Rights of Way Improvement Plan

Section 60 of the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act 2000 placed a duty on the City Council to publish a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP) by November 2007. The ROWIP is intended to provide a strategic plan for improving the “local rights of way network” taking into account the needs and aspirations of all types of users regardless of their mobility. The “local rights of way network” includes; all footpaths, cycleways, bridleways, canal towpaths, riverside walkways, greenways and any other path or track that is an “off-road” route and is not part a vehicular road/carriageway.

The ROWIP was approved by Full Council at their meeting on the 15th October 2007. This means that polices within the ROWIP must be considered as part of the ongoing improvement of the local rights of way network and whenever changes to the network are proposed, for example changes that occur from planning, development and land use change.

Motorcycle BarrierDemonstration Event at Silverdale Walk

In Nottingham, public footpaths, bridleways, cyclepaths and other public places suffer abuse from unauthorised vehicles (consisting mainly of off-road motorcycles, quad bikes and more recently the “Mini Moto”). These machines cause safety concerns for local residents and users of the path network and open space network. To try and address these concerns the City Council have introduced restrictive barriers on access points at known hot spots. Although the barriers have been reasonably successful they also compromise, and in some cases actually deter, legitimate users of mobility chairs, pedal cycles and people using double buggy prams and push chairs. The Council have been both praised by residents suffering from the use of these unauthorised vehicles and at the same time criticised by some user groups for being reactive as opposed to proactive in trying to tackle the problem.

As part of the preparation of polices within the ROWIP a user consultation event was carried out where different types of user (walkers, cyclists and less able / mobility aid users) were invited along and asked what they thought of three different types of barrier in terms of their “ease of use” and their ability to negotiate a particular design of barrier. The ease of use would be considered against how effective a particular barrier was for deterring the motorcycles. The information from this would help inform a policy for the future use of barriers, bollards and other obstructions on public highways.

Rights of Way Improvement Plan