Bridleway Problems
Problems cannot be sorted out if no-one knows about them!
In an ideal world, responsible authorities and landowners would automatically
carry out whatever maintenance is required to keep bridleways open and useable.
In practice this is not the case and riders are in a unique position to notice
problems and report them. A problem identified early can often be rectified
with minimum cost, effort and inconvenience.
Some authorities carry out regular health checks on the bridleways for which
they are responsible. (WSCC inspect each bridleway once every 9mths. MSABG are
notified of when the inspections are to occur and our local reps are advised so
that they can link up with the ranger if they need to). Other authorities rely
on problems being reported to them, assuming that no reports means no problems!
(ESCC operates this way).
What To Do
You can report the problem to the Rights-of-Way office at the local council (or
other authority) in whose area the bridleway lies. View the
maps to obtain location details and then the
Maintenance Authorities for their contact details.
Alternatively, you can report the problem to
the Mid-Sussex Area Bridleways Group now. You can check whether your
problem has already been reported. Reporting the problem to MSABG enables
records to be kept. Major trouble spots can be identified and the number of
riders affected can be ascertained.
For the most part all authorities have insufficient Rights of Way funding to
maintain all bridleway to a good standard . Reports by members enables MSABG to
identify the most pressing problem areas. This information can then be fed into
the local Rights of Way works assessments.