contraflow layout on the "narrow one-way system" as "an accident waiting to happen".

"Why on earth would anybody want to cycle down a narrow one-way street with no segregation against the traffic?" she asked. "There is not even a painted lane so the contraflow is directly into the path of oncoming traffic."

Richard Stannard agreed it seemed dangerous, having ridden the route, but pointed out it would be safer without the vehicles parked on the bend at the top of South Road that links to Boscombe Grove Road via the one-way system. 

"It's true," he agreed. "I was on my bike and almost went into a cyclist coming around that corner. The concept would have been fine but that corner always has vans parked on it which makes it impossible to see what's coming. The lack of line of sight on the corner makes it dangerous."

"I was driving along and thankfully did not meet any bikes coming towards me because I had nowhere to go," Sue Saunders replied. "Added to that there are a load of blue signs [communicating the one-way system to road users] everywhere on the lampposts. It's just another opportunity for motorists to get het up about wasting money on 'cycle lanes' that are unusable."

[South Road, where there are now bike markings to allow contraflow cycling]

The roads have been one-way streets since the 1970s, one South Road resident Mark Elkins saying the new markings are "a bit unclear to the uninitiated" with the different signs coming across as "ambiguous".

"If you don't know that area, you would look at those signs going the wrong way and think the flow of the traffic was in that direction. So you might actually be quite surprised when vehicles are coming at you in the opposite direction," he suggested.

Another resident added: "People come round the wrong way anyway in cars. Now sending the cycle lane into the oncoming traffic is crazy – it's a narrow road and a very busy road with a lot of deliveries. Somebody's going to get hurt in the next few months.

"Last week I was pulling out slowly and a cyclist wouldn't stop, he tried to go on the pavement, and he ended up falling off his bike. He thought he had the right of way."

The Mayor of Bournemouth, Anne Filer, has even weighed in on the contraflow conundrum, calling it "madness" to add cyclists riding against the flow of traffic to already "very little roads" where "it's almost impossible to squeeze past in another car".

"It's just madness for cars to be confronted by a bike coming at them," she said. "Are they going to wait for an accident to happen before common sense prevails?"

The saga comes two years since the Daily Mail reacted to new markings, also in the Boscombe area of Bournemouth, encouraging cyclists to take a "prominent position" by asking "is there any room left for cars?" 

The council explained the carriageway resurfacing project aimed to make cyclists "more visible to motorists" with painted bicycles added "where the existing width of the carriageway between constrictions is between 3.2m-3.9m".

> Large bike symbols painted on middle of Bournemouth lanes to encourage cyclists to ride in primary position – and motorists aren't happy

Elsewhere in the south of England, last week, critics of a council project to "help cyclists navigate the different routes" in Colchester said the painted bike markings had created an "obstacle course" cycle junction that is a "ruse to drive motorists out of the town".

However, local cycling campaigners said they are "optimistic" that it will enable cyclists to travel more easily and safely across the city, while Essex County Council addressed the noise around the development and said the markings had been "reviewed as part of a road safety audit completed for the scheme".