Written evidence from Verwood Town Council (TIC 081)

Verwood is a dormitory town on the fringe of the SE Dorset conurbation which rapidly grew from a village in 1980s & 1990s. It has poor public transport connections resulting in almost total reliance on private cars by those who are able to own & drive a car and isolation for those who cannot; primarily the young and the very old.

(All statistics are taken from the Verwood Town Plan survey (2010) unless otherwise indicated

Verwood is the second largest town in East Dorset, with a population of over 14,000. It is 15 miles from Bournemouth and Poole and 30 miles from Southampton or Dorchester. The population of the town has increased significantly in recent years, placing a high demand on the existing road system.

Future development around the Town, such as Hampshire County Council's proposal for a quarry (Purple Haze) to the south of Verwood, potential housing and employment sites and a new Upper School identified in the Christchurch and East Dorset Core Strategy, will increase local traffic.

The vision of the County's Local Transport Plan is "a safe, reliable and accessible low carbon transport system...that assists in the development of a strong low carbon economy, maximises the opportunities for sustainable transport and respects and protects the area's unique environmental assets." However, the only confirmed benefits to the town are the Springfield Distributor Road to ease traffic problems to the Howe Lane school campus.

No other improvements to roads or bus services are proposed in the period to 2026.

Due to the town's location, car ownership is very high, with 97% of households having one or more cars. According to the Dorset County Council's 2005 statistics, 8.3% of households in Verwood & Three Legged Cross are without a car suggesting that non-car owners may be under-represented in the town plan survey results. The reliance on private transport is also demonstrated in that 7 out of 8 residents travel to work in their own car.

Following a review of British Railways in 1963, the Verwood train station was closed, along with the rest of the Salisbury & Dorset Junction line and other lines north of Bournemouth. Buses are now the only form of local public transport available in East Dorset.

Currently there is an hourly bus service, up about 6pm, operating from Verwood to Bournemouth (via Ringwood) from Monday to Saturday. There is also an hourly bus service between Verwood and Poole (via Ferndown) from Monday to Saturday, although this also stops in the evening. Both journeys take about an hour, compared to around 30 minutes going direct by car. There is a very limited Sunday service (3 buses each way) between Bournemouth and Ferndown via Ringwood, Verwood & Three Legged Cross and no evening bus service.

There are no direct bus services to the two local community hospitals at Wimborne and St. Leonards, nor to the centre of the East Dorset District at Wimborne.

More than half of respondents consider that public transport fails to meet their needs, with greatest dissatisfaction felt by younger residents. While half of those using a bus do so for shopping, only a fifth use it to get to work. Just over a third find it suitable for accessing services such as the hospital or for leisure purposes. This is possibly because shopping is more flexible and can fit around the bus timetable, whereas work, hospital appointments and many leisure activities have specific start and finish times.

The car is the most common mode of transport for all activities except for visiting the library where just over half walk. Many people also walk to the GP surgery, and around a third walk to school and the local shops. Very few people use the bus, even when going to the hospital (the most popular destination by bus).

September 2013