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Horse rider calls for more road safety measures

George Carden / BBC Rory Leggett is pictured crossing the A284 near the stables where he works with his brown horse Badger. Both are wearing high vis clothing to be more visible.George Carden / BBC
Rory Leggett is campaigning for safer roads around Arundel

A horse rider is campaigning for more safety measures on the roads around Arundel after several near misses.

Rory Leggett, 29, said driver behaviour has declined in recent years and horses have even been clipped by wing mirrors when people get too close on the roads.

Mr Leggett, an instructor at Arundel Riding Centre, is calling for traffic calming measures on the A284 and A27 Arundel Bypass but is also hoping to raise awareness nationally.

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) said it was reviewing an application to reduce the speed limit along the A284, sited next to the riding centre.

'Nerve wracking'

The British Horse Society (BHS) revealed it had received 103 reports from riders about driver behaviour in Sussex last year.

Mr Leggett told BBC Radio Sussex: “People have been getting closer to us on the roads, there have been a lot of near misses. More than I can count.

“I have been slowly trying to get changes made to local roads in order to make them safer for horses, our customers, staff, pedestrians and cyclists.

“We have had some cases where a horse has been clipped by a wing mirror, my mother was nearly run over once, she had to jump out the way of a car.

"We’ve had vehicles try to squeeze between us and oncoming traffic. It can be quite nerve wracking sometimes.”

George Carden / BBC Rory Leggett holding his brown horse badger at their stable. Both Rory and Badger have high vis clothing on to make them more visible to carsGeorge Carden / BBC
Mr Leggett said there had been more near misses than he could count

Arundel Riding Centre was opened in 1960 by Mr Leggett's grandmother, Joy Leggett, before the current A27 route was built in the 1970s.

Plans for a new bypass were scrapped in July.

“We now have to go round roundabouts, across bridges, over roads including the A27 to try and get to our fields,” he said.

Last year, there were 3,383 incidents reported to the BHS nationally.

Of those reports, 66 horses were killed and 86 were injured, while three people were also killed and 94 injured.

George Carden / BBC The Ford Roundabout with vehicles going around it. The roundabout connects the A27 and A284 and has five exitsGeorge Carden / BBC
Riders from Arundel Riding Centre often cross the busy Ford Roundabout which connects the A27 and A284

Mr Leggett was awarded the BHA's Tarquin Trophy Award for equine road safety earlier this month.

Des Payne, safety team leader at BHS, said: “Given the back story of the Tarquin award, which is presented in tribute to 14-year-old Kate Powell and her horse Tarquin who were killed on a Sussex road in 1981, it is especially significant that Rory’s work is honoured.

“With nearly 3,400 equine-related road incidents recorded with the BHS last year, it is critical that we continue to support people like Rory, and the equestrian community, to drive even greater change.”

Inspector Ross Wickings, of Arun Neighbourhood Policing Team, urged people to report anti-social driving to Sussex Police or online via the Operation Crackdown website, in order that appropriate action could be taken.

“This includes a high visibility policing presence, enforcement action and partnership working to identify longer term solutions to the challenges our communities face,” he said.

WSCC said communities can apply for changes to roads through its community highway scheme.

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