A village ballot will be held in Studland in Dorset after locals were left divided by a scheme to install a pedestrian crossing from the village green to Studland Stores and Post Office.
At its meeting on Monday 17th February 2025, Studland parish council voted unanimously to hold a ballot as soon as possible to determine the strength of feeling about a light controlled crossing over the dangerous B3551 Ferry Road.
Studland Stores and Post Office has suggested it may have to close in winter if it loses a parking space
Vital first step towards 20 mph zone
Villagers will also be asked how they feel about traffic calming measures as an alternative, after a petition organised by the village store opposed to the crossing collected more than 450 signatures.
The shop staff fear that the loss of a parking space outside the store to accommodate a crossing might lead to the shop having to close through winter months.
Either a crossing or traffic calming will be a vital first step towards getting a 20 miles per hour speed limit for Studland.
But while Dorset Council has made funds immediately available for the crossing, unspecified calming measures could take years to materialise, and delay plans for a 20 mph zone.
Chair of Studland parish council Nick Boulter proposed the ballot as a way forward at the parish council meeting, so that local councillors could make an informed decision on the issue which is splitting the village.
The proposal was unanimously passed, and now a postal vote ballot will be organised to give every resident a voice, as quickly as possible.
A recent ballot for a 20 mph limit through Studland had support of more than 98 percent
“There is a split in views now”
Speaking in the meeting, chair of Studland parish council Nick Boulter said:
“A pedestrian crossing is secondary to having a 20 miles an hour speed limit through the village, as Dorset Council has suggested that we need something extra to slow down the traffic through the village.
“The money is there to have the work done and in the past the idea of having a pedestrian crossing has been well supported in the community.
“There is a split in views now, so the only sensible thing we can do as a parish council is to ask the community what they would like to do – is there still support for a crossing, as detailed in the parish plan from 2008, or have people since changed their minds.
“We had a very successful ballot in the village on the 20 mph speed limit last summer with a very high level of participation and I imagine we will conduct this one in much the same way.”
Parking places exist in front of the shop, but one would be lost in order to install a pedestrian crossing
“Parking is a sensitive issue”
Attending the parish council meeting as a local resident, Keith Tillyard said:
“I guess you could say that I’m a supporter of the crossing – I can’t be the only Studland resident whose advancing years reduce sight, hearing and mobility and would benefit from a pedestrian crossing.
“It is important that the parish council makes a decision based on fact and not alarmist dialogue from interested parties. I will be quite happy to respect whatever decision the parish council comes to, providing it is based on fact.
“I understand that the lessees of the shop have compiled a list of people against the crossing on the basis that the loss of parking will prejudice the future viability of the shop, but I don’t know how many who have signed are Studland residents or are just passing through.
“Parking outside the shop is a sensitive issue, and let’s remember that it is not solely designated for people using the shop, but for anybody. Previous lessees used the yard at the rear of the shop for parking for up to four vehicles.”
A busy road separates the village green – and many Studland residents – from the village stores
“Crossing would link two halves of village”
Keith Tillyard added:
“I was on the steering group for a parish plan for Studland, which held public meetings and sent questionnaires to all residents, then wrote the plan which was adopted by the parish council in 2008 and is still relevant.
“Some 368 questionnaires were distributed, 181 residents responded to the survey, nearly 50 percent, and 84 percent of those lived in Studland as their main residence.
“There was strong support for the provision of a pedestrian crossing to the shop, to reduce traffic speed, and it was also stated that such a crossing would link the two halves of the village otherwise cut in half by a busy road.
“Is there any evidence that suggests the road has become safer in the years since the plan was adopted? We shouldn’t miss this opportunity to provide a safer route across the main road and there is no reason why we can’t have a crossing and retain the shop, which is highly valued by the community.”
More than 450 people have signed a petition against the crossing at the Studland Stores
Ballot should be accessible to all
On behalf of shop keeper Jocelyn Parsons, Josie Parish said:
“The petition has been signed by 452 people who do not want the crossing outside the village stores, but who support Studland’s proposed 20 miles an hour zone and also want traffic calming in the village. Of those 452 people, 187 of them are Studland residents.
“It is really good to see that there is a balance being considered, but the shop wants to be clear what method the ballot will take, and really feels it should be accessible to all, with both online and on paper responses.
“They suggest that to best achieve that, a ballot paper should be put in the parish news so that people can make an informed choice, with a collection box at the village shop and various other locations, and a QR code on display around the village so it is accessible to as many people as possible.
“They have asked for clarity on the exact questions being asked and are keen that these should be portrayed in a neutral fashion, but would like a full range of options to be considered, and at least 12 weeks for people to respond as there will be people on holiday or working away.”
Tyre marks on the roads through Studland suggest that plenty of traffic already exceeds 30 miles an hour
“I have a lot of sympathy for the shop”
Another local resident Stephen Yeoman was concerned that any solution should make it easier for everyone to cross the busy road. He said:
“The ballot must be conducted so that only residents can answer and not just anyone passing through the village and scanning a QR code. It has to go to every resident, not just one per household.
“My main concern is that residents will be asked to vote without any supporting background information as to what traffic calming measures they may get if they vote for that option.
“It is obviously an area of controversy. I have a lot of sympathy for the shop and have been trying to push the crossing further away from the shop to retain parking, but that seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
“But at some point we all have to come down on one side or the other and as a caring community, I hope we can agree that the most vulnerable should be looked after – in this instance, the elderly and infirm who do not feel they have a safe place to cross the road.”
Studland’s speed watch team has recorded 250 vehicle movements in half an hour, at speeds of up to 54 mph
“People must feel safe crossing the road”
Stephen Yeoman added:
“The pedestrian crossing is fully funded and the design is ready to go, presumably this year. It is a certainty if a crossing is chosen, but there is no similar guarantee about any traffic calming scheme, or indeed the 20 mph limit.
“I am not sure that Studland will get the type of traffic calming we might imagine. Given that the road is approved for emergency vehicles and is a bus route we will be likely to get, at best, speed cushions, and while it might slow the traffic it will do nothing for pedestrians trying to cross the road in a safe zone.
“It would do nothing to slow cyclists down, and that is something that the elderly crossing the road really do fear. Giving up a pedestrian crossing in favour of unspecified traffic calming is pretty much a leap in the dark.
“People must feel safe crossing the road, they must feel that they have priority and that vehicles and cyclists will stop when they are in the middle of the road – and this will only be delivered by a pedestrian crossing.”
Further information
- Studland parish council minutes and village news is all online
- Read about the campaign for a 20 mph limit through Studland
