All public rights of way are highways, which you are entitled to use at any time. Rights of way are classified according to the nature of their use. There are four categories of rights of way.
Footpath
Marked with a yellow arrow and should be used by the public on foot only.
Bridleway
Marked with a blue arrow and may be used by the public on foot, cycle or on horseback.
Byway Open To All Traffic (BOAT)
Marked with a red arrow and are available for use on foot, cycle, on horseback and motorised vehicle.
Restricted Byways
Available to users on foot, cycle, horseback and carriage drivers but not to mechanically propelled vehicles.
(Restricted Byway replaces RUPPS - Roads used as a public path through the countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.)
Most rights of way run across privately owned land and the responsibility for looking after rights of way rests with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, as highway authority, although the landowner or farmer has obligations as well.
Public rights of way should always be free from obstructions and cannot be built on unless a legal order is confirmed to divert the route to a new line. Routes that are rarely used are not lost and always remain protected.