Can anyone help, while riding today on a public bridleway in coleford, somerset, we followed the path through a field, all of a sudden my horse snak up to his hind legs, he's entire back half had sunk, he panicked & went fell backwards into a thorn bush but thankfully my friend who was also riding & I managed to get him out safely, if that was a lone rider on a small pony they would be in serious danger..my horse is 15hh. it needs closing and now, who should i contact?
Bridleway needs shutting;who do i contact-my horse sank
- Thread starter kerrymaid
- Start date
You need to contact your rights of way officer (ring the council who will give you the telephine number) he should IMMEDIATLY make this safe and passable for horses/pedestrians.
old_woman
a VERY senior citizen
I beg to differ - it does not 'need closing'.
it needs making fit for use, which means repair or rerouting.
Do we see roads closed because there's a hole in them or because there's an accident blackspot? Do we see cars physically unable to drive along a road because of its condition, and all that is expected of the local authority is to 'close it'?
NO!
Instead we see vast sums of money spent in order to make the car safer - AND, generally, the vulnerable but perfectly legitimate users such as cyclists, horseriders and pedestrians, put at GREATER risk.
You must not even think of asking your local authority to close the bridleway. What you must do is contact them as a matter of urgency on Monday morning,inform them of the dangerous obstruction and request that the bridleway be restored to a condition fit for use. If you phone them, it is essential that you follow up in the next 48 hours with a letter confirming what was said and who you spoke to, and requesting written confirmation of the expected timeframe for inspection and repair.
it needs making fit for use, which means repair or rerouting.
Do we see roads closed because there's a hole in them or because there's an accident blackspot? Do we see cars physically unable to drive along a road because of its condition, and all that is expected of the local authority is to 'close it'?
NO!
Instead we see vast sums of money spent in order to make the car safer - AND, generally, the vulnerable but perfectly legitimate users such as cyclists, horseriders and pedestrians, put at GREATER risk.
You must not even think of asking your local authority to close the bridleway. What you must do is contact them as a matter of urgency on Monday morning,inform them of the dangerous obstruction and request that the bridleway be restored to a condition fit for use. If you phone them, it is essential that you follow up in the next 48 hours with a letter confirming what was said and who you spoke to, and requesting written confirmation of the expected timeframe for inspection and repair.
Oh please!
You know exactly what I mean, it needs CLOSING until it is made fit! A child could have a serious accident, or a lone rider. I wouldnt even suggest it for pedestrians. Ive already emailed the local right of way officer. You wouldnt have a road with a big hole in it, if you did it would be closed if cars were disappearing into it, for my horse to disappear into the bog, being as strapping as he is...it is a danger! And with more rain forecasted next week, it can only get worse. Any sane person would rather it was closed and made safe than using it and putting themselves & their horse ar risk!
You know exactly what I mean, it needs CLOSING until it is made fit! A child could have a serious accident, or a lone rider. I wouldnt even suggest it for pedestrians. Ive already emailed the local right of way officer. You wouldnt have a road with a big hole in it, if you did it would be closed if cars were disappearing into it, for my horse to disappear into the bog, being as strapping as he is...it is a danger! And with more rain forecasted next week, it can only get worse. Any sane person would rather it was closed and made safe than using it and putting themselves & their horse ar risk!
U had to be there!
I can assure you if you had been there, you'd feel the same. They will need to close it to fix the problem, I think they'll find it isnt safe in a few places. Alot of children ride in my area, they need to be able to ride bridleway's safely, if a child got stuck there it could be extremely dangerous and as a parent that concerns me
I can assure you if you had been there, you'd feel the same. They will need to close it to fix the problem, I think they'll find it isnt safe in a few places. Alot of children ride in my area, they need to be able to ride bridleway's safely, if a child got stuck there it could be extremely dangerous and as a parent that concerns me
What????? If its dangerous......
Kerrymaid, I agree with you, it must have been terrifying.
I am sure that you just want to make sure that the same thing doesn't happen to anyone else. You just want to make sure that it is delt with quickly so that no one else has the same experiance.
I agree that if this means that the bridleway needs to be closed UNTIL THIS IS MADE SAFE then so be it.
Kerrymaid, I agree with you, it must have been terrifying.
I am sure that you just want to make sure that the same thing doesn't happen to anyone else. You just want to make sure that it is delt with quickly so that no one else has the same experiance.
I agree that if this means that the bridleway needs to be closed UNTIL THIS IS MADE SAFE then so be it.
old_woman
a VERY senior citizen
No I do not know 'what you mean', exactly or otherwise.
I contend that it does NOT 'need' closing. It needs repair or rerouting.
You made no mention whatsoever of repair or rerouting in your original post, merely a frantic appeal for help to close a bridleway whose surface is what is known, in Right of Way terminology, as 'out of repair'.
To demand that the bridleway simply be closed on safety grounds is giving local rights of way officers carte blanche to close any path they may find awkward to manage; your action should, instead, be to demand that the path in question be made fit to use. If this necessitates - as it probably will - closure of the bridleway on strictly temporary, time-tabled basis, then so be it.
A hole in the road down which cars were being lost would indeed result in closure of the road; it would also result in an extremely rapid repair of the road and its underpinnings and, if necessary, well-organised and signposted diversions. Would that a bridleway and its users receive such consideration...
i read it as closing closing rather than closing for repair too.
Sounds horrific though, I ride not far from you and a lot of my hacks are very boggy at the moment, I tend to ride alone so would have been in real trouble. Glad you're both ok.
Sounds horrific though, I ride not far from you and a lot of my hacks are very boggy at the moment, I tend to ride alone so would have been in real trouble. Glad you're both ok.
old_woman
a VERY senior citizen
Indeed, even on re-reading it there is not even a suggestion that a repair or diversion may be diversion - just a panicked demand for closure.
Of course the local authority's rights of way team may well just LEAP on this demand with glee. It will save money, time, effort and aggravation to merely close off the bridleway - and could even result in a bit of 'you pat my back, I'll pat yours' from any landowner across whose land the bridleway passes.
Whatever, it is likely to result of the disappearance by default of yet another link in the already-fragmented chain of rights of way across this land, the disappearance of living history and the stories that it carries and shrink the boundaries of our freedoms even more. It may well be 'just one bridleway' in an area where there is a generous network of bridleways - but that statement applied, once (and not so very long ago, either), to a great many places in England and Wales ...
All that I ask is that people think through their contacts with RIghts of Way authorities before making requests or demands which may impinge on the freedom of future generations to access our countryside by non-motorised means.
Clearly a bridleway which is boggy to the extent described by the OP is dangerous. Many things in life are dangerous, but that does not mean that they should be closed or forbidden. The danger is often - as in this case - clearly identifiable and able to be mitigated or avoided.
It is doubtful that the original path would have passed through a bog of such depth, so the historical route of the path may need to be checked, as should the existence and upkeep of drainage ditches and field drains; perhaps a spring or a stream has been either naturally or artificially blocked or diverted, or earth has been dumped into or excavated from an area which affects the drainage of the bridleway. Closure of the bridleway will have no effect on any of these things, and may indeed merely encourage rogue landowners or neighbours to try their own means of making a bridleway dangerously impassible, in the hopes that it, too, will be officially closed by the local authority rights of way team ...
I can see exactly why the bog ought to be sealed off, but mention "closure" to the council and you'll never see the bridleway open again!
Best to say it needs urgent attention to make it safely passable again, and let them decide on the best course of action.
Best to say it needs urgent attention to make it safely passable again, and let them decide on the best course of action.
old_woman
a VERY senior citizen
Precisely - well said!
Unfortunately, Councils, left to themselves to decide on the best course of action, may well just decide to fence it off 'pending repair', which is likely to result in it being forgotten and neglected, and its condition getting worse and worse ...let them decide on the best course of action.
A bit of judicial persistence and pestering, a few reminders of the LA's obligations and perhaps the casual mention, if necessary, of Section 63 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, may be all that is necessary to persuade the LA to do the right thing.
I think that if the bridleway is dangerous and an accident waiting to happen then the OP is quite right in requesting that the bridleway is closed. If you say that the bridleway "needs attention", it could be many weeks before anyone gets around to looking and it and assessing the safety. In the meantime an accident could happen. If the bridleways remains closed then that is another issue, but surely preventing accidents, especially children, needs to be the top priority here. In my opinion, it is better to have no bridleway at all than an open bridleway with whopping holes in it.
come on guys, over recting a little here, yes op didnt say she wanted it repaired in the post but im fairly sure thats exactly what she wants long term and that saftey of the area is of an upmost importance over an enjoyable hack, or as todays has shown a very dangerous one. no rider, would want there bridal route closed constantly. after the day she has had im sure this is the last thing she needs, people grilling her, im sure kerrymaid that everyone just wants to say be careful how you go about reporting it to the council as they could use it as a a way to get rid of a work load which they probably dont hold that high in importance.
glad your all ok and hope it gets sorted quickly.
glad your all ok and hope it gets sorted quickly.
The council concerned are, surprisingly, really good with bridleways/access, we have more bridleways (I live and ride very close to the OP's location) here than I have ever seen before !! My current yard's less than 10 miles from where she was riding and I have access to maintained miles of bridleways, maintained old railway tracks and old quarries now given to riding, I think we're lucky (and in the minority). I'm sure that the council would rectify this, although am not going to speculate on any timeframe
old_woman
a VERY senior citizen
That does not seem to be the case with roads, though, does it? Thousands of people, young and old, are killed and injured on them every single year, often because of the lack of simple safety measures such as controlled crossings or bridges. You only need to read the heart-breaking story of the reason for Jade's Crossing in Kent - Google it - to see that 'preventing accidents' is certainly not a priority of either local or central government.
Yet no-one even dreams of seriously suggesting the closure of busy roads, do they?
What is the alternative route should this bridleway be closed? I do hope it would not be along a busy road!
Specifically requesting the closure of a bridleway on the grounds of safety - without ALSO beginning an intensive campaign for its prompt repair and/or a safe diversion which does not involve trafficked roads - seems to me to be, to say the least, rather strange.
I think that if you look on any local council agenda you will find that road safety will always be one of the top priority and there always several projects which are ongoing to try and make the roads safer. Yes they are dangerous but I don't think that it is right to argue that a dangerous bridleway should be kept open just because there are also dangerous roads. Think speed limits, speed cameras, banning mobile phones, improved car safety etc. All these things are being done to try and limit accidents - most of which are caused by human error and driving too fast anyway.
If there was a huge hole in any road which a car and/or pedestrian fell through I would be fairly sure that the road would be closed immediately to prevent further accidents. A few years ago whole motorways were shut when the tarmac melted in the summer heat as this made them unsafe. Just think of all the delays motorists have to put up with whilst re-surfing is done on roads to make them safer.
I agree that the road would be re-opened more quickly than a bridleway, but thats another issue. The OP has idenfied a serious safety hazard and is correct in taking this action.
old_woman
a VERY senior citizen
Sorry, but if this is an argument about safety, I disagree most strongly that safety for vulnerable users is any sort of priority for anyone except the specific representatives of vulnerable users such as ourselves. If safety is indeed a priority, why are so many of us nervous of riding our horses or even bikes on the road; why do so many of us refuse to permit our children to walk or ride their bikes to school?
Sadly (IMO) the 'car is king' culture has taken firm hold here in the UK. Safety improvements are in place, in the main, for the improved safety of car drivers and passengers; they have scarcely, if at all, improved the safety of vulnerable users, and in many instances have worsened it.
Around two pedestrians a day are killed on our roads - 700 or so a year. Young and old, male and female, OAP and child.
Seven hundred pedestrians a year killed by King Car and who cares, other than the families and friends of the victims?
Safety a priority? For whom? The volume of traffic is massive compared to 40 years ago; the number of vulnerable users has fallen dramatically - yet pedestrians still make up over 20% of all road traffic deaths.
The bridleways and footpaths of this country are the only places we can reasonably feel safe from the threat of the infernal internal combustion engine and the thrall in which it unaccountably holds us. Actively requesting the closure of even one of them - whatever its condition - seems to me to be a retrograde step. Campaigning for it to be repaired or rerouted would be much more constructive for long-term safety, surely.
Oh, and by the way, a very large hole appeared in a main road very close to where my daughter lives in Manchester. It was mended over a weekend and even while the road was closed, efficient, safe diversions were put in place so that drivers were not inconvenienced. However, the same could not be said about consideration for local pedestrians, who were - as usual - left in ignorance regarding repositioned bus stops and for whom no temporary safe road crossings were provided. Car is indeed King, in city or country.
Sadly (IMO) the 'car is king' culture has taken firm hold here in the UK. Safety improvements are in place, in the main, for the improved safety of car drivers and passengers; they have scarcely, if at all, improved the safety of vulnerable users, and in many instances have worsened it.
Around two pedestrians a day are killed on our roads - 700 or so a year. Young and old, male and female, OAP and child.
Seven hundred pedestrians a year killed by King Car and who cares, other than the families and friends of the victims?
Safety a priority? For whom? The volume of traffic is massive compared to 40 years ago; the number of vulnerable users has fallen dramatically - yet pedestrians still make up over 20% of all road traffic deaths.
The bridleways and footpaths of this country are the only places we can reasonably feel safe from the threat of the infernal internal combustion engine and the thrall in which it unaccountably holds us. Actively requesting the closure of even one of them - whatever its condition - seems to me to be a retrograde step. Campaigning for it to be repaired or rerouted would be much more constructive for long-term safety, surely.
Oh, and by the way, a very large hole appeared in a main road very close to where my daughter lives in Manchester. It was mended over a weekend and even while the road was closed, efficient, safe diversions were put in place so that drivers were not inconvenienced. However, the same could not be said about consideration for local pedestrians, who were - as usual - left in ignorance regarding repositioned bus stops and for whom no temporary safe road crossings were provided. Car is indeed King, in city or country.
I'm not disputing the fact that roads are dangerous but I do disagree with your statement above. If a bridleway is dangerous it should be shut and not re-opened until it is safe. As the OP stated, if a child on a pony had got stuck in that hole something terrible may have happened.
If that was in my area, I'd go to the dangerous site and rope it off, and add a notice of warning to users.
Then I'd get on the phone to the relevant person/office and get some movement on a permanent resolution.
On the subject of road safety, and vulnerable users...........I don't see much being done about the application of SMA surfaces, despite the obvious danger to horses, and the efforts of various concerned bodies to bring it to the attention of the policy makers.
Regarding road usage........there is no such thing as a dangerous road. It's the road users who cause dangers on the roads.
I used to be an advocate for keeping horses on the roads, so that other users would see them on a regular basis, and there would be continuity of use of all minor roads, particularly in rural areas. At one time there was a lot of talk about re-opening/creating off-road routes so that horses could be kept off the roads as much as possible, and I strongly disagreed, saying that that would sound the death knell for equine road access/usage,and that the dangers for riders would increase as the number of horses seen on roads decreased.
Now I'm not at all sure that continued road usage by the equine community is a good thing, as the roads are now a very dangerous place to be, owing to the attitudes of other users, their ignorance of horses, and the lack of education on these subjects by the bodies who are supposedly responsible for road safety.
I have to agree that the op's proposed closure, temporary or otherwise, is a somewhat dangerous route to take with local authorities already strapped for cash and looking for ways to dodge their responsibilities, and reduce spending, particularly in the face of rising costs and the state of the economy.
Old Woman has much experience of such things and, like me, has witnessed the speed at which things we thought were carved in stone can be blown away as dust by the winds of change which prevail today.
The only way to get anything done these days is to know your rights, be able to quote the relevant Acts and Laws, and be persistent.
Then I'd get on the phone to the relevant person/office and get some movement on a permanent resolution.
On the subject of road safety, and vulnerable users...........I don't see much being done about the application of SMA surfaces, despite the obvious danger to horses, and the efforts of various concerned bodies to bring it to the attention of the policy makers.
Regarding road usage........there is no such thing as a dangerous road. It's the road users who cause dangers on the roads.
I used to be an advocate for keeping horses on the roads, so that other users would see them on a regular basis, and there would be continuity of use of all minor roads, particularly in rural areas. At one time there was a lot of talk about re-opening/creating off-road routes so that horses could be kept off the roads as much as possible, and I strongly disagreed, saying that that would sound the death knell for equine road access/usage,and that the dangers for riders would increase as the number of horses seen on roads decreased.
Now I'm not at all sure that continued road usage by the equine community is a good thing, as the roads are now a very dangerous place to be, owing to the attitudes of other users, their ignorance of horses, and the lack of education on these subjects by the bodies who are supposedly responsible for road safety.
I have to agree that the op's proposed closure, temporary or otherwise, is a somewhat dangerous route to take with local authorities already strapped for cash and looking for ways to dodge their responsibilities, and reduce spending, particularly in the face of rising costs and the state of the economy.
Old Woman has much experience of such things and, like me, has witnessed the speed at which things we thought were carved in stone can be blown away as dust by the winds of change which prevail today.
The only way to get anything done these days is to know your rights, be able to quote the relevant Acts and Laws, and be persistent.
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