At our Members’ Forum on 24th March 2025, we discussed the various issues arising from new infrastructure projects being funded as “Active Travel” which are generally excluding equestrians with the ostensible reason that funding is primarily aimed at translating utility journeys into low-carbon forms, and therefore because equestrian journeys are ‘only leisure’ they do not qualify for inclusion. These routes are often planned to use existing Bridleway and Byways; or where they go alongside a road, they tend to absorb the previously safe grassy Highway verge under 3 metres width of tarmac, accompanied by a “Pedestrians and Cyclists Only” sign. All authorities have now published LCWIPs (Local Walking and Cycling Infrastructure Plans) which in some areas – such as Cambridgeshire – show that existing PRoW routes are now being prioritised as ‘cycling and walking corridors’; once implemented, this could see what few naturally surfaced routes we do have disappear under more tarmac.
The Forum Meeting resolved to gather further evidence of examples from our Members around this issue. This post is therefore open to Comments and we ask Members to submit their experiences and specific examples here, as a Comment.