MARIO - Maps And Related Information Online
(the formal definition of path status in LCC)
I do not have a precise date in my records as to when MARIO started, but it is thought to be in the early 90s. At that time Lancashire County Council decided that it would like a web-based system that showed the details of the various services it was responsible for on a computerised system. The result was the creation of MARIO.
MARIO was initially intended for internal staff use within LCC. It was soon realised that some of this information would be useful to the public, so some datasets were included in a version that was made available for public use, which included footpath and highways information. It was regarded as a semi user friendly system, for if you continued to use it you realised that it was a very good source of information. In correspondence with staff at LCC and the occasional screen dump that they have supplied, it is evident that their system is more extensive.
The initial system had maps at a variety of scales and I used maps ranging from 1:1,000 to 1:25,000 (OS Explorer Series Maps). This worked well for a number of years, but austerity in local government started in 2010. I cannot say precisely what happened but the maps at a scale of 1:25,000 disappeared from MARIO, which was possibly an attempt to save money by having fewer licences. Maps on MARIO were then available between the scales of 1:1,000 and 1:10,000, which from a footpath secretaries point of view were still useful for checking the details of a footpath.
Then further problems were noticed with the maps. For instance, the Broughton Bypass which was provided in 2017 was not shown at a scale of 1:5,000 or 1:10,000, but was shown at a scale of 1:1,000. This issue also affected many new housing estates.
LCC decided that an improvement was needed to MARIO and looked at various options. It decided to use a system in conjunction with ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute) who are a company with headquarters in California, with its UK operations based at Aylesbury. A new version of MARIO was provided in 2022, with its web address being – https://mario-lancashirecc.hub.arcgis.com/
The revamped MARIO restored the 1:25,000 maps and showed the likes of the Broughton Bypass at all scales. Most users found the new system to be good, but a few members have remarked that they preferred MARIO the way it use to work.
On opening MARIO a search box is to be seen at the top left hand corner, into which a variety of things can be entered. To search for a grid reference, you need to enter the full grid reference. For instance, if you enter SD56472581 and enter, it will than show Bamber Bridge Railway Station. Alternatively for a six figure reference enter SD565258, which will show a location near the Railway Station.
Near the top right is the symbol for map categories, which looks like three squares, these being in a vertical arrangement. On clicking on this you will be offered a list of options, then pick ‘Environment’. This will produce another list of options which includes ‘Public Rights of Way’. On clicking this a series of purple lines will appear, which are the pubic footpaths. If using the previous quoted grid reference, you may possibly have to scroll to the east to see a public footpath.
When zoomed in the footpaths will have a label like ‘0702051’. The first two character ‘07’ indicates which local government district you are in, with the ‘07’ in this instance meaning that it is in South Ribble District. The middle two characters of ‘02’ indicates which parish you are in, so ‘0702’ indicates that this is in Walton le Dale. The last bit of ‘051’ indicates that this is public footpath number 51 in the parish of Walton le Dale. This is useful information for those members who are concerned with the detail of public footpaths.
If you click on a purple line, a pop-up box will appear showing details of the footpath. If the footpath is not shown by a purple line, then the legend will show the other categories that are being used on the system.
Presently LCC’s preferred way of receiving a report about a footpath issue is for the public to send an email to
When making a report about a local footpath it is recommended that you keep of record of what has been reported in a spreadsheet, which should include – date, parish, path number, grid reference (preferably 8 digits), and what was observed. Please also include details of any response you receive from LCC, including any reference numbers. If after a few months (suggest nine months) the issue has not been progressed then inform the footpath secretary of the group concerned.
If you do not know the contact details of your group, then report it to the Mid Lancs Area - https://www.lancashire-ramblers.org.uk/
David Kelly
Jan 23