Across England and Wales thousands of paths are severed by busy, fast roads with no safe place to cross.
Our publication 'Your Either Quick or Dead' lists many of the worst cases, where walkers, cyclists and horseriders must take huge risks to complete a journey on an affected public path.
Our work on safe crossings
It's crucial that crossing points for path users are included in the costing and scheduling of a new road scheme, because once a scheme is approved the responsibility to provide a safe crossing falls on local authorities, for whom a lack of funding can be a stumbling block. We've commissioned a guide to campaigning on the issue of safe crossings, which will be available to download free of charge in due course.
We continue to lobby the Highways Agency (the national body responsible for trunk roads) for safe crossings at existing danger points and policy change to ensure the needs of path users are automatically factored into the planning of new roads.
Our achievements so far
In 2002 we were instrumental in the announcement by the Highways Agency of a £250m programme which enabled safe-crossings to be provided at a number of notorious flash points - including a tunnel under the A404 at Bisham, Berkshire. Ramblers' volunteers' local campaigns have achieved the improvement of more than 52 crossings.
Contact Sarah Perry to find out more about this area of work.
