This one should be a nice one to rabble rouse some of you lefties 😀

Countryside Alliance have openly announced their opposition to increased cycle access in Wales

Rachel Evans, Countryside Alliance director for Wales says: “We welcome the Government’s proposal to increase access to the countryside, particularly for families and to improve the health and well-being of the public. However, there are areas of the consultation which we feel may pose a fundamental threat to rural liberty and livelihoods. One example is if a footpath were to be made available for multiple uses such as cycling, horse riding and carriage driving this could create conflict between users, have an economic impact on the land owner and cause damage to the land.

http://www.countryside-alliance.org/latest-campaign-in-wales-oppose-open-access/

So, you now have two choices:

Follow the link to the Countryside alliance e-campaign and turn their letter into something that disagrees with their own position and calls for more access

or go along to http://www.ctc.org.uk/campaign/trails-wales and support the joint recommendations put forward by OpenMTB, CTC, British Cycling and Welsh Cycling

Consultation closes 2nd October

Well done. You’ve posted something that vaguely relates to biking, a first.

😆

TBF, ninfan has always been big on the Access topic.

Aye, access to Ernie.

For ***** sake when are you lot going to work out that the ramblers and their right wing (countyside) alliance really don’t like wheels or hooves…. they tried to take green lanes (legal rights of way no different from the roads to drive around) away from legal law abiding users and now you expect them to let you pedal on their footpaths – Christ the naivety is staggering

that’s a nice response from the CA. early claim for the centre ground. good cloaking of absurd reasoning in moderate language. good use of the straw man. 7/10, maybe even 8/10

Perhaps OpenMTB could ask them if they have any evidence to support the claim that it will lead to conflict or if it’s just speculation on their part. After all, we’re all allowed to play together on other rights of way and I don’t often see that descend into fisticuffs.

come on onzadog they’ve been quite clear. its not just conflict its

a fundamental threat to rural liberty and livelihoods.

Their response template is editable

I am not in favour in general of allowing bikes on footpaths. Specific paths yes but only very selectively.

Their response template is editable

Needs a Welsh postcode 🙁

sent Thanks for the link

I am not in favour in general of allowing bikes on footpaths. Specific paths yes but only very selectively.

Luckily the joint response has not called for that 8)

Needs a Welsh postcode

Do you want me to suggest one for you, it’s really not that hard ? Where do you fancy, big city like Cardiff, a nice village in the Brecons on maybe something by the Pembrokeshire coast ? 8)

One example is if a footpath were to be made available for multiple uses such as cycling, horse riding and carriage driving this could create conflict between users, have an economic impact on the land owner and cause damage to the land.

If only there were some kind of way of refuting this by pointing to a nearby country with similar geography but open access where all hell has yet to break loose…

Very blinkered response by the CA. Scotland seems to have cracked it. Potentially opens up opportunities for a broader based rural economy, thus helping preserve rural communities.

I understand they might have concerns and be seeking some safeguards or clarity, such as who may have to pay to maintain ROW with heavier usage. But that reply came from a ****.

Will the ROW get heavier useage or will they just get the same usage but more spread out?

Personally it would allow me to ride on more sustainable footpaths while avoiding boggy BW in winter.

am not in favour in general of allowing bikes on footpaths. Specific paths yes but only very selectively.

I’m actually in favour on allowing bikes/horses on footpaths in general. Specifically restricting only very selectively.

In England at least, theres a huge network of barely used footpaths that could really do with the traffic. Cut Gate is not average, a faint trod round the edge of a Northamptomshire field is much closer to average. Save the restrictions for the problem paths and spread the traffic out.

mainly with piemonster on this

facts are roughly (England and Wales)
Foot access – 100%+ (all paths plus limited r2r/open access)
Bike access 22ish% (bridleways)
Vehicles access 3ish% (BOAT)

needs to be more sharing but also think that it would be sensible to share based on path type/sustainability etc. Think that everybody (but esp vehicles and horse riders) needs to understand the impact their usage has on other user types[esp in winter] and act accordingly – which may be easier if they have lots of choice……

Carriage driving? Will highway robbers return?

Wales is geographically different to Scotland, the rivers are far wider and Wales has far more landowners with smaller pockets of land ownership

Well if simple facts like this not related to the discussion wont prove their case then what will?

TBH I dont really care what they do as I will continue to ignore the law and ride responsibly based on whether where am I going is going to do any real damage

IME you almost never experience any problem as long as everyone is nice perhaps a couple of moans a year for being on cheeky. Amusingly locally these happen most often on paths not on the OS map where they still put up no bike signs

Carriage driving? Will highway robbers return?

maybe we could reach a compromise? mountain bikes and horse are allowed but we’ll stop short of carriage driving, dandy horses, ordinaries and london steam carriages?

No dandy horses! steady on, lets be reasonable now

CTC link is easy peasy to send. Which I’ve just done.
Too chilled on a Sun eve to be bothered rewording the CA template bollox.

I was walking locally today near a reservoir that is hidden away and accessible on only one side via footpath, I was approached by a Scottish chap who was new to the area and couldnt understand the fact that the local farm had ‘private’ signs, denying anyone the opportunity to walk around the reservoir or even get access to it, of course I was in agreement with him but his surprise was rather funny 🙂

Going a bit OT:

The consultation also suggests that not enough waterways are currently available for canoeing, rafting and wild swimming. The Welsh Countryside Alliance disagrees with this presumption and supports Voluntary Access Agreements between users and owners.

Rachel Evans said: “The impact on our rivers could be catastrophic with an increased risk from environmental damage.”

😆 – though I’m disappointed that they don’t mention how well VAA’s work at delivering increased river access 🙄

For those wondering about how factual and realistic their statement is, canoeists have far, far less environmental impact than the river users the CA supports.

What damage does canoing and wild swimming do? An occasional footpath to a river, but other than that, I don’t think they erode the water. Or are they worried about people splashing about too much? Really dirty people? David Cameron ****ing a fish?

What can they do if you ride on the footpath? Shoot you? 😆

I’m just hoping that their need to hype it to such a ridiculous extent (“catastrophic impact” – I find it hard to imagine how it will even have that effect on the fishing which is what they’re worried about) means they’re worried. It’s already illegal to disturb spawning beds, and the fish botherers have tried to get canoeists prosecuted for doing so, but utterly failed to produce any evidence of that.

The proper unbiased study I’m aware of showed that canoeing had no impact at all on fish. In contrast to certain other river users…

They also prove themselves wrong:

The consultation also suggests that not enough waterways are currently available for canoeing, rafting and wild swimming. The Countryside Alliance disagrees with this presumption
…
There are over 500 miles of river already available for canoeing.

There are several thousand miles of rivers in Wales suitable for paddling.

last call for #trailsforwales – consultation ends today

CTC announced on Twitter that they had 3888 supporting responses so far, and that Welsh government say it is the most successful consultation they have ever run.

Be good for a few more supporters to push it over the 4K mark today!

http://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1689&ea.campaign.id=41461&ea.tracking.id=CP