Footway work has been carried out to improve accessibility along Connaught Road in Weymouth.

Previously, the footways on either side of the road are impassable for wheelchair and mobility scooter users, with pedestrians forced into the road to avoid obstruction caused by mature trees.

Construction work has:

• extended the pavement into the road (build-outs) around three mature trees on the western pavement to improve accessibility
• realigned the kerbs at the Buxton Road Entrance to Connaught Road to reduce traffic speeds
• installed dropped kerbs and a tactile paving crossing point at the Buxton Road entrance to Connaught Road to reduce traffic speeds
• removed the loading bay and zig zag markings outside the old school at the northern end of Connaught Road
• introduced a parking bay at the southern end of Connaught Road to encourage appropriate parking away from the build-outs
• installed ‘Jungle Mulch’ around the base of the trees to provide a flexible, porous surface – allowing the tree more room to grow, without disrupting the pavement surface, and supporting the health of the tree

Parking issues

Since the completion of construction work in April 2023, there has continued to be inconsiderate parking along Connaught Road.

In light of this, work is underway to put in place additional double-yellow lines through a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process.