Fix rights of way problems online with new reporting tool

New technology means you can nowlet your fingers do the walking as theCounty Council launches a brand newonline tool to report damage and obstructions onBuckinghamshire’s 2,000 miles of public footpaths, bridleways and byways.

And afew taps on your smartphone or computeris all it takes tolog a problem on the new CAMs (Countryside Access Management) system.Walkers and horse riders canreportitems likebroken stiles, overgrown vegetation or fallen trees, damagedbridges or path surfaces or evendamaged or missing signposts and waymarks. Reports received can then be prioritised and dealt with as quickly as possible.

Not only will the system provide feedback on progress to the customer, it will also say if the problem has already been reported. The system also allows volunteersto sign up to help deal with reported problems.

Bill Chapple OBE, Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment, said it was all part of a drive to get defects and damage sorted outso people can make full use of the County’s rights of way.

“With such an extensive network of paths,bridleways and byways, this is probably the quickestway to let us know about issues. With each path number logged on the system, it’s easy for people to drop an electronic marker pin by the location of the problem on the detailedmaps provided. We can then take it from there and sort things out.

“We already have our Fix my Street service for issues on roads and pavements, so its great that we haveadded this bespoke system for all our rights of way,” Bill added. “We pride ourselves on the quality and usability of our entire network, and this exciting addition will make sure we can get reported problems dealt with as quickly as possible.”

The introduction of the new facility followed feedback from both the Buckinghamshire Local Access Forum and the Bucks Rights of Way Liaison Group who both suggested keeping customers more up-to-date andinformed about progress with rectifying problems.

The new reporting tool is available by clicking on: https://www.buckscc.gov.uk/services/environment/public-rights-of-way/report-a-rights-of-way-issue/or visit www.buckscc.gov.uk and search ‘rights of way’. To report an issue, you will need to log in and then select the ‘Report an issue’ menu item. If it is your first time, you will need to register.