Should small country roads have a 20mph speed limit? New guidance for rural routes
Active Travel England’s national rural design guide sets out suggested maximum speeds for certain types of country roads
Riders and bridleways should be part of the picture when councils are planning new routes – and shared country roads should have a 20mph speed limit.
Those are two of the headline recommendations from the new national rural design guide, which provides technical guidance on planning and designing routes and facilities in rural areas.
It was created by Government quango Active Travel England, and the British Horse Society (BHS) was among those to help shape it. Although local authorities are not legally bound to follow it, it sets out advice and “best practice” examples of “to help them provide high-quality active travel routes tailored to the unique requirements of villages, small market towns and the countryside”.
The first chapter of the 253-page guide states that although it is “not a comprehensive manual for designing equestrian routes, it recommends that, wherever possible, routes should be made accessible for horse riders, particularly where there are pre-existing equestrian routes”. In all, horses are referred to 84 times, and there are 36 mentions of bridleways.
It sets out when people should be separated from traffic, for example by having their own designated path, and also gives recommended maximum speed limits depending on how busy a shared road is.
The guide states that where pedestrians and cyclists share carriageways with motor vehicles, the volume of traffic should be no more than 1,000 vehicles per day (vpd), or 100 vehicles per hour (vph). On these roads, it adds that “actual traffic speeds should be no more than around 20mph, although speed limits are set by local highway authorities and should be based on local circumstances”.
“Similarly, low traffic speeds and volumes are desirable to create safe and comfortable conditions for equestrians sharing space with motor vehicles,” states the guide.
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“Where separate provision for people to walk and wheel has been provided and cyclists and equestrians are mixing with motor vehicles travelling at up to around 20mph, traffic volumes may be up to 2,500vpd or 250vph, but should desirably be less.”
It even considers how the width of off-road paths may need to be considered if they are shared by horse riders and people walking, wheeling and cycling, and that highway verges need to be wide enough to be safe for riders.
BHS director of access Mark Weston told H&H the charity is “really pleased” to see the new guidance.
“For many years, we've been calling for horse riders to be considered as part of active travel rather than being overlooked so this is a positive step in the right direction,” said Mr Weston.
“By giving local authorities clear guidance on how to include equestrians when planning new active travel routes in rural areas, we hope to see more routes that are safer, more connected and accessible for everyone who uses them.”
He added: "We also welcome the recognition of the role that 20mph speed limits can play in improving road safety. Anything that helps reduce the number of horses, riders and carriage drivers being killed or injured on our roads is a step forward, and we look forward to continuing to work with partners to make Britain's roads and off-road networks safer for all."
“Anything that helps reduce the number of horses, riders and carriage drivers being killed or injured on our roads is a step forward”
Mark Weston, BHS
Countryside Alliance chief executive Tim Bonner raised concerns over the “huge impact” a “blanket 20mph limit on rural lanes” would have on rural communities.
“Given that every country lane will have someone walking or riding a bike (or horse) along it at some time or another the guidance is essentially recommending a 20mph limit on all country lanes,” he said.
“The guidance is run through with assumptions and ignorance and has a complete lack of any consideration of the interests of rural communities.”
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.