The Lancashire Branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England

A Charter for Country Lanes

Country lanes are as much part of the fabric of the countryside as the hedges, fields and trees through which they pass. But country lanes are under siege from the increasing number of cars and lorries, speeding traffic and transport 'improvements'.

The Issue

While we rely on country lanes to get from A to B, their importance goes much father than simply offering a way to travel through the countryside. Country lanes often trace the ancient pathways, from pilgrim's routes to well-worn tracks to the market town. Bounded by banks, hedgerows and walls, they lead us over bridge and ford deep into the heart of the countryside.

Yet, traffic is growing more quickely in rural than urban areas and the increasing presence of cars and lorries - often travelling at high speeds - combines to steal away the safety and integrity of these rural routes. It does not take much traffic to change a country lane. Long before we see a traffic jam, the opportunities for people to walk, cycle or ride or let their children explore unaccompanied, will have gone. Rural communities find their villages shaken by lorry traffic and speeding cars can make it difficult to cross the road or to walk to the school or shop. And too often where traffic has increased, well-intentioned plans to tackle it, have resulted in traffic calming, lights,signs and bollards - generally more suited to an urban setting than the countryside.

Our Charter for Country Lanes identifies five key actions which we believe will help safeguard country lanes for the future and help create more liveable rural communities. These include:

new speed limits with better enforcement through policing and speed cameras to crack the speeding problem;
priority for walkers, cyclists and riders on designated lanes where motorists need to 'give way always';
greater flexibility for local authorities' traffic management schemes to avoid the need for road lighting, repeater signs and traffic calming clutter which often jar in a rural setting;
stronger planning controls to discourage inappropriate traffic-generating development in rural areas and strategic lorry networks to stop HGV's from 'rat-running';
and, new transport choice through better public transport and improved local services to reduce reliance on the car and encourage walking, cycling and riding, as well as helping those who cannot drive or do not own a car in rural areas.

Call for action...

The Government's Transport White Paper recognises the need for change and provides the foundation for effective action in the future. Our Charter for Country Lanes therefore calls on national and local Government to:

ensure lower speeds on country lanes and reduce the speed limit of 60mph to a maximum of 40mph, with 20mph limits in villages;
introduce a new 'category' of country lane where walkers, cyclists and riders would have priority over motorists, like Home Zones in urban areas;
allow different styles of traffic management schemes which suit the rural environment;
stop the spread of new developments which encourage traffic growth;
provide real transport choice in the countryside through better public transport and local services and by providing a safe environment for cycling, walking and riding.

We cannot turn back the clock and the car will continue to be one of the main ways of getting about in the countryside. But there is much that can be done to safeguard countrylanes for the future, to reduce the distress and danger caused by speeding traffic and to protect part of the historic fabric that makes the countryside what it is and what we value.

Join us in our call for action by supporting the Charter for Country Lanes.

We need widespread support for our Charter for Country Lanes. Please help us by sending your name, address and any organisation you might represent stating that you support the Charter for Country Lanes to:

'Charter for Country Lanes'
CPRE
Buckingham Palace Road
London
SW1P 0PP

Further information is available from:

The Transport Team
CPRE
Warwick House
25 Buckingham Palace Road
London
SW1W 0PP

Tel: (0171) 976 6433

Supported by:

CPRE
CTC
British Horse Society
The Ramblers
APRS
YDCW / CPRW
The pedestrians association

CPRE gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Nicholas Bacon Charitable Trust for our Charter for Country Lanes initiative.

For the purpose of this Charter, country lanes are defined as rural 'C' and unclassified roads.

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