The Ramblers - Derbyshire Dales Group

AREA FOOTPATH SECRETARY’S REPORT

The role of the Ramblers’ Area Committee is to influence the way that the Local Authorities manage our paths.  Individual path problems are mainly dealt with by the Group Footpath Secretaries. At Area level, we seek to influence the way the Highway Authority – in our case, Derbyshire County Council (DCC) – and the Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) work.  Our efforts over the last year have concentrated on two major issues: the management of off-roading by PDNPA and DCC; and the how DCC approach problems on the rights of way network. As usual, when dealing with bureaucracies, progress on both has been slow, but we are now seeing some “green shoots”.

Management of Off-Roading Routes:  There has been some progress on managing key off-roading routes for all users. For some time, we have been pressing DCC for a strategy to manage the use of public motor vehicles on unsurfaced rights of way.  We have also been pressing the PDNPA to take action on a number of critical routes in the National Park.  Working together, the PDNPA and DCC have identified 8 priority routes and are finalizing reports on how these routes should be managed. Options range from no-action needed, limited restrictions on time or direction of use, improvements to the surfaces or infrastructure, through to a complete ban. We do not know yet what the recommendations will be, but the reports are due to be discussed at the Peak District Local Access Forum in December.  Following this, a further 7 routes will be considered. We believe that this approach, once tested on these routes, should become the basis of a county-wide strategy for the management of off-roading.

The Silly Dale Public Inquiry identified nuisance to the public as a key factor in prohibiting motor vehicle use.  There has been a significant outcome to the second Public Inquiry into the status of Silly Dale, near Foolow.  The Inspector has decided that the routes in the dale are bridleways that cannot be used by public motor vehicles. He reached his conclusion after considering the evidence, submitted by local residents, of the nuisance to the public caused by motor vehicles in the Dale. In light of this evidence, he decided that previous use by motor vehicles could not be regarded as having raised a presumption that public motor vehicle rights existed over the route.

Maintenance of Rights of Way: The Council is developing a method to prioritise the maintenance of rights of way. Last year, in response to a Freedom of Information request from the Ramblers, DCC admitted that they did not have a process to prioritise their work on rights of way.  Since then, the Rights of Way section in DCC has been working on a “Rights of Way” Charter, which should go some way to meeting this need.  We expect the Charter to be presented to Council Members within the next couple of months.

If any Ramblers’ member wants to know more, or to comment on these issues, please contact me at Geof9241@yahoo.co.uk.

Geof Cole

[Front page] [Walks Programme] [Chairman] [New Membership Secretary] [Keswick weekend] [Lake District 2010] [Footpaths] [Volunteers Required] [Articles] [Dogs] [Derbyshire Area] [Area Chairman] [Area Secretary] [Area Treasurer] [Area Membership] [Area Publicity] [Area Footpaths] [Area Access] [Social events] [Committee] [Walking holiday] [Constitution] [Yahoo Group] [Links]