P-05-774 Pass Wide and Slow Wales
P-05-774 Pass Wide and Slow Wales
This
petition was submitted by Jocelle Lovell, having collected 723 signatures
online and 1,032 on paper – a total of 1,755 signatures.
Petition text:
We call on the National Assembly for Wales to urge
the Welsh Government to implement an annual ‘public education’ road safety
campaign to educate all road users how to pass horses and riders safely, and
one that highlights the dangers/consequences of not doing so. We are aware of,
and support, a UK wide petition that is campaigning to make it law to pass
horses wide and slow
(https://www.change.org/p/uk-govt-make-it-law-to-pass-by-a-horse-wide-and-slow-and-abide-by-our-hand-signals),
but would prefer to see education and prevention rather than prosecution after
a serious or fatal incident had occurred. Welsh Government has the opportunity
to capitalise on the materials and information already available from existing
campaigns such as; the British Horse Society’s road safety campaign Dead Slow
(http://www.bhs.org.uk/safety-and-accidents/dead-slow), whilst emphasising
particular issues facing Welsh road users. These include the close links
between urban and rural communities in Wales, and the popularity of Wales as a
tourist destination. In more urban communities (e.g. the commuter belt around
Cardiff), there is a volume of traffic using country lanes, either as a short
cut or main access route. In other parts of Wales (e.g. Carmarthen and Pembrokeshire)
there is an annual influx of
holidaymakers with little experience of encountering
horses on the roads. All we ask is that drivers, recognise horse riders as
vulnerable road users, and be more considerate when passing horses. We feel the
best approach to achieving this is by the Welsh Government taking a lead, in
line with their commitment to 'Work with representatives of the horse riding
community to understand their road safety concerns and facilitate engagement
with other partners.' (Welsh Government Road Safety Framework (July 2013)).
Additional
information:
The British Horse Society (BHS) estimates the
economic value of the horse industries across the UK to be worth £7 billion,
and to employ 220,000 – 270,000 people. This, alongside, the health and
wellbeing benefits associated with horse riding make it an important part of
Welsh life. But, increasingly, if feels that the voice of equestrians is not
being heard. Many equestrians would rather not ride on public highways, but as
the availability of accessible bridleways varies across Wales, we often have
little choice. Welsh Governments Road Safety Framework (July 2013) recognises
that horses and their riders (as well as carriage drivers) are vulnerable on
the road network, and that a collision between a horse and a vehicle can have
life threatening consequences for the horse, rider and those in a vehicle. It
also states that there is evidence to suggest that the number of road traffic
collisions involving horses is underreported. As the number of new houses being
built in rural/semi rural locations increases, it brings with it an increase in
the volume of traffic, on country roads that are frequently used by farm
machinery, horses and riders. Many drivers, new and experienced, are often
unaware of the potential dangers of driving fast on these roads, and many do
not know how to pass horses safely. Just because the legal speed limit on these
roads is 60, does not mean it is safe to drive at that speed. Furthermore,
evidence from the BHS (http://www.bhs.org.uk/our-charity/press-centre/news/jan-to-jun-2016/riding-and-road-safety-campaign)
shows that there is an increase of incidents involving horses, riders and motor
vehicles in June. Although the reasons for this increase remain unclear, there
is a potential correlation with holidaymakers driving on unfamiliar roads in
unfamiliar circumstances.
Petitioners
handing the petition over to the Committee
Status
This petition was
considered completed by the Petitions Committee at its meeting on 16/03/2021.
The petition was closed
as part of a review of all petitions currently under consideration at the
Petitions Committee's final meeting of the Fifth Senedd, in light of the
upcoming election and the consideration given to this issue to date.
Full details of the
consideration of this petition by the Committee and related documents can be
seen on the Meetings tab above.
It
was first considered by the Petitions Committee on 03/10/2017.
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- South Wales Central
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Business type: Petition
Reason considered: Senedd Business;
Status: Complete
First published: 11/09/2017