Campaign to prevent rural routes & footpaths vanishing

Apologies if this has been posted before, I couldn’t find it but that’s not to say it doesn’t exist.

The first pop-up is asking for donations, but you can click past that to read the issue. They need another 5,000 signatures… An emotive issue for me as our neighbour, the local farmer is trying to buy 100 metres of footpath that would make it easier for him to get his cows to the milking parlour, and stop walkers going past his house (at a distance of over 100metres!) but totally block sections of two footpaths and require a significant uphill detour to get back onto them.

I’m so glad to see this… trying to explain to various local folk, why we should keep such chemins for public use… has been driving me insane recently…

I’ve had a go, but obviously not used the correct French phrases… and here they are in black and white… :hugs:

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What annoys me is the use of quads on chemins. There was a lovely walk through our nearby woods. Now it’s almost impassable in the winter due to the huge troughs caused by quad bikes. My neighbour used to ride her horse up that way but now the flat part between the wheel ruts isn’t wide enough for the horse to put it’s feet. In the winter the rain makes the troughs deeper and more dangerous and in summer when the mud bakes hard it’s easy to twist your ankle. Complaints to the mayor merely result in him saying-the chemins are for everyone ( he’s a quad biker himself). But unfortunately they’re not for everyone now-walkers just about manage but horse riders and VTT riders find it un-usable. A neighbour who’s French is good has also written to the prefecture but no joy.

Mmm… yes, it is difficult since blocking usage of the chemins goes against the grain.

But, I wonder if photographic evidence of the damage to the chemin… and pressing the likelihood of personal injury to walkers/horseriders… might make the Mairie keep the chemins in good nick… or even designate some specifically for walkers/horses

I’m fighting my own battle with quads… up the Mairie this morning… and the Maire has promised to put some signs up so they know they should be doing 30kh through the village… (they come in using a ruelle which has no signs, since it is normally only foot traffic… :upside_down_face:)

There are footpaths where quads are not allowed…I think you might have to dig a bit deeper to see whether controls can be put in place and propose it to your local conseil municipal.

Our Mairie did “close” a chemin to quads about 10 years go… they were disturbing the livestock or something like that… it was no easy matter though.

Anyway, the farmer has since changed the usage and now there is no good reason to stop the quads… which is why they are gradually rediscovering our sleepy village and chemins… grrrrrr.

Is it possible, the woodland has some wildlife which the Chasse would like to remain undisturbed ??? :thinking::upside_down_face:

Are you suggesting that “La Chasse” might have a purpose?

La Chasse are often grateful that folk leave a section of woodland/field/whatever, more or less untouched/undisturbed… since this is beneficial to wildlife.

My suggestion was made in the thought that … perhaps… as the Maire does not sound impartial… find a suggestion which might appeal to him/her… :upside_down_face::thinking:

Is the Maire also a member of La Chasse… or does La Chasse have influential friends… in high places…

Perhaps someone can discover a rare species of flora or fauna… or both … that might help…