Temporary signals set up at the Studland road junction to help keep drivers safe will stay in place while the Sandbanks Ferry is repaired.

Temporary lights were put into action last week following an extraordinary Studland Parish Council meeting, where Dorset Council Cllr Ray Bryan and Cllr Cherry Brooks listened to residents’ and parish councillors’ concerns that increased traffic at the A351 / B3351 junction would lead to a serious collision.

Highway engineers have now confirmed that, following an initial trial of temporary lights being used from 2pm to 6pm on the A351 junction with the B3351 to Studland to help control the flow of traffic and keep drivers safe, the signals will remain in place until the ferry is back in service.

Cllr Ray Bryan, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said:

“We have deployed a specialist set of lights at the junction, which has let traffic travelling on the A351 to flow in both directions, followed by a period of ‘stop’ time to allow drivers from Studland safely out on to the road. This set-up has really helped the situation.

“We’ve adjusted the timings and vehicle actuation and, from Thursday (8 August), we will be stepping up the use of the lights to 24-hours-a-day.

“We’d like to ask drivers for their continued patience and to plan their journeys ahead as delays are possible. We are doing everything we can to safely manage the increased traffic at this busy junction.”

Sandbanks Ferry is a private enterprise and Dorset Council has no authority over the company or involvement with the ferry service.

The Bournemouth-Swanage Motor Road and Ferry Act 1923 sets out the exact terms of operation, including the service stopping to carry out necessary repairs or machinery works, as has happened at this time.

The company has been keeping its website up to date with the progress of these repairs and everyone involved is working incredibly hard to return the service as quickly as possible.

Dorset Council, as the highways authority for the Isle of Purbeck, is doing everything possible to mitigate the impact of the lack of ferry service on local roads.

Should an occasion arise where the temporary signals make the situation worse, highways operatives are nearby and can turn them off.