Roads, Paths and Bridleways
Listening to residents' concerns about roads, footpaths and bridleways, and escalating them within Hampshire County Council (HCC) so issues are prioritised and acted on.
Focus
Roads, footpaths and bridleways affect everyday life – getting to school safely, walking to the bus stop, and enjoying the countryside without blocked routes or broken gates.
Hampshire County Council (HCC) is responsible for this work. Our role is to listen to residents’ concerns, support you to get issues properly logged, and then escalate them within HCC and follow through until they’re dealt with. We work closely with our county councillor, Cllr Juliet Henderson, to raise issues with the right teams and keep residents updated on progress.
Roads (Hampshire Highways): We help residents get issues logged and escalated, including potholes and road surface repairs, road safety improvements (zebra crossings, school crossing patrols, traffic calming, A30 safety improvements), and road signs and markings.
Footpaths and Bridleways (HCC Countryside): We help get rights of way issues logged and followed through, including maintenance, accessibility, and access problems with stiles and gates.
What’s next
- Following up on pothole repair priorities and pushing for clear resurfacing schedules
- Making the case for increased investment in road maintenance and road safety improvements
- Pushing for zebra crossings, especially outside schools, and pressing for recruitment and retention of crossing patrols
- Pushing for A30 safety improvements, including crossings and lower speed limits
- Raising rights of way maintenance issues and working with HCC Countryside to resolve footpath and bridleway access problems
How to get involved
Report issues so they’re logged in the official system, then send us the HCC Track It reference number so we can escalate and follow through. Include the exact location (what3words is great), photos, and any detail that shows impact.
Roads: Report potholes, road safety concerns, locations where crossings are needed, junction concerns, faded signs and markings, and your experiences with A30 safety issues.
Footpaths and Bridleways: Report access issues, problems with stiles, gates, or path condition, and share HCC Track It reference numbers for rights of way issues.
Updates
Bulls Bushes Copse footpath restoration discussed at Parish Council
A resident who’d got in touch about footpath conditions in Bulls Bushes Copse came along to the Oakley and Deane Parish Council meeting to talk about it with councillors.
Following this, the Parish Council is now writing to the landowner to start a conversation and talk about restoration plans for the footpaths and rights of way affected by the logging work.
As I mentioned earlier, the woodland management plan review in 2027 is a good chance to continue these conversations. The parish council and community can work with the landowner on woodland management and public access.
Read more →Bulls Bushes Copse footpath restoration
A resident got in touch about footpath conditions in Bulls Bushes Copse after recent logging work, so I visited the site with them to see how things are.
Tracks from machinery have made some routes tricky to walk, especially when it’s wet. It’s affected both the official footpath and the permissive trail. We’re grateful to the landowner for allowing public access to these private woods.
I am working with Hampshire County Councillor Juliet Henderson and the HCC Countryside team to support the restoration work on footpaths and rights of way. I’ve also been in touch with Oakley and Deane Parish Council. I’ve asked the resident to visit the parish council so they can review the situation.
Read more →40mph signs at Newfound replaced
The faded 40mph signs on the B3480 at Newfound have been replaced by Hampshire County Council Highways. Clear signs make a real difference to road safety.
This work was completed after I’d been pressing Hampshire County Council Highways since April to replace the faded signs.
Read more →Poets Meadow footpath link to begin in December
A new footpath link connecting Poets Meadow with Footpath 736 is set to begin in December, led by a local resident, working with Hampshire County Councillor Juliet Henderson. This resident-led project is being delivered by Hampshire County Council’s Countryside Project Team.
The Countryside Project Team have advised that the footpath works will link the footway already constructed by the developer by culverting the ditch and surfacing over the top. The surface for both the connection and FP736 will be Hamer Warren, which is a compacted surface but not ‘bound’ like tarmac.
Read more →Making the A30 safer near the new school
Developers along the A30 have paid over £2 million to Hampshire County Council for highway improvements, including safer crossings.
A new traffic-light crossing is planned on the northeast side of the new roundabout, next to the southern entrance to the school grounds. It’s intended to follow national ‘Manual for Streets’ guidance. The two sides of the A30 sit at very different levels here, which makes good design and clear visibility even more important.
Read more →Slow the A30: we need new speed limits
The speed of traffic on the A30 needs slowing down. Homes are being built on both sides of the road, and people should be able to feel safe walking, crossing, and travelling through the area.
Hampshire Highways can act – they have the power to change the speed limits, and we want to see them do it. Alongside better crossings over the A30, lower speeds would make it much safer to reach the school, shops, and play areas.
Read more →Road safety outside schools remains a concern
Road safety is a concern, especially outside our local schools. In October 2024, I met with the County Council, our local County Councillor, and the Highways Cabinet Member outside the schools, pressing them to take action. I presented a list of highways issues that residents had raised and I’m continuing to pursue this.
Hampshire County Council have backed off cutting crossing patrol staff, but the local school crossing patrol officer has resigned. The County have surveyed the location and it “remains justified”. Applications for a new crossing patrol officer are open.
Read more →