graham
31st Oct 2005, 14:14
I emailed DEFRA a couple of weeks ago regarding countryside access for the disabled using battery propelled scooter on all rights of ways and 4x4 on green lanes.
All local county councils have a local access forum found on your local council website, they are there to set up access for all rights of way users. I would urge people to look at their local access forum and contact them regarding your hobby / pass time of green lane driving and get it put onto the access forum.
If you don't make them aware of your wishes to use rights of way it won't be put into your local Council access plan.
I have just emailed Lancashire County Council for a list of all rights of way including any with TRO's with vehicular rights and emailed the access forum to ask them to include my wishes to use rights of ways with vehicular status for access.
Copy of email from DEFRA.
Thank you for your email of 11 October about the use of public rights of way by disabled people.
Your wife can use her scooter on public rights of way, including footpaths. Section 20(1)(b) of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 excludes those using invalid carriages from the section 34 Road Traffic Act 1988 offence of driving on a footpath, bridleway or restricted byway.
Local Highways Authorities do sometimes need to place Traffic Restriction Orders on public rights of way for safety and management reasons. However they should take a strategic view of their rights of way network with the aim of reflecting modern patterns of demand and providing better for the needs of users.
A requirement of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 is that highway authorities prepare rights of way improvement plans, setting out how they intend to achieve the government's aims. Highway authorities also have a duty to consult Local Access Forums which, it is anticipated, will have a significant input into the drafting of these improvement plans. Local Access Forums are statutory bodies and have representatives from user organisations and landowners. Your local highways authority will be able to provide you with information on how to comment on your local Rights of Way Improvement plan.
The Act also requires highway authorities to assess the accessibility of local rights of way to blind and partially sighted people and those with other mobility problems. If you have found that traffic regulation orders have restricted you and your wife's access I would encourage you to inform your local highway authority (the rights of way department of you local council) so that they are aware of the problem.
If you need help to find the contact details of your highway authority or have any questions please get in touch.
Yours sincerely
Ruth Howard
Rights of Way Policy Officer
Defra
All local county councils have a local access forum found on your local council website, they are there to set up access for all rights of way users. I would urge people to look at their local access forum and contact them regarding your hobby / pass time of green lane driving and get it put onto the access forum.
If you don't make them aware of your wishes to use rights of way it won't be put into your local Council access plan.
I have just emailed Lancashire County Council for a list of all rights of way including any with TRO's with vehicular rights and emailed the access forum to ask them to include my wishes to use rights of ways with vehicular status for access.
Copy of email from DEFRA.
Thank you for your email of 11 October about the use of public rights of way by disabled people.
Your wife can use her scooter on public rights of way, including footpaths. Section 20(1)(b) of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 excludes those using invalid carriages from the section 34 Road Traffic Act 1988 offence of driving on a footpath, bridleway or restricted byway.
Local Highways Authorities do sometimes need to place Traffic Restriction Orders on public rights of way for safety and management reasons. However they should take a strategic view of their rights of way network with the aim of reflecting modern patterns of demand and providing better for the needs of users.
A requirement of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 is that highway authorities prepare rights of way improvement plans, setting out how they intend to achieve the government's aims. Highway authorities also have a duty to consult Local Access Forums which, it is anticipated, will have a significant input into the drafting of these improvement plans. Local Access Forums are statutory bodies and have representatives from user organisations and landowners. Your local highways authority will be able to provide you with information on how to comment on your local Rights of Way Improvement plan.
The Act also requires highway authorities to assess the accessibility of local rights of way to blind and partially sighted people and those with other mobility problems. If you have found that traffic regulation orders have restricted you and your wife's access I would encourage you to inform your local highway authority (the rights of way department of you local council) so that they are aware of the problem.
If you need help to find the contact details of your highway authority or have any questions please get in touch.
Yours sincerely
Ruth Howard
Rights of Way Policy Officer
Defra