Can I legally put signs up on the council-owned grass verges by the road?

[Elsiecat]

Sick of ringing the council up, being told they will put horse signs up. Horse signs never happening. They then come up with a reason. Usually that there isn't enough horses locally to warrant it (theres easily about 100 within a 2.5 mile radius) or they don't have room in the budget.

Today we could hear the car coming, the worst part was having to wait for it to come. Horses wouldn't go on bankings and we didn't have the time to jump off to drag them on. He came flying round the corner in his bl**dy boy racer car so fast that when he slammed on he skidded sideways and the car turned on itself slightly, there was a burning smell in the air and he stopped less than a metre from the boys back end.
Luckily the good boy didn't flinch a muscle! (So proud of him!!!!). But if we'd had been a metre behind that would have been it - for the boy, the boy's rider and the stupid driver!

Anyway the driver didn't even stop to apologise or acknowledge that anything had happened. He didn't even seem bothered!! I've rang the police and logged the incident.

Sorry got a bit off topic there but my nerves are all over the place and I can't stop shaking.

Basically, we are wondering, if we're to make maybe 6 signs ourselves, could we put them on the council owned grass verges along the side of the roads?

I'm inclined to do it whether its legal or not at the moment because they really don't seem to care enough to do anything themselves.

OR would you be inclined to get a bit of a petition going from horse-owners and local people etc? And include in the petition a rough total of how many horses there are locally? Nearly every horse owner has to use this road to access the bridle paths.

 

[AprilBlossom]

If you're that frightened riding along such a dangerous road, stop riding on it?

 

[cbmcts]

I'm pretty sure that you're not meant too but tbh I think that I'd do it anyway!

What's the worse than can happen - the council comes and takes them down?

 

[AprilBlossom]

Sorry, just seen edit

 

[Elsiecat]

Deleted as DB realised what I meant haha

 

[Fii]

No it wont be legal, but i would do it any way!!

 

[henryhorn]

Write to your MP asking for help, council's hate MP's getting involved.
I think you could get fined for signs, though by the sound of things you need some..

 

[Fjord]

Im glad you are bith unscathed. Can you contact the local paper? They may run a story on it which would at least raise awareness.

 

[Elsiecat]

Thanks for the suggestions. Really need to do something. Firstly to slow down the causes but also to make the council listen.
The roads a 60 but people treat it like Brands Hatch. You get some idiots skidding round the corner in new cars etc.
9/10 are really considerate. But it's the 1/10 that we need to do something about.

Sat in bed shaking at the moment. Really need to do something instead of sitting round talking about it

 

[Singing Dawg]

I pass a yard on the way to my field which has put two signs up at either end of the road their boundary is on. As you approach it reads "please slow down for horses" and as you leave their stretch of road the back of the sign reads" thank you for slowing down". Or words to that effect. Simple cheap and effective. Sod the council if you want something done do it yourself!

 

[Marchtime]

Why are you riding your horse down a road with a 60mph speed limit (and if I understand correctly from your post a blind bend!)? I think therein lies your problem, and a sign warning that there might be horses is not going to make a large amount of difference.

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

Unless there have been lots of serious accidents, councils will generally only allow the signs where horses cross the road rather than them just going along it.

Traffic calming or a 'twentys plenty' local zone might have more effect than a homemade sign.

But I would put the sign up any way, that way if/when they make you take it down you can create lots of noise about the danger etc in local papers etc.

I would also suggest getting involved in your local access forum, every council has to have one and they can look at the issue 'in the round' and it has more of a say as they have to be consulted on any highways proposals.

 

[Elsiecat]

Why are you riding your horse down a road with a 60mph speed limit (and if I understand correctly from your post a blind bend!)? I think therein lies your problem, and a sign warning that there might be horses is not going to make a large amount of difference.

Nearly every road apart from the ones right through the villages are 60mph where I live. Nearly every rural road is national speed limit.
And no it wasn't a blind bend, it was only a slight bend, he was just going that fast that he had really slow reactions.

 

[indie999]

Why are you riding your horse down a road with a 60mph speed limit (and if I understand correctly from your post a blind bend!)? I think therein lies your problem, and a sign warning that there might be horses is not going to make a large amount of difference.

To get anywhere in our village you go along an A road which in our village is 30mph but no one sticks to that speed. Apparently I was informed by our local PCSO that speeding on roads is the biggest public complaint. But guess what they dont have the manpower to have the mobile camera out and to get a fixed camera we have to have deaths. All the deaths have occured just out of the village. But even 30mph they speed.. I have nearly been hit up the jacksy by speeding motorists whilst out on horse. 20/30/60 driving like a maniac and yes our 60mph country road has blind bends and you cant do 60 on those bends but clearly people try.

As to the signs I think you will get into bother but your local MP local support to get the signs may be the way forward. No one has any money these days(thats their excuse). Hope you get it sorted out. Quietly put signs up in middle of night perhaps!

 

[Marchtime]

Nearly every road apart from the ones right through the villages are 60mph where I live. Nearly every rural road is national speed limit.
And no it wasn't a blind bend, it was only a slight bend, he was just going that fast that he had really slow reactions.

Fair enough, apologies for reading wrongly about the bend. As well as looking at signs you could talk to the council about improving the verges. Round here on the only 60mph road the verges are kept well trimmed to allow riders to use them.

 

[YorksG]

The council may well make you take them down, as they may decide that the signs themselves are a hazard. Keep logging the near misses with the police, as this will then start to show on the stats, also agree with joing the local access group, the more voices there are the better.

 

[Elsiecat]

The council may well make you take them down, as they may decide that the signs themselves are a hazard.

Hadn't even thought of it from this perspective.

Person-I-was-riding-with's brother works for the council so she's going to pick his brains on what the best way to tackle it may be.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I really like the idea of having the "please slow down for horse" and then the "thanks for slowing down for the horses" signs.

 

[mandwhy]

That sounds scary I hope you are not too shaken!

I like that idea from singing dawg. A bit like 'welcome to xx. Please drive carefully'.

Sadly I am not sure such boy racers would take much notice of horse signs anyway, but anything to improve visibility or traffic calming would help, and plenty of hi vis!

 

[POLLDARK]

I think you are allowed to put a sign inside an owned boundary, ie a farmers field (not on the verge) & so perhaps you could make the sign a little bigger than the normal sign so that it's easily visible from the road. Might help. Also I have seen mock ups of speed cameras & even a painted cutout, life size policeman with a speedgun ! Both were mounted in peoples gardens & would fool someone going too fast. Keep safe, it's dangerous out there.

 

[meandmyself]

I doubt signs would help. If they're driving like idiots, they're going to do it regardless.

Glad you were okay today.

Can I ask what colour high viz you had on though? Read a study somewhere that pink is most effective but I usually spot the yellow first.

 

[guido16]

I thought that if you put "mobile" signs up it was ok, ie in a wheelbarrow, as long as they weren't permanent.

Could be wrong though.

Anyway, I would out a sign up saying, "for the 1% of inconsiderate drivers, if my horse lands on your car, you will lose"

The council won't know who put it up.

 

[Elsiecat]

I doubt signs would help. If they're driving like idiots, they're going to do it regardless.

Glad you were okay today.

Can I ask what colour high viz you had on though? Read a study somewhere that pink is most effective but I usually spot the yellow first.

Green.
I always spot orange first myself!! So glad we were out dressed up like Christmas Trees, I dread to think what could/would have happened if not

 

[Elsiecat]

We suspect we may know who this person is. If it is the same person, he is 18-ish and has already written off 5 or 6 cars but the bank of mum and dad keep replacing them. Insurance prices aren't an issue when you have their money.

I just hope he doesn't kill himself. Stupid parents, why replace them when he clearly hasn't got the brains to handle a car?


Hope it isn't him but quite a few people seem to think he has the car in question.

 

[meandmyself]

Green.
I always spot orange first myself!! So glad we were out dressed up like Christmas Trees, I dread to think what could/would have happened if not

The tennis ball colour? (I call it yellow!)

Really glad you were okay.

I think all you can do is keep reporting the idiots. Maybe try your local paper? They might be interested in running a story.

 

[meandmyself]

We suspect we may know who this person is. If it is the same person, he is 18-ish and has already written off 5 or 6 cars but the bank of mum and dad keep replacing them. Insurance prices aren't an issue when you have their money.

I just hope he doesn't kill himself. Stupid parents, why replace them when he clearly hasn't got the brains to handle a car?


Hope it isn't him but quite a few people seem to think he has the car in question.

I'd be tempted to post an unsigned letter to mummy and daddy letting them know how close he came to killing you!

 

[Elsiecat]

The tennis ball colour? (I call it yellow!)

Really glad you were okay.

I think all you can do is keep reporting the idiots. Maybe try your local paper? They might be interested in running a story.

Haha! 'Tennis ball' colour

Really proud of the boy though. He was at the back and the one that would have been on the bonnet. He's only 5, only been out of racing training for 2 months. Only brought back into work yesterday and second time out today. He really is what you call bombproof!

 

[Elsiecat]

I'd be tempted to post an unsigned letter to mummy and daddy letting them know how close he came to killing you!

If we can confirm the car was definitely him then we will be doing so.
Don't want to point the finger unless we know for definite!

 

[Fransurrey]

There's a lane round here with SLOW! HORSES! signs. They're all the way along it and as far as I know none have been taken down. All the lanes around here are unrestricted, too. Even through the village it's officially 60, despite it being a mecca for mountain bikers, walkers and heavily populated with horses. Madness!

 

[mirage]

How scarey,your boy sounds a star though!

Might be worth checking the council actually own the verges.My dad had a letter from the council asking him to trim the verges adjacent to his land.He replied saying that as far as he knew it was their land and their responsibility.He then got a letter saying that he owned and was responsible for the side of the road up to the white centre line.He responded by stating that if that was the case,the council owed him 40 years of wayleave rent for having their signs on 'his' land for all that time.He never heard another thing after that.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

 

[Ibblebibble]

from my experience the signs don't make the slightest bit of difference there used to be a riding school up from the farm where i used to livery, so there were signs on the 3 approach roads. As far as i can see it did nothing to slow drivers down on the long straight national speed limit lane