We know this footpath in Brigg was there in the very early 1960s because we used it often as a child. It may well date back to the 1950s when the Springbank housing estate was being developed by Brigg Urban District Council.
The walkway runs from South View/Atkinson Avenue, between The Hawthorns (Brigg Town FC) and The Rec to East Parade/Central Square.
The surface is kept in very good order by North Lincolnshire Council for the benefit of folk on foot and also those pushing, or using, buggies.
However, we can't explain the absence of black and white metal No Cycling signs - once a feature at the entrances.
They were put up in the era of Brigg UDC, which rightly felt that cyclists travelling at speed might not mix well with pedestrians, especially where hedges block the view near several sharp corners.
Should No Cycling signs be re-introduced? Or, if the authorities are now happy for pedal power to share the path, could that be made clear to approaching riders?
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| Brigg Rec is behind the hedge on the left and Brigg Town FC is to the right of the path |
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| A picture we took last September showing the entrance where a No Cycling was once prominent. |
Perhaps it depends on the status of the footpath....is it a historical public path..existing before the Rec?...an old OS map will confirm, or perhaps, Tony Parker, our footpath warden could throw some light on the status.
ReplyDeleteBefore something is banned/becomes illegal, some sort of legal standing has to be accepted...ie a statue law, or locally, a bye-law established by the prevailing council.
As an aside, but relating to the issue involved, is the dilemma of cycling within the so-called pedestrian precinct in Brigg.
For a start, the signage is confusing - the sign near Cross St (Red X shop) indicates 'Cyclist dismount in the Market Place', which infers cycling is allowed down the 'pedestrianised' Wrawby St section.
For problematic cycling 'offences' to be enforced, there has to be some bye-law passed that has banned cycling....it justn't happen automatically if an authority decided to establish a traffic-free zone.
So does a Humberside bye-law exist?
Even if is does, signs would be helpful to indicate the basis on which a cyclist is contravening a law and therefore, making it an offence.
In addition, an established bye-law banning cycling has to include clauses indicating that children under the age of 15 are also banned from cycling in the restricted area.
This is not to be confused by the various laws banning/permitting cycling on road footpaths...cycle lanes should be covered by local bye-laws, while simple footpaths are covered by national/statute laws banning cyclists.
Finally, what exactly is the legal status of the pedestrian zone? It came into being with the opening of the so-called by-pass along Barnard Ave....but, as the route of the A18, the Ministry of Transport should have given permission to Humberside CC to close the road route thro' Brigg.
Public Notices should have been published in the Scunny Telegraph, but no-one appears to be able to show me the necessary legislation ...can anyone help?
The legal status of the pedestrian zone has to be established before proper enforcement of vehicles using the zone can be implemented....at the moment proposed enforcement seems to be involved in mist and mirrors....