Local Cycling and Walking Improvement Plan. NFDOG's response

Hampshire County Council have been consulting on a new draft plan to guide development of recreation, specifically cycling and walking, over the next years. You can find out more here: Hampshire LCWIP launch.

The draft plan is very detailed, and NFDOG, responded to the consultation with general points: 

Walking in the New Forest is its greatest recreational use. Walkers accompanied by their dogs (dog walking), or in a professional walking setting, are the most significant subset of this, and possibly the largest single use. Forestry England estimates 10,000 dog walks are undertaken every day in the New Forest. 

The New Forest Dog Owners Group represents dog walkers, and is the largest single user group in the New Forest. 

Our key observation is that we believe the majority of dog walkers arrive by car, whether from elsewhere within the forest, its immediate surrounding or afar. Little in the LCWIP draft addresses car parking, which at the very least should be maintained at the current level. To help promote responsible access, and allow recreation users to behave appropriately, these car parks should (on a scale as at present) have basic facilities – route maps, waste disposal, toilets and so on. 

There are claims that some paths are overused. This is particularly so during the Ground Nesting Bird season when more people use fewer routes to avoid disturbance. We see no research that this concentration of walkers on some routes (and lack of use/absence of walkers on others) is related to the start/end point of walks, and therefore amenity car parks. We believe it is a key factor. 

By undertaking to keep this under consideration, and to at worst, maintain the current number of free car parks, at best to create new car parks allowing further access in less sensitive environments would be a proper addition.  

The LCWIP draft proposals seek to contribute to enhanced, balanced, and responsible access. We welcome attention to greater identification and signposting of routes. The draft also proposes new routes, though the emphasis does seem to be toward cyclists and not walkers, despite the latter being the larger group. The methodology for development of new recreational infrastructure isn’t all clear. But in the case of dog walkers, we identify that in the future whether combining paths, or creating new areas for access, most dog-walkers prefer circular routes making the walks more interesting for them and their companion(s) rather than repeating steps every walk.

Note: With acknowledgements for the picture to an entrant to the 2021 NFDOG Photo Competition.