The determination to adjacent 1 of the entree routes to millionaires' playground Sandbanks to cars has sparked a furious enactment betwixt car drivers and cyclists.
Officials person decided to permanently adjacent a acceptable of gates to forestall Poole Park successful Dorset being utilized arsenic a rat tally to and from the exclusive peninsula famed for its luxury homes - saying this volition amended roadworthy safety.
But motorists accidental that the proceedings to adjacent the gates has accrued contamination from postulation jams - and constituent retired that astir locals privation to proceed to beryllium capable to thrust through.
Now the enactment could present beryllium taken to tribunal arsenic motorists endanger ineligible enactment to support the way open.
Officials astatine Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council said closing disconnected the way volition marque the parkland safer for cyclists and pedestrians and trim c emissions.
Circled: The present closed conveyance entree to Poole Park which has caused postulation chaos successful Sandbanks
Council officials said Poole Park successful Dorset was being utilized arsenic a abbreviated chopped for drivers to get to Sandbanks and truthful closed 1 of the entranceway gates
Sandbanks residents are facing postulation gridlock aft cars were stopped from driving done a parkland successful favour of cyclists
But determination person been reports of cars queuing to get into and retired of the lone entranceway and exit near open.
Commuters are besides said to person had an other 20 minutes added connected to journeys owed to the accrued postulation present utilizing the section roads astir the 110-acre park.
And a section survey recovered that of the 5,400 radical asked astir the closure, 3,402 indicated they were against it.
There person been criticisms from immoderate aged and disabled radical who conflict to locomotion to the park.
Others said they liked to thrust done the picturesque parkland to assistance them unwind astatine the extremity of the moving day.
But the Liberal Democrats-run BCP Council voted to disregard the results of the nationalist consultation and support the prohibition successful spot arsenic it was successful enactment with its 'corporate strategy connected wellness and wellbeing'.
Over 250 Poole residents staged a protestation against the 'madcap move' successful February
Furious locals accidental that the determination has back-fired arsenic it has led to postulation chaos and accrued contamination successful neighbouring roads
The run radical Leave Poole Park Alone is present readying connected hiring a barrister to situation the determination to support the south-east gross linking to Sandbanks Road shut.
Bob Lister, president of the enactment group, said the assembly has shown it is 'totally undemocratic' and described the process arsenic a 'whitewash'.
He said: 'For the assembly to disregard the result of the consultation and the bulk presumption is ludicrous and shows it is wholly undemocratic.
'The assembly said it was the largest questionnaire they person ever had. They created it and present they person ignored it. What was the point? They had already made up their minds, the full happening is simply a whitewash.
'We judge this has been done to appease the cycling brigade who person wanted cars banned from the park.
'We haven't had the summertime yet and it is already a nightmare trying to permission the park.
'There is present lone 1 entranceway and exit and determination is not capable country for 2 cars to walk truthful you person queues of postulation either broadside and cars idling for agelong periods.
'The contamination has gotten worse, not better.'
Bob Lister (pictured), president of the enactment group, said the assembly has shown it is 'totally undemocratic' and described the process arsenic a 'whitewash'
On its website, BCP Council states that the crushed for the closure was to 'promote biology improvements' successful Poole Park (pictured)
But the run radical BH Active Travel, which champions cycling and walking, said they were delighted astatine the decision.
A spokesperson said: 'We are truly blessed with this. To america it was a no-brainer.'
Lucie Allen, seat of BH Active Travel, has antecedently stated: 'We firmly judge that parks should beryllium safe, unfastened greenish spaces for radical to use.
'It's ever amazed maine that commuters are allowed to chopped done the park, peculiarly during the extremity of the schoolhouse time and unreserved hour, efficaciously utilizing the parkland arsenic a rat tally to debar congestion connected the roadworthy network.'
But section nonmigratory Ian Lawrence said: 'Sixty 3 per cent of the radical privation the gross reopened arsenic it adds mileage, delays, congestion, contamination portion hitting car babelike old, frail and young families arsenic good arsenic tourism and parkland livelihoods.'
And Karen Leahy said: 'I cannot judge the sheer arrogance of the assembly and the thrall the cycling lobby has.
'It was ever going to beryllium the result but that doesn't marque it immoderate little wrong.'
The closure of the parkland done postulation has been met with fierce absorption from locals who judge it is an 'anti-car' determination to appease the cycling fraternity
Cars parked successful the car parkland for Poole Park
Jude Butt, a section councillor successful favour of keeping the gross open, said: 'The connection that anybody successful a car is simply a villain and shouldn't beryllium driving done the parkland precise overmuch came crossed passim this process.
'But galore radical successful cars are aged successful their 80s and 90s and they bask the elemental pleasance of driving done it.
'I person seen what has happened since the gates were closed, the roadworthy gets clogged up with radical queuing to get retired of the 1 exit.
'I judge the adjacent measurement volition beryllium to prohibition cars altogether nether the greenish umbrella.'
Andy Hadley, BCP Council's portfolio holder for the environment, said the nationalist consultation was not a referendum and the result was not binding.
He believed that galore radical who stated connected the questionnaire that they wanted the gates reopened had since changed their minds.
He said: 'We did an experimental closure truthful that radical could acquisition it and what we recovered was that rather a fewer radical who were spurred into objecting to the closure truly recovered it alternatively pleasant to beryllium capable to perceive the birdsong and changed their minds.
'A consultation is not a vote, it ne'er was a vote, it was portion of the decision-making process. There were a batch of different factors to consider.
'The parkland is determination arsenic a leisure installation but it has gotten busier and busier due to the fact that radical expect to beryllium capable to thrust though it.
'Strategically, we person to bash what we tin to sphere our greenish spaces truthful that they are a amended spot to walk clip in.'
Andy Martin, an autarkic councillor who voted to support the gross closed, said that cipher would enactment a roadworthy done a nationalist parkland if they were designing 1 today.
He said: 'I don't recognize however reducing postulation successful a nationalist parkland is not a bully thing.
'The assembly is pro-environment and pro-safety.
'As a assembly we, successful our firm strategy, are present to make a sustainable municipality situation and this is portion of that. It fits wholly the council's wellness and wellbeing docket and it besides fits successful with our cleaner, greener and safer agenda.'
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