Hedge End to Poole commute- 90 mins!
Discussion
I commute home from Hedge End to Poole every week day evening and I’m getting a bit fed up of sitting in traffic near Ringwood, Ferndown and Wimborne if I go that way. Currently takes 80/90 minutes to get home which is a bit silly for 40 miles!
I guess it’s the fallout from the Spur Road works, as I’m told the journey used to only take about an hour. Any suggestions of sensible shortcuts or alternative routes would be most appreciated
I guess it’s the fallout from the Spur Road works, as I’m told the journey used to only take about an hour. Any suggestions of sensible shortcuts or alternative routes would be most appreciated
Install Waze on your mobile.
I drive the same routes regularly to London and I know it like the back of my hand however i always have the sat nav on my phone on, because it diverts me every time and gives me an arrivial time as well which is normally around the same time no matter which route lol
Its worth a go at least!
I drive the same routes regularly to London and I know it like the back of my hand however i always have the sat nav on my phone on, because it diverts me every time and gives me an arrivial time as well which is normally around the same time no matter which route lol
Its worth a go at least!
sparks_E46 said:
I commute home from Hedge End to Poole every week day evening and I’m getting a bit fed up of sitting in traffic near Ringwood, Ferndown and Wimborne if I go that way. Currently takes 80/90 minutes to get home which is a bit silly for 40 miles!
I guess it’s the fallout from the Spur Road works, as I’m told the journey used to only take about an hour. Any suggestions of sensible shortcuts or alternative routes would be most appreciated
The A31 pretty awful. I did once pull a 1 hour drive to Bournemouth (35 miles from N. Dorset), it normally takes 1h 10 to 1h 15. If it's rush hour? 1h 30+. I guess it’s the fallout from the Spur Road works, as I’m told the journey used to only take about an hour. Any suggestions of sensible shortcuts or alternative routes would be most appreciated
Have you tried going out through Bournemouth and Christchurch, A35? It might be worth a shot, although the traffic in town probably won't be favourable. Another thing you could try is cutting across from the A338 to the A35 aroundabout Hurn. I can't say for sure how those roads are, as it's not my end of town, but I get the feeling that the traffic will be much diminished.
Personally I'd suck it up and stick to the A31 as there's not really any decent alternatives. The A35 through the New Forest is probably no better, and the trouble with the B3078 (Cadnam-Fordinbridge-Cranborne-Wimborne) is there's not many overtaking opportunities so you'll only end up going as fast as the slowest driver.
Although as killerferret suggests, using Waze (or a quick check on google maps before leaving) might help flag up any major incidents on the A31 so you could then avoid in plenty of time. One option would be to come off at Picket Post then cut down to Burley-Bransgore-Christchurch then across into Poole?
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Hedge+End,+South...
(I guess it also depends on roughly which part of Poole it is as well?)
Although as killerferret suggests, using Waze (or a quick check on google maps before leaving) might help flag up any major incidents on the A31 so you could then avoid in plenty of time. One option would be to come off at Picket Post then cut down to Burley-Bransgore-Christchurch then across into Poole?
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Hedge+End,+South...
(I guess it also depends on roughly which part of Poole it is as well?)
killerferret666 said:
Install Waze on your mobile.
I drive the same routes regularly to London and I know it like the back of my hand however i always have the sat nav on my phone on, because it diverts me every time and gives me an arrivial time as well which is normally around the same time no matter which route lol
Its worth a go at least!
Agreed , it’s akso useful warning you about speed cameras and mobile scamera vans I drive the same routes regularly to London and I know it like the back of my hand however i always have the sat nav on my phone on, because it diverts me every time and gives me an arrivial time as well which is normally around the same time no matter which route lol
Its worth a go at least!
Zetec-S said:
Personally I'd suck it up and stick to the A31 as there's not really any decent alternatives. The A35 through the New Forest is probably no better, and the trouble with the B3078 (Cadnam-Fordinbridge-Cranborne-Wimborne) is there's not many overtaking opportunities so you'll only end up going as fast as the slowest driver.
Although as killerferret suggests, using Waze (or a quick check on google maps before leaving) might help flag up any major incidents on the A31 so you could then avoid in plenty of time. One option would be to come off at Picket Post then cut down to Burley-Bransgore-Christchurch then across into Poole?
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Hedge+End,+South...
(I guess it also depends on roughly which part of Poole it is as well?)
Thank you (and to all) I’m in Oakdale. Although as killerferret suggests, using Waze (or a quick check on google maps before leaving) might help flag up any major incidents on the A31 so you could then avoid in plenty of time. One option would be to come off at Picket Post then cut down to Burley-Bransgore-Christchurch then across into Poole?
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Hedge+End,+South...
(I guess it also depends on roughly which part of Poole it is as well?)
Zetec-S said:
Personally I'd suck it up and stick to the A31 as there's not really any decent alternatives. The A35 through the New Forest is probably no better, and the trouble with the B3078 (Cadnam-Fordinbridge-Cranborne-Wimborne) is there's not many overtaking opportunities so you'll only end up going as fast as the slowest driver.
It's never really slower than 40mph though.. Which is the speed limit on this route. You wouldn't want to be going faster than 40mph on this road anyway. HantsRat said:
Zetec-S said:
Personally I'd suck it up and stick to the A31 as there's not really any decent alternatives. The A35 through the New Forest is probably no better, and the trouble with the B3078 (Cadnam-Fordinbridge-Cranborne-Wimborne) is there's not many overtaking opportunities so you'll only end up going as fast as the slowest driver.
It's never really slower than 40mph though.. Which is the speed limit on this route. You wouldn't want to be going faster than 40mph on this road anyway. HantsRat said:
Zetec-S said:
Personally I'd suck it up and stick to the A31 as there's not really any decent alternatives. The A35 through the New Forest is probably no better, and the trouble with the B3078 (Cadnam-Fordinbridge-Cranborne-Wimborne) is there's not many overtaking opportunities so you'll only end up going as fast as the slowest driver.
It's never really slower than 40mph though.. Which is the speed limit on this route. You wouldn't want to be going faster than 40mph on this road anyway. I'm losing patience here. Soton to Poole commute home yesterday, Friday, was 2 hours. Left central Soton at 17.35, not home until 19.35. f
king Spur Road and the tossers coming up the inside and cutting in last minute. As per OP, tried the long way round via Gravel Hill, but that's taking as long, if not longer.
Don't get me started on the Millbrook roundabout on the way in in the mornings. WTF are they going to do when the Dock Gate 20 closes, and all container lorries come out of Dock Gate 8 ? A colleague said that ABP and the council are changing the phasing of the lights on West Quay Road then. I might as well take the train.. oh no wait... stuck for two hours the other day when they turned the power off due to the (very sad) incident at Brock....
Rant over... and breath.....
king Spur Road and the tossers coming up the inside and cutting in last minute. As per OP, tried the long way round via Gravel Hill, but that's taking as long, if not longer.Don't get me started on the Millbrook roundabout on the way in in the mornings. WTF are they going to do when the Dock Gate 20 closes, and all container lorries come out of Dock Gate 8 ? A colleague said that ABP and the council are changing the phasing of the lights on West Quay Road then. I might as well take the train.. oh no wait... stuck for two hours the other day when they turned the power off due to the (very sad) incident at Brock....
Rant over... and breath.....
I come the other way - Portchester to Ashurst just outside Lyndhurst. I either leave home at 06:30 and get to the office around 07:10 and for the return leave the office at 15:30 and get home around 16:10.
My plan 'B' is to leave home at 09:00 which, on a good day gets me at work for 09:40. If the M27 is still snarled I get off at Junction 8 and head down over the Itchen toll bridge and through Southampton passed Ikea and on to Ashurst that way.
My plan 'B' is to leave home at 09:00 which, on a good day gets me at work for 09:40. If the M27 is still snarled I get off at Junction 8 and head down over the Itchen toll bridge and through Southampton passed Ikea and on to Ashurst that way.
Bournemouth born in 1945, Ferndown resident until 1972 before moving to Sussex you can imagine the changes I have witnessed.
Ringwood was once a massive bottleneck the main road crossing a narrow railway bridge south of the town before navigating the town itself.
All Poole & Bournemouth traffic via Ferndown (or Pennys Hill as it was once called) then the Y junction at Tricketts Cross.
In the 1980's I'd leave Chichester at 7.30am & be in Christchurch an hour later.
Prior to the current Spur Road cock-up I'd leave at 6am & was parked up in Westover Road Bournemouth for breakfast by 7.30/7.45am.
When travelling west to Dorchester & beyond apart from between 11pm to 6am I never never never use the A31 but travel cross-country via Fordingbridge/Martin then the A354 Blandford to Puddletown. The A354 probably the best fastest & most scenic road in central southern UK & once was empty for miles but with the local population explosion now getting busy at rush hour.
Future journeys west this year will have to take into account the M27 widening so even earlier departures expected. My mid-afternoon returns may have to be via Winchester/Alresford/Petersfield if east bound M27 a big log jam.
My condolences to those of you that have no choice in your travelling times - 2 years of hell awaits & given the rapidity of traffic growth will it be less congested afterwards?
WARNING - given the huge horrible new housing estates being built alongside the B3078 north of Wimborne this road will become more of a race track for those commuting to Shaftesbury & beyond or Southampton/Salisbury. (What's wrong with some duff brown field sites around Poole I wonder) Poor Wimbonre residents for getting to Poole will become a greater nightmare.
Ringwood was once a massive bottleneck the main road crossing a narrow railway bridge south of the town before navigating the town itself.
All Poole & Bournemouth traffic via Ferndown (or Pennys Hill as it was once called) then the Y junction at Tricketts Cross.
In the 1980's I'd leave Chichester at 7.30am & be in Christchurch an hour later.
Prior to the current Spur Road cock-up I'd leave at 6am & was parked up in Westover Road Bournemouth for breakfast by 7.30/7.45am.
When travelling west to Dorchester & beyond apart from between 11pm to 6am I never never never use the A31 but travel cross-country via Fordingbridge/Martin then the A354 Blandford to Puddletown. The A354 probably the best fastest & most scenic road in central southern UK & once was empty for miles but with the local population explosion now getting busy at rush hour.
Future journeys west this year will have to take into account the M27 widening so even earlier departures expected. My mid-afternoon returns may have to be via Winchester/Alresford/Petersfield if east bound M27 a big log jam.
My condolences to those of you that have no choice in your travelling times - 2 years of hell awaits & given the rapidity of traffic growth will it be less congested afterwards?
WARNING - given the huge horrible new housing estates being built alongside the B3078 north of Wimborne this road will become more of a race track for those commuting to Shaftesbury & beyond or Southampton/Salisbury. (What's wrong with some duff brown field sites around Poole I wonder) Poor Wimbonre residents for getting to Poole will become a greater nightmare.
sparks_E46 said:
I have overcome my commuting nightmare by taking the drastic measures of quitting the job and moving house. We live in beautiful North Dorset now and my new job is but a 10 minute drive, although I plan to cycle/walk as soon as the weather improves.
Whereabouts in North Dorset if you don't mind me asking? I'm Sturminster Newton
Johnnytheboy said:
sparks_E46 said:
I have overcome my commuting nightmare by taking the drastic measures of quitting the job and moving house. We live in beautiful North Dorset now and my new job is but a 10 minute drive, although I plan to cycle/walk as soon as the weather improves.
Whereabouts in North Dorset if you don't mind me asking? I'm Sturminster Newton
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