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| Introduction | Rationale | Extent | Information | News | Opportunities | Index |
| Increasing Access for All | Promoting Safety | Meeting Local Needs | Economic Development |
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Shiela Hardy, |
In the area of transport there has been a reluctance on the
part of many authorities to see the ridden horse as in need of
consideration. This is because, naturally enough, horse riding
is seen as a recreational pursuit and it is thought that the
needs of horse riders in the community are sufficiently addressed
in recreational policies. However, the normally fragmented nature
of the bridleways network in most areas, combined with the need
in any case to reach destinations lying close to or within built-up
areas, means that most riders have no alternative but to regularly
use the ordinary vehicular roads.
In the Government's 1999 White Paper, Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation, [1], the Government points out that road traffic accidents remain the biggest single cause of accidental death amongst children and young people. It says,
"Road traffic accidents are a principal cause of accidental death and injury. Across the whole population in 1997, 3,559 people were killed, 42,967 were seriously injured and 280,978 were slightly injured in road traffic accidents. "
Data collected by the British Horse Society [2] indicates that there are the equivalent of eight road accidents a day involving horses. In 'Tomorrow's Roads - Safer for Everyone' [3], the DETR published its road safety strategy. It includes new targets to reduce road casualties by 2010 and says that local authorities will have a key role to play in helping the Government achieve the targets.
The creation of the National Bridleroute Network will focus attention on the equestrian user of highways. The existence of DETR-approved road signs will encourage road engineers to take account of the horse in their routine work instead of regarding equestrians as users on bridleways or in the countryside.
The high profile nature of National Routes, and the local demand for Community Circuits, will encourage local authorities to make adequate provision for horses. Funding and development opportunities being pursued by the British Horse Society and others will help local authority resources go further in creating safer routes for riders.
1. Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation, Cm 4386, Jul 1999.
2. See, for example, Accident Report Form, British Horse Society.
3. Tomorrow's Roads - Safer for Everyone. DETR, 2000.
