HORSE riders from across Devon gathered at Sourton Parish Hall recently to hear an update on the fight to secure safe multi-use tracks and bridleways throughout the county.
The meeting, organised by South West Riders, was well-attended with all the available seating filled.
Chairman Chris Ingram reported that ?huge progress? had been made with Devon County Council in adopting a fairer and more balanced policy. But he said this still had to be translated into the multi-track ways becoming available in Devon as they were in practically every other county in Britain.
Mr Ingram said a vast amount of factual evidence had been collected and submitted by South West Riders to the local authority, showing there had been no serious accidents whatsoever between horses and riders and pedestrians on multi-use tracks.
He said this was also borne out by a recent report submitted to Devon County Council by researchers at Sheffield Hallam University and that earlier decisions based on this premise were without foundation.
He told the meeting he was particularly encouraged to see walkers and cyclists attending, proving once again that all three groups had a common interest in promoting multi-use tracks.
Press and publicity officer for South West Riders, Richard Leonard said: ?Over the last two years, our chairman and secretary have done huge amounts of work establishing an answerable case for widespread multi-use tracks and bridleways throughout Devon and Cornwall, and together with Sheffield Hallam have laid to rest once and for all the myth that multi-use tracks are unsafe.
?Devon County Council have listened carefully to what we have to say, but the time has now come to stop unfair discrimination, to treat horse riders equally with other users and to take positive action to come into line with the rest of the country in creating multi-use tracks throughout the county.?
South West Riders exists to promote safer riding for all by multi-use tracks and bridleways and safe crossing of busy roads by proper signage, rumble strips and increased awareness among both riders and motorists.