§ Mr. MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many miles of(a) footpaths and (b) bridleways in England and Wales are not fully open or easily negotiable according to Countryside Commission criteria. [73967]
§ Mr. MeacherIn a national rights of way condition survey carried out in England in 1994 by the Countryside Commission, walkers found that 25 per cent. of footpaths 623W and 18 per cent. of bridleways were poor or unusable at some point on their length. Horse riders and cyclists found that 25 per cent. of bridleways were difficult to use. 25 per cent. of footpaths equates to about 20,500 miles, and 25 per cent. of bridleways represents about 4,600 miles.
Wales has a total of 24,850 miles of rights of way. Between 1992 and 1998, 7,215 miles were surveyed and it was found that 23 per cent. of footpaths were blocked or difficult to use. This equates to 5,716 miles of the total. No comparable figures are available for bridleways due to the statistically small proportion surveyed.