Over 2.5 million people ride a horse at least once each year in Great Britain, and horse riders have a right to use the road safely. The consultation stage of the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy ended on 23rd May 2016, whilst I was still Secretary of State for Transport. The Government is now considering the responses to the consultation.
While the Strategy does not mention horse riders in its title, the plans will also benefit horse riders. For instance, we plan to invest £100 million to cycle-proof the strategic road network and reduce any severance from new roads schemes by enhancing access for a variety of users including, horse riders. More widely, between now and 2021, Highways England has a £150 million fund to develop a programme of initiatives to improve the safety of the strategic road network and to also improve facilities for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders.
We are taking other steps to improve provisions for horse riders. For instance, the Paths for Communities (P4C) scheme encouraged communities to create multi-use paths, allowing use by walkers, cyclists and horse riders, which resulted in 55km of new bridleways.
By Patrick McLoughlin on November 17, 2016