TRF - The power of pictures

[nethen1]

In the days before you started trail riding, did you know what a B.O.A.T. meant? How many countryside users actually know that the track they are walking down is actually legally classified as a road? Do you think that if they knew, they may behave differently?


Hampshire County Council weren't convinced that everyone knew what a Byway sign stood for (riders included) so they decided to do something about it. Following the lead of their neighbours Surrey County Council, they worked with their local TRF group to produce clear signage that used pictures to illustrate who was allowed on the trail.

Over a period of three years, the council created the signs and gave them to the TRF along with locations marked on maps to go out and install. Here Tony Carter talks us through what happened.

Think this is a good idea? Why don't you share it with your local TRF Rights Of Way Officer and suggest a meeting with your local council?

Link to phone call here

BOAT-sign-04.jpg (104.88 KiB) Viewed 2315 times

[Paul-S]

Need that nationwide

Thanks for posting

[Gavinskii]

As stated this was an initiative kicked off by Surrey TRF and it certainly is something which we regularly used to educate our bobble hatted rambliar mates with their OS maps and walking sticks :whistle:

[ZX Raziel]

Many byways here are wrongly marked as " public footpath "

[nethen1]

So how / where would u start to introduce the same idea up north for instance ?

[Phil]

Many byways here are wrongly marked as " public footpath "

i agree. ive lost count of the amount of times ive entered a legal byway but the sign says "public footpath". all the problems between the different sets of country side users (walkers, bikes, horses e.t.c) is down to the council. If they sign posted the tracks correctly, people would then be properly informed. knowledge is power

[KEITH640]

They did a similar thing on the pilgrims way in Kent about 6 years ago wooden posts with wooden carving of a car a motorcycle a horse and ramblier I remember thinking then that all byways should be marked like this
Educate the public and dog walkers

[Old Git Ray]

It is a fair request, they changed the access rights virtually overnight and no one really knows who can go where.
It should be their responsibility to post proper sinage. Te expect people to go the to Government office to look at a map is a bit ridiculous.

Thanks for posting.

[bowber]

Lake District has this already, don't know how many of them are still up though, you can see a picture of a bike and 4x4 carved into the posts if you look. The also have boards with some rules or code of conduct on but I don't see many of them any more.

Steve

[Barnman]

So how / where would u start to introduce the same idea up north for instance ?

I can see the sense in the wider educational value of this, but I am curious Nethen. How many times have you come across other users on the lanes that have a problem in our area?

It's not something I have experienced much at all. And the ones I have, I suspect are not concerned that we are within our rights, they just don't believe we should have that right in the first place.