Viewing 14 posts - 81 through 94 (of 94 total)
  • Farnborough and Aldershot – MoD Land – Presentation
  • allthepies
    Free Member

    And avoid riding round in large groups IMO (daytime and night time)

    gren
    Free Member

    I’ll be keeping to my Sunday morning ride on Tunnel then. Have never seen a squaddie there on a Sunday in the last few years. Weekdays (and Bank Holidays) you sometimes can’t move for them.

    Either way, it’s never been an issue and I don’t see it becoming one. You either turn straight around an apologies or they wave you through – usually with a smile and a ‘mornin’.

    They boys on the ground that you come into contact with don;t mind if you don’t get in their way. It’s the higher ups with one eye on health and safety etc.

    Anyway…. if they need more space then they shouldn’t sell off land to build houses on – Pirbright

    Stiggy
    Full Member

    I think a voluntary ban on nightriding and mass rides in these areas is a good idea and would show our understanding and willingness to cooperate.

    shortcut
    Full Member

    Not sure a voluntary ban on big rides or night rides will solve the problem.

    Big rides is (in many ways) better – it does stop them being disturbed by 5 groups if everyone is riding together.

    As for night – for many that is 2 or 3 rides a week down the loo. It is often possible to miss the army, they often use regular areas and people know the signs. Also they are often no where to be seen. So what’s the point in a ban voluntary or not.

    Stiggy
    Full Member

    Fair point re groups but I’ve run into them in the past during their training at night and have turned round and gone the other way but I bet having had 900 lumens blasted in their faces destroyed any nightvision they might have had. They are obviously a lot more difficult to spot at night and therefore more difficult to avoid.

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    Not sure a voluntary ban on big rides or night rides will solve the problem.

    Mmmm. I reckon it’s a big part of the reason the problem exists in the first place. And yes, that’s partly my fault too as I was there on them. I think the Trolls have to at least partly shoulder the blame, putting groups of 50+ riders up there regularly simply doesn’t go unnoticed.

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    Mmmm. I reckon it’s a big part of the reason the problem exists in the first place. And yes, that’s partly my fault too as I was there on them. I think the Trolls have to at least partly shoulder the blame, putting groups of 50+ riders up there regularly simply doesn’t go unnoticed.

    True, but as Andy says, one group (with ‘50+‘ 100+ eyes looking out for them) is the number of people who would probably go there night riding (well maybe lack of motivation might kill a few off) anyway, better they’re in one group and it’s relatively rare to actually run into the soldiers, usually someone will spot them in a distance and everyone turns off lights/turns around.

    It’d be good if communication was better, there can’t be many nights of the year where they’re using all the areas.

    Still a shitter though, first Swinley* becomes off limits, now this.

    *Is it busier since Swinely was turned into a racetrack?

    natrix
    Free Member

    I think the Trolls have to at least partly shoulder the blame

    But BOB also ride there in big groups and the Gorrick events publicize the existence of these trails so it’s not just Trolls.

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    I think the Trolls have to at least partly shoulder the blame
    But BOB also ride there in big groups and the Gorrick events publicize the existence of these trails so it’s not just Trolls.

    Which is exactly why I said PARTLY.

    mudmuncher
    Full Member

    Most “military” land is common land that they temporally borrowed during WW1/2 for training.

    Unfortunately they forgot to give it back.

    alextemper
    Free Member

    Got stopped going into Deepcut at the top of Fence Line. Having a chat it seems they are finally looking to start enforcing the Bylaw so be aware. I wasn’t forced to leave but just advised that I shouldn’t be there and that I wouldn’t be covered by any insurance should I have an accident.

    deanfbm
    Free Member

    Bumped into the officer in charge of health and safety in the area a couple of months ago, he was out showing around some la de das who ran the wildlife trust in the area, well something like that.

    Got in a really good conversation with them, my understanding from the conversation is the crux of it is that they have to be seen to be actively showing due diligence on the health and safety front for all users, public liability and all that. IE if a public user gets hurt on the land and the army has not demonstrated due diligence, they are liable. A way they demonstrate this is to enforce the bye law stopping public users going anywhere other than the public rights of way. Though his words were, by informing us of the use restrictions, to not continue riding on anything other than public right of way, he was showing due diligence.

    I ride the MOD land 4 times a week, this was the only instance where i’ve had a talking to from someone, it just so happened to be the bloke in charge of it, he was very well prepared, very polite and a pleasure to talk to.

    My gut instinct from the conversation was as long as use of the land is well respected, turn around when see an exercise, cut out the night riding, nothing bad will come from it, enforcing the bye-law is there to give their warning some clout, but at the end of the day my understanding is that worst case is prosecution for a £500 fine, for me, not the end of the world considering the lifetime of riding i’ve had on the land.

    deviant
    Free Member

    I lived in the area for 10 years and cycled, ran and walked my dogs at Ceasar’s, Tunnel Hill etc and never had a problem….bumped into loads of Soldiers and always did my best to do a 180 and disappear in the opposite direction.

    As ever the shouty ‘i know my rights’ minority ruin it for the rest, i have been dumbfounded over there in the past when Soldiers have issued a perfectly reasonable request to a dog walker to leave the area and been met with a torrent of abuse in return….organised group rides with loads of participants will get noticed more than the odd rogue cyclist by him/herself….mega-lumen lights on night rides is just so selfish with regard to Soldiers trying to preserve their night vision, use night vision optics etc etc, i cant believe some idiots give priority to their hobby over people trying to do a job….dog walking companies seem to be pushing their luck at the moment, there are sign written vans over there all the time and the land is not supposed to be used for financial gain but thats exactly what professional dog walkers are doing by using the land, it hasnt gone unnoticed….

Viewing 14 posts - 81 through 94 (of 94 total)

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