Anti-cycling campaigners “spreading misinformation” say councillors, after “factually incorrect and negative” rumours that trees are set to be cut down for new cycle lane quashed

Locals opposed to the latest phase of a massive active travel scheme – who have previously argued that the project does not represent “value for money”, that “not enough” cyclists are using the town’s cycle lanes, and that more road space should be allocated to drivers because they are “the majority” – have been accused of “spreading misinformation” after unfounded rumours emerged on social media claiming that several trees will be cut down during the construction of the cycling infrastructure.

However, the local authority has dismissed the social media claims as “factually incorrect and negative”, and noted that the cycle lane has been designed to make sure that all trees will be retained, while one additional tree will in fact be planted as part of the project.

The new two-mile cycle lane on Wimborne Road East in Ferndown, the first part of which was branded “Britain’s biggest bike lane” by the Daily Mail, forms part of Dorset Council’s plan to create “a safe, sustainable transport link between residential areas, local schools, and centres of employment” in the area, while also adding another section to the active travel route that connects Ferndown, Wimborne, and Poole.

Once complete, the road will feature 4.3 miles of “uninterrupted accessibility improvements” from Wimborne to Trickett’s Cross, linking residential areas with Dorset’s largest employment area.

> “Waste of money” cycle lane slammed, as some locals call for more space for drivers – “because that’s the majority”

However, the news in May that the last two-mile section of the active travel lanes on Wimborne Road East is expected to cost £7.9m once complete prompted calls from some disgruntled residents that the scheme fails to represent value for money.

Retired shop fitter Graham Barber claimed that the government-funded costs of the cycle lanes cannot be justified “because there are not enough cyclists using them”, while Tony Johnson – like many others before him when it comes to cycle lanes in Dorset – criticised the lane’s width, arguing that there should be more space for car drivers “because that’s the majority”.

This anti-cycle lane rhetoric has, rather predictably, migrated over to social media in recent weeks, where rumours spread that two trees were in danger of being displaced to allow for the infrastructure’s construction.

In a Facebook post that attracted over 100 comments, one Ferndown local wrote: “Saddened to see they are digging towards these two beautiful trees, which no doubt their days are numbered, to make way for the new cycle lane on Wimborne Road East.

“It’s a real shame they couldn’t plan it properly so as to have avoided losing them. I hope they will plant replacements nearby.”

That particular post acted as the catalyst for more general condemnations of the project, with one social media user writing: “Cycle lanes cost millions yet cyclists don’t pay any form of road tax and don’t have to take out insurance like other road users. There are much more urgent things for our hard-earned cash to be spent on.”

However, the rumours were swiftly quashed by Dorset Council, which emphasised that it is “not removing any trees as part of our current works on Wimborne Road”.

Ward councillor Cathy Lugg told the Daily Echo that she didn’t know how the “misinformation” surrounding the tress had started, while councillor Mike Parkes criticised the “factually incorrect and negative” social media posts.

“We are not removing any trees as part of our current works on Wimborne Road,” a Dorset Council spokesperson said, addressing the unfounded rumours.

“We carefully designed the scheme so the existing trees by Clayford Avenue and the Pure Drop Pub are retained. We will, in fact, be adding an additional tree close to the Stanfield Road junction. 

“Careful consideration is made to the natural environment when planning our projects. We have worked closely with our ecologists to ensure the impact on the environment is minimised at all stages of construction.”

> MailOnline takes aim at cyclists for not using “rollercoaster” bike lane... that is “littered with stones” and “stops and starts all the way along”

As noted above, these latest social media whispers aren’t the first time that the Wimborne Road East cycle lane, the final phase of which is funded by Active Travel England, has faced scathing – and questionable – criticism from locals opposed to the active travel project (and even from a handful of cyclists concerned about the scheme’s implementation).

“We can see the cycle lane from our lounge and the amount of cyclists that we see going up and down it is so little,” 73-year-old retired shop fitter Graham said about the project in May.

“I’m originally from London and I have spoken to a lot of people back there about the cycle lane here and all of them cannot believe the costs for them here.

“But the problem is the design of it – there’s a foot-wide bit against the kerb and cycleway that is just earth, and they can’t put a machine there to tidy it and nothing is ever done about it.”

Cyclist Elle, who lives on the road, also said the lanes need to be more effectively maintained if they are to encourage cyclists to use them.

“They need to be regularly swept because twigs and leaves and stones get left on them and it can make cycling dangerous,” she said.

Nevertheless, Elle added that the lane’s installation is a positive step for local cyclists, thanks to the intimidating and “dangerous and aggressive” nature of some motorists.

> Row over Dorset cycle lane that drivers claim is “too wide”

Meanwhile, back in 2021, Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council attracted the ire of the national press for giving the green light to an 11ft-wide cycle lane on Wimborne Road West, dubbed “Britain’s biggest bike lane” by the Daily Telegraph and “shambolic” by the Mail, who also claimed that motorists were now afforded less space on the road than cyclists and “forced to pull over to avoid a crash” thanks to the lane.

Later that year, another new cycle lane in Poole – this time nine and a half feet wide – was branded “unsightly and a mess” by some locals, who also questioned the number of cyclists using the dedicated infrastructure.

And in 2023, the Wimborne cycle lane once again made headlines, as the Mail published a photo of a female cyclist “caught on camera brazenly ignoring Britain's widest cycling lane as she rides in lane dedicated to other traffic instead… In order to get around her, a van has to pull into the opposite lane.”

However, several local cyclists pointed out that the cycle lane was in fact closed at the time of the photo due to construction work and that, in any case, the lane in question is “so littered with stones you're almost guaranteed a puncture”.