Getting Around in Bournemouth

...best and cheapest way of getting around. However, in Bournemouth it's a different story. The buses are often very late, meaning even more time waiting at the bus stop. They are also very noisy and slow because the drivers aren't high on any drugs or drink which would mean they would driver faster and wrecklessly. In London, you pay a fare of either £1 or 70p for and adult and a fixed 40p for children. Here in sunny Bournemouth the story is very different. ...
...based on 50p for actually getting on the bus, plus a certain amount per mile. When you get on a bus you 'state your destination' and are then given a ticket. This also slows the bus down. You can also pay with a note and get change from it in Bournemouth.


BICYCLE

I use my bike to get to tennis and go down to ASDA. I am breaking the law most of the time, because I ride on the pavement. I refuse to risk my life ... more

INTRODUCTION

I thought I would write about how to get around in Bournemouth for two main reasons. The first, is that I live here/there so I am in a good position to inform people about it. The second reason, is that Bournemouth is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the United KIngdom and many people will visit at some point during their life. Before I get into the main part of the review, I will say that travelling in Bournemouth isn't pretty good or easy. That's why people need to be informed.

ROAD (CAR)

Bournemouth is particularly prone to heavy traffic, throughout the year. The main reason for the large number of traffic jams on the road, is as a result of the road network. As Bournemouth has grown and developed, new roads and access have had to be built. It is impossible to reach some areas of the town, without going miles out of your way. There is a prime example of this in Bournemouth Square itself. Three roads come within 30 yards of each other, but to get from one to the next, you have to embark on a huge detour.

Because of the number of new roads that have been built in the last twenty or so years, there are no far too many roundabouts and traffic lights. It can be a nightmare to move in rush hour and can make things very awkward. If you thought moving around by car within Bournemouth is bad, you have seen nothing yet. Trying to get into Bournemouth on a hot sunny day is a nightmare.

The main route into Bournemouth, the A338 or Wessex Way, is notorious for accidents and large hold ups. You can be stuck bumper to bumper for an hour and only move 100 yards down the road. The other routes through the New Forest also get very crammed during the summer holidays. The caravans are largely to blame, hogging the road with no regard for others. Travelling around Bournemouth, you can't help but notice that phenomonem called roadworks. There are so many of them going on, most appear to be totally needless and take an excessive length of time to complete.

There are a great number of car parks in Bournemouth, to cope with the large numbers of vehicles entering the town and wanting to park. These are often full by eleven o'clock on a busy shopping day or in the summer, so there can be long jams on the roads as people wait for spaces. The price of parking is very expensive, often around £3 for the first hour the £1 for every hour on top of that. The roadside parking is fairly limited, most is reserved for the disabled and lies empty most of the time. You can only park for one hour in most places before you have to move on. There are a huge number of traffic wardens on patrol, so it's not worth taking the cahnce.

TAXI

The taxi's in Bournemouth, are in a word, extortionate. A short journey can leave you as much as a tenner out of pocket. There is something of a monopoly of the taxi service in Bournemouth. The yellow cabs, named United Taxis, have a huge fleet and they completely dominate the market. They are able to dictate the pricing because there is no real competition. They have a fleet of over 200 cars, but they are still very unreliable. You can wait up to 2 hours for a cab, which is really difficult. A lot of the time, the cab won't turn up at all. I have only used a cab once, when there was no alternative. You will find them stacked up in ranks outside the station and around Bournemouth when things aren't very busy. My advice is to book a cab well in advance if you know that you will be needing one later in the night.

BUS

There are two bus companies that operate in the Bournemouth area. There is the imaginatively named Yellow Buses and also Wilts and Dorset. Their services serve areas such as Poole, Christchurch and Wimborne. I have to get the bus to and from school every day. It is very annoying because the services are only every half an hour so you have to be there early to make sure you don't miss your bus. It isn't uncommon for a bus to be missed out, for whatever reason. Services start to thin out at around seven o'clock, so you can have a wait of about 2 hours between bus services on most routes.

Having grown up in London for the first 11 years of my life, taking a bus was something I did every day. It was the best and cheapest way of getting around. However, in Bournemouth it's a different story. The buses are often very late, meaning even more time waiting at the bus stop. They are also very noisy and slow because the drivers aren't high on any drugs or drink which would mean they would driver faster and wrecklessly. In London, you pay a fare of either £1 or 70p for and adult and a fixed 40p for children. Here in sunny Bournemouth the story is very different. For my 7 mile journey to school, the fare is £2.80. That's only for the outward journey, so it's another £2.80 to get back again. It is ridiculous to be honest. Most of the fares are based on 50p for actually getting on the bus, plus a certain amount per mile. When you get on a bus you 'state your destination' and are then given a ticket. This also slows the bus down. You can also pay with a note and get change from it in Bournemouth.

BICYCLE

I use my bike to get to tennis and go down to ASDA. I am breaking the law most of the time, because I ride on the pavement. I refuse to risk my life on the road, with the number of old and nutcase drivers that there are on the roads. There are limited cycle lanes an the pavements are very thin. In fact, on my journey to school, there is a cycle lane that is about 5 metres long. It is hillarious, some sort of mickey take by the council i think. A little bit of green tarmac with a white painted bicyle on. That's what my Dad pays his council tax for. I can reccomend cycling along the seafront. You can do so for miles and get up to Hengistbury Head.

ON FOOT

Walking in Bournemouth can actually be quite pleasant. You can walk along the sea front for mile upon mile, on the promenade or beach. You can check out the 'gardens', of which there are many miles of in various parts of Bournemouth. The footpaths and pavements have been newly layed and tarmacked in recent years. This makes access very easy for wheelchair users. There are also a lot of signposts giving the distance and direction of many places, for those still on foot. There are a ridiculous amount of pelican crossings which makes crossing roads very easy.

TRAIN

The train station isn't right in the centre of Bournemouth which is probably annoying for a lot of people, visitors and dwellers alike. It is more in the Boscombe area, for those who know Bournemouth. Stations in Parkstone, Pokesdown, Branksome, Christchurch and Poole are served by regular train services throughout the day. You can catch the train to a number of UK destinations from Bournemouth, including London Waterloo, Manchester and Edinburgh among others. Many people use the station and it can get very busy at times. Services depart regularly for London and Southampton, less so for destinations a little further afield. I use the train on my frequent visits to London, booking a week in advance, means that you get a seat and a much reduced ticket price.

COACH

Just accross from the train station, underneath ASDA, is the coach station. This is an extremely popular way for people to travel in and out of Bournemouth. It is served by National Express coaches, which serve the whole country if you are prepared to make a change in London. The tickets are very cheap because they operate such a large number of services. As many as 20 coaches depart for London Victoria in any one day. They leave at half hourly intervals and there are a couple of coaches in the middle of the night. Personally, i find the coach too cramped and in the summer it can be extremely uncomfortable. I have sat in many a traffic jam in the blazing heat, not a pleasant experience to be honest.

CONCLUSION

All in all, I would say that it's a pain in the arse to move around Bournemouth. You just have to make the best of the situation I think and try to put it to the back of your mind. The public transport is good, but just not regular or cheap enough. Using the road is alright, as you long as you pick a good time to do so. Thanks for reading the review I hope it has been of some use.

 

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