APPENDIX 11
Memorandum submitted by The British Horse
Society
1. INTRODUCTION
The British Horse Society is the UK's leading
charity representing horse and riders needs. One of the Society's
core aims is the protection and promotion of the network of bridleways
and byways which form a means of safe off road riding, used for
leisure and pleasure away from motorised traffic.
2. The Society has examples of Highways
Agency behaviour which indicate that although equestrians are
formally consulted, no action is taken on their responses; problems
with existing Highways Agency roads are not addressed, leading
to safety problems for riders
3. THE CAMBRIDGE
CONTEXT
The total length of recorded public rights of
way in Cambridgeshire is 3,210 km. But of this length only 541
km is registered as bridleway and 402 km as byway. (Source;
CCC RoWIP)
4. Post war development of communities and
infrastructure and the dependence upon the motor car means that
our roads are very busy and, where they used to be used by horse
riders travelling between bridleways road riding is now becoming
dangerous, if not impossible.
5. Cambridgeshire is dissected by the A14,
A428 and the A1—and all of these form barriers which cannot
be crossed and have played a part in destroying the public path
network.
6. THE A1
The A1 runs in a north-south line through the
western part of Cambridgeshire. Just south of its junction with
the A14 and on the west side of the A1 lie the entrances to two
bridleways—Brampton 1/Buckden 11 and Brampton 19. Access
to both these is impossible due to the nature of traffic using
the A1. For years residents in Brampton have been denied safe
off road access to Brampton Wood and the open countryside leading
onto Grafham and the west of the A1.
7. There is one grade separated crossing
for motorised traffic between the two bridleways, but the parapets
are not up to equestrian standards. When the Highway Agency was
notified of this hazard its response was not helpful—just
to state that the bridge has pedestrian parapets and pavement
which it considered gave the usual protection for horse riders.
(H Agency letter of 24 May 1999) [6]
8. A14
The A14 runs east west through the county and
has been the subject of considerable consultation over recent
years both as a local road and an international freight route
carrying over 80,000 vehicles daily. Clearly a route of that nature
is not suitable for slow recreational use by equestrians. Entrances
and crossing points to bridleways can be found all along its length
but these are inaccessible and there is no evidence of the Highway
Agency willingness to provide grade separated crossing points.
9. Of particular interest is the Stukeley
Bridleway 26 which lies to the north west of Huntingdon and on
the link road between the A14 and the A1.
10. A bridge exists at this location and
is used to link the bridleway together avoiding crossing with
the traffic. In 1998 the BHS alerted the Agency to the problem
that the parapets were not up to correct equestrian standard (reply
from H Agency dated 20 Nov 98)[7].
Due to errors in the paper work many years ago the bridge—though
used as a bridleway—remains as a footbridge and despite
considerable encouragement to the Highways Agency and local authorities
by the BHS during recent years, the problem still remains unsolved.
To rectify the situation is quite simple—just means adjusting
the parapets which would provide a considerable safety improvement.
11. From Brampton to Thrapston there are
severed bridleway links and though the route remains an A road
and legally the right to cross on foot or horse still exists,
in practice to do so is suicidal yet—other than a paperwork
exercise—there has been no evidence from the Agency of any
improvements for horse riders. At grade triangular warning signs
are inadequate.
12. At the junction of A14/M11 there is
an entrance to a bridleway within a subway carrying the M11 above
but to access this subway means crossing the A14 at grade—clearly
impossible.
13. A428
The A428 runs from the A1 into Cambridgeshire
joining the A14 west of Cambridge City. Ten miles to the west
of Cambridge City is the new town of Cambourne. Despite the master
plan containing a requirement for a new bridleway bridge the Highway
Agency did not support this and the result is a set of traffic
lights which have been switched off because they are recognised
to be problematical, and a two way route along one side of the
bridge. This design has proved to be impracticable and unattractive—no
one uses it.
14. CONCLUSION
Over recent years the BHS has been involved
in many consultations; Multi Modal Studies, Route Management Studies,
individual road schemes and the Agency's own Vulnerable Road User
Crossing Points project in 2002. Government has shown its desire
(Countryside & Rights of Way Act 2000) to bring the public
rights of way up to date, and to cater for modern day and future
users, this requires a much more positive and proactive approach
to repair the damage done over recent years and to prevent further
problems developing.
15. The examples above have shown how the
Agency is often willing to include equestrian needs in consultation
exercises, but frequently fails to deliver suitable facilities
on the ground. Although an attempt to address this was made in
the Vulnerable Road Users Crossings project in 2002, no physical
changes were made to crossings in Cambridgeshire. The BHS Cambridgeshire
conclusion is that the Vulnerable Road Users Crossings project
needs reinforcement by means of Governmental policy statements
to ensure it is adopted wholesale rather than in pockets, funding
to permit past errors to be corrected, and all new schemes to
have a formal Vulnerable Road Users Crossings suitability check.
16. At least within Cambridgeshire the Highway
Agency has been consistent in its reluctance to do anything other
than a desk top exercise.
17. Thank you for giving the BHS the opportunity
to provide information for the inquiry. Please contact us if we
can be of further assistance.
7 January 2006
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