Public Rights of Way Condition Survey
Like all Highway Authorities, Lincolnshire County Council is required to carry out an annual survey to establish the overall accessibility, or ease of use of the rights of way network that it is responsible for.
Ease of use means:
- Sign-posted or way-marked where the route joins the road.
- Free from unlawful obstructions and other interference.
- Surface and lawful barriers (e.g. stiles and gates) in good repair.
The County Council manages 4000 km of public rights of way. 10% (400km) of the entire network is surveyed each year - 5% in May and 5% in November. Completing the survey in two parts takes account of the differing conditions brought about by the cycle of the seasons, ie overgrown paths in May and surface condition in November.
A summary of the survey results in Lincolnshire for the last few years can be seen below:
Year of Survey | % of Network Easy to Use |
|---|---|
| 2000 (5% sample surveyed) | 37.70% |
| 2001 (5% sample surveyed) | 59.06% |
| 2002 (5% sample surveyed) | 57.80% |
| 2003 (5% sample surveyed) | 64.50% |
| 2004 (5% sample surveyed) | 59.82% |
| 2005 (10% sample surveyed) | 75.02% |
| 2006 (10% sample surveyed) | 73.01% |
| 2007 (10% sample surveyed) | 69.65% |
| 2008 (10% sample surveyed) | 68.68% |
| 2009 (10% sample surveyed) | 74.43% |
| 2010 (10% sample surveyed) | 74.51% |
| 2011 (10% sample surveyed) | 77.25% |
The improvement of the network so far can be attributed to the increase in resources that have been made available to public rights of way in Lincolnshire and the hard work of Public Rights of Way Officers. It is our long term ambition to deliver a public rights of way network that is on a par with that of the top performing Authorities, and also to provide one that the people of Lincolnshire deserve and feel confident to use.
