Public Footpaths (England & Wales)

Footpath and Bridleway

Headline Messages:

There should be a presumption that cyclists should be able to use all rights of way in England and Wales, with exceptions only when there are overriding reasons not to allow this.
Cycling is legal on 22% of the Rights of Way (RoW) network in England and Wales . However, the legality of cycling on a RoW is not related to its suitability. There is no right to cycle on footpaths, even though many of them are perfectly suitable; whereas bridleways, which cyclists are allowed to use, may be unusable (see photo below). Creating a coherent, logical, off-road network for cyclists therefore requires a fundamental reform of RoW law and political will.
England has 146,000 km of public footpaths, and Wales over 26,000 km, most of them rural. If opened up to cyclists following Scotland’s example, cyclists would benefit from more choice for both leisure and utility travel.
Even within the current laws, there are many ways in which local authorities could open up more paths for both recreational and day-to-day cycling.

CTC View (formal statement of CTC's policy):

The public footpath network offers the only realistic option for providing significantly more off-road routes to meet current and future demands.
The Scottish Land Reform Act (2003) gave cyclists lawful access to most countryside in Scotland. The success of this legislation suggests that public footpaths could be similarly opened to cyclists as a simple remedy to overcome the lack of off-road routes for cyclists in England and Wales and as a way of tackling the network’s fragmented nature for cycling use.
Conflict on rights of way between cyclists and pedestrians is often more perceived than real. It can be mitigated by good design.
In suitable urban situations and where footpaths would form convenient links for cyclists, councils should seek to revoke cycling restrictions and prohibitions.
Councils should stringently assess the impact of ‘gating orders’ on cycling and prioritise alternatives where a public footpath forms a convenient through route.
There is good evidence, although no direct case law, to support the view that pushing a cycle on a footpath is not illegal. The presence of obstacles such as stiles should not be considered a deterrent to a footpath’s use by cyclists.

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Publication Date:

October 2012

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