‘Uproar’ at plan to restrict roads use

There has been anger at moves quietly under way to close roads in isolated Herefordshire spots to traffic.

Retired Kington resident Chris Marsden, a member of the county’s Local Access Forum (LAF) which monitors its public rights of way network, said a plan by Herefordshire Council to exclude traffic from seven minor roads in the county had caused “uproar” at a recent forum meeting.

They are the unclassified Quebb Lane south of Kington; the CP32 byway, Westhope; the BKR14 byway, Peartree Green southeast of Fownhope; Macadams Lane between Llangrove and Whitchurch; Spoon Lane, Dorstone; Byway HM14, Hope Mansell; and bridleway SK14, Peterstow.

The consultation on a planned traffic regulation order (TRO) covering the seven says they “are too narrow for motorised vehicles to use safely and are only suitable for pedestrians and horse riders”.

But Mr Marsden said they “are not over-used or damaged by public vehicle use, and no accidents have been recorded on them”.

“It appears to be to save money and to avoid enforcing against obstructors,” leaving them “as publicly maintained private driveways to large properties”, he added.

He accused the council of putting a power (to restrict roads) ahead of a duty (to maintain them for all users), adding that “without use, they get severely overgrown”.

The county’s cabinet member for transport Coun Philip Price replied that the council “does not intend to close or stop up these routes”, and is “currently at the very first step of the process” to restrict their use.

Mr Marsden then told a meeting of councillors that maintaining the roads would be “very low-cost” compared to the “very substantial cost” of consulting on restricting their use, which senior council managers appeared unaware of.

Coun Justine Peberdy, also a LAF member, agreed that “we need to spend money on improving our networks and on carrying out enforcement, not on costly TROs to restrict public access”.

And Coun Roger Highfield said the council “has a duty to maintain access to the country, including its unmade roads” – yet the TPO move showed “there is serious consideration to closing some of them on what appear to be spurious grounds”.

Coun Price said there was “nothing untoward going on” with the exercise.

But council leader Jonathan Lester said there was “work to do to make sure we are enforcing where we should, opening paths where we should, and protecting the safety of those who use our public rights of way” – which he would report back on.