A review of the Highway Code has been laid in parliament, and proposed changes could lead to safer roads for riders.
The government initially promised to review the Code in November 2018 in response to the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy Safety Review.
It launched a consultation on the amendments of the Code review in July 2020, which are specifically designed to benefit walkers, cyclists, and equestrians.
The British Horse Society (BHS) has been part of the Highway Code Stakeholders Focus Group to ensure that riders have been represented as vulnerable road users in the review of the Code consultation.
“Our Dead Slow campaign messaging about how to pass horses safely on the roads has been proposed, as well as reducing the advisory speed to pass a horse from 15mph to 10mph,” said a BHS spokesman.
“Also included is how to pass feral/semi feral horses on Exmoor, Dartmoor and the New Forest, and advice for equestrians to take the BHS Ride Safe award.”
Now the proposal has been laid to Parliament, the measures are subject to a 40-day approval process. If approved they will start to apply to road users at the end of January 2022.
Access update
The society said it was “disappointed” with the government’s announcement on 2 December surrounding the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme.
The scheme will only pay farmers to produce public goods such as water quality, biodiversity, animal health and welfare and climate change mitigation, and not to provide access.
This is despite the BHS and other user groups calling for the agricultural funding system to pay for new and better public access, statements from Ministers that access would be part of the scheme, and the NFU stating that “…farmers’ efforts to maintain, create or enhance public rights of way as part of a modern network should be rewarded as part of new Government farm funding schemes”.
The BHS said it would continue to lobby for access to be included in this scheme and the Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery schemes.
