Surrey Hills Byways Group Working To Keep Green Roads Open In The Surrey Hills

Published on: 20 Jul, 2017
Updated on: 24 Jul, 2017

Members of the Surrey Hills Byways Working Group are actively working to help protect green road and tracks open to all traffic in the Surrey Hills.

These trackways are known as BOATs (Byways Open To All Traffic) and are occasionally used by off-road vehicles being driven illegally, which in some cases can cause damage to barriers and historic boundary banks. At times there is conflict with other users such as walkers, cyclists and horse riders.

When off-road motorised vehicles are driven unlawfully or inconsiderately, they have a major impact on the environment and on the enjoyment of the Surrey Hills by others.

Illegal off-road escapades through the woods and commons of this designated area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) can create serious tension between landowners and users, especially when new tracks are carved out on private land.

The Surrey Hills Byways Working Group works to protect Byways Open to All Traffic.

The Surrey Hills Byways Working group works in partnership with responsible user organisations such as the Trail Riders Fellowship (TRF) to ensure the consequences are well understood.

One recent initiative of the group is the renewal of signage across BOATs in the Surrey Hills to inform users of the need to negotiate the tracks with care, to respect the rights of other users and to report unlawful activity to Surrey Police.

The chairman of the working group, David Wright, who is also a Guildford borough councillor, said “The Surrey Hills Byways Working Group consists of off-road enthusiasts, conservationists, landowners and the police.

“We work in partnership to protect BOATs in the Surrey Hills for all users. The latest edition of our signage has kindly been jointly funded and installed by the Trail Riders Fellowship. We hope it will continue to remind users of their responsibilities when enjoying the natural beauty of the Surrey Hills.”

Brian Cohen, Right of Way representative for the Trail Riders Fellowship, added: “The TRF encourages all members to respect the countryside and understand that green roads are valuable ancient routes, for all users. And to this end we are happy to have contributed to the funding and placement of the new signage, and continue to promote the shared and legal use of these green roads in a responsible manner, in partnership with the Surrey Hills AONB Board.”

For more information on the Surrey Hills Byways Working group visit http://www.surreyhills.org/board/off-road/.

Responses to Surrey Hills Byways Group Working To Keep Green Roads Open In The Surrey Hills

Frank Phillipson Reply

July 21, 2017 at 2:36 am

“These trackways are known as BOATs (Byways Open To All Traffic) and are occasionally used by off-road vehicles being driven illegally, which in some cases can cause damage to barriers and historic boundary banks”.

I’m not sure of the meaning of the above sentence but it isn’t illegal for off-road vehicles to drive on “BOAT”s that is why they are called “Byways Open To All Traffic”. This, of course should only be done in a sensible and responsible manner.

“In England & Wales, a Byway Open to All Traffic (BOAT) is a highway over which the public have a right of way for vehicular and all other kinds of traffic but which is used by the public mainly for the purposes for which footpaths and bridleways are used (i.e. walking, cycling or horse riding)”.

“Users of vehicles must ensure both themselves and their vehicle are road legal. This includes having a current licence, MOT, insurance, road tax and wearing any safety equipment (e.g. seat belt or helmet). Vehicle speeds on BOATs should be kept as low as possible. You should stop and switch off your vehicle for horse riders when meeting them”.

BOATs (formerly known as “A road used as public path (RUPP)) are marked on popular Ordnance Survey maps. It is illegal for off-road vehicles to drive on bridleways and footpaths or to create their own new tracks.
Dave Middleton Reply

July 22, 2017 at 11:47 am

Byways and RUPPs were not one and the same thing.

A RUPP may have been a private road that only the owner’s may drive vehicles along, but that the public may have had a right of way on foot.

A Road Used as Public Path (RUPP) was one of the three types of public right of way (along with footpaths and bridleways) introduced by the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949.

The Countryside Act 1968 required all highway authorities to reclassify RUPPs in their area – occasionally as public footpaths, but in practice generally as public bridleways, unless public vehicular rights were demonstrated to exist in which case it would become a ‘Byway Open to All Traffic.

This process was slow as it involved research into historic use, often required public enquiries and so was not completed by the time the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 was passed. This automatically reclassified all remaining RUPPs as ‘restricted byways’, which may not necessarily have public vehicular rights, on 2 May 2006.