interested to hear peoples views on how safe the bristol/bath cycle track is these days

i have been riding it for years and only had bother once from a group of chavs who liked the look of my bike.

One sat on a bench about 200m in front of his mates – he then just shouted when he seen my bike – two of his mates jumped out from a bush further up and tried to hit me off by launching bricks at me. As soon as i heard that shout i was flat out – luckily they only hit the bike and not me.

These days there seem to be alot more people riding at rush hour which makes it feel alot safer.

However i can see how you could get in trouble riding it late evening with no one around other than ASBO’s

the council have stuck CCTV along bandit land now (easton – whitehall) but that was only after it got really bad a couple of years ago with the baseball bat crew and that nutter that went on a stabbing spree.

its a sorry state of affairs if you ask me.

it was even proposed at one point to number all the lamp posts – so should you get your head kicked in and they leave you with your phone 😕 you could ring the police and say where you where i.e lamppost number xxx

bit late by then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had this happen to me whilst cycle-touring a few years back.

To cut the story short. Two guys in a car threatened to slit my throat if I didn’t give them my bike and all my stuff. I refused and rode off, thank god they didn’t come after me. Was quite freaked out.

Another lad had the same thing happen to him about a week later, he wasn’t so lucky and got in a fistfight, breaking bones and put an end to his round the world cycle-tour.

Was on the Kazakh-uzbek border, so not the safest of places by a longshot.

You have to be careful with your reaction to criminal scrotes. A mate nearly had his motor bike stolen from a garage while he was paying for petrol but the punk couldn’t start it [XR600]. He flew after the kid gave him a mild slap or two but then his mates turned up with baseball bats and a stolen car to rescue him. When the police turned up they told my mate it was just as well they had got away or they might have arrested him as he was witnessed cuffing the lowlife!

that was at anglezarke where the chav boy racers hang out getting stoned a stanley knife was used …it is where I ride FWIW. he was not on th ebike but admiring the views ata picnic table iirc

You seem to know an awful lot about the attack, Junkyard…..

“Oh dear oh dear. Another Sun/Daily Mail reader believing the hype”

Just because we are prejudiced against gypsied doesnt mean it isnt true and justified.

Everyone has stories of ‘travellers’ either a) robbing them or b) virtuously not robbing them – but I have never heard anyone tell a story of the gypsy who does great work for charity and did someone a right favour.

How many ‘Travellers’ do you know have job, run a legit honest busniess and pay their way/pay their taxes?

Next you will be telling me that we are all middle england snobs when it comes to our view of drug dealers.

interested to hear peoples views on how safe the bristol/bath cycle track is these days

In about 10 years of using the Bristol-Bath path (sometimes on a daily basis) I’ve had two occasions where a kid half my size (always egged on by a couple of non-participating mates) has decided to have a go at relieving me of my bike. I can’t really call them attempted muggings as they really were a bit too pathetic. In both cases there were plenty of people around and on one occasion a fellow cyclist helped me to chase them off. Unpleasant but certainly not enough to put me off using it.

Overall I’d say it is a relatively safe place to cycle, just due to the volume of people using it. If someone did try and rob you, there’s a large number of potential witnesses or interveners, and at least you’re not going to get mown down by some idiot in a white van.

Happened to a mate of mine around a year ago in Morden. He was riding down the road one evening when a group of yoofs came out of a side road and clocked him one around the head with a car jack. Seven stitches and a stolen Klein.
I used to race motorcross and it was quite common to find transit vans tailing you on the way home to check where you lived. You got used to looking in your rear mirror for the last few miles to check. Still have that mentality now with the MTB on the back of the car – always keep a watch out for the last few miles.

Just because we are prejudiced against gypsied doesnt mean it isnt true and justified.

Is it then? Anyone reported being bike-jacked by gypsies?

And no, I’m not being THE POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WARRIOR that you get on threads. I hate them as much as anyone.

Lucky heather, anyone?

I will never ride the Bristol-Bath track.

So many bloody accidents from idiots pulling out on their bikes or walkers crashing into you from not looking.

Never had anyone try mug me there (gorilla on the bike)

Give me the trails any day 🙂

Frankenstein, I completely agree. Who are all those people who have the temerity to use your personal cycle path anyway?

Mr Agreeable I didn’t say anything like so go and badger someone else.

Everyone is free to use it -I don’t use it.

I just think it isn’t safe to walkers, cyclists, kiddies, prams and roadies using it as a training road when families are having a stroll.

There is a lack of consideration and safety from other cyclists and walkers too.

What it needs is a division for cyclists and walkers as seen on other cycle lanes but it will expanding and marking ($$$).

I just think it isn’t safe to walkers, cyclists, kiddies, prams and roadies using it as a training road when families are having a stroll.
There is a lack of consideration and safety from other cyclists and walkers too.
What it needs is a division for cyclists and walkers as seen on other cycle lanes but it will expanding and marking ($$$).

Absolute twaddle.
I’ve used it on and off for 4 years now. Sure, it gets busy, but I’ve never had the slightest problem. Everyone is expecting cyclists and the speed differential is so low that a gentle brush of a brake lever of flick of the bars is all you ever need. I love it. There’s never any ‘road’ rage. No bother. No stress. 🙂

I used to use it everyday for over 10 years and have come across accidents between cyclists and walkers and other cyclists.

Some areas are easily safe and never seen any probs.

The parts near Bitton station can get packed with walkers and I’ve seen a stupid cyclist plough into people as he was training on his road bike.

Parents at the local school in Bitton village have now volunteered to watch the kids crossing path due to the accidents between school kids and cyclists that they are now pestering the council for traffic calming.

I’m not saying anyone should avoid it, but they should be careful in the summer months when it packed with walkers instead of going warp speed.

And roadies need to stop adding it to their training sectors.

And they should use a bell too.