Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 54 total)
  • Is it the law for a cyclist to give way on a bridleway?
  • dingabell
    Free Member

    Just wondered, as there are some new signs which someone has put up stating this fact?
    I’ve not looked into it but was just wondering?
    We always give way to horses, but does this mean walkers too?

    PJM1974
    Free Member

    Yes. You should always give way to more vulnerable road/bridleway/etc users.

    brooess
    Free Member

    I believe that the hierarchy for right of way is walkers, horses, cyclists but you may need to check that. Personally I think it’s polite and will win brownie points for MTBs.

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    ton
    Full Member

    horses, walkers, us. bridle being the key word. 😀

    dingabell
    Free Member

    Not arguing the fact.
    We give way to everyone.
    Just wondered if it was technically correct as the law stands?

    bails
    Full Member

    I’m not sure that there’s a law, it’s probably in the “countryside code” or something similar.

    big_n_daft
    Free Member

    yes, it’s technically correct

    the reality is that if everyone has manners most of the time a reasonable “compromise” occurs and everyone gives way to each other and gets a thank you from the other trail user

    be nice out there on the trails 🙂

    hebdencyclist
    Free Member

    Section 30 of Countryside Act 1968. (So Google tells me)

    Is it not time for that law to be looked at? It seems like cyclists cannot ride anywhere without being considered impostors.

    dingabell
    Free Member

    Not sure everyone has the manners we do.
    By the looks and comments we get from other bridleway users you’d think we all rode flaming Harleys and had 666 tattoos on our foreheads.
    A cheerful hello seems to catch them out though.
    Will carry on giving way and smiling at everyone however miserable they seem to be.

    avdave2
    Full Member

    We were walking before we rode horses and riding horses before we were cycling so as far as I’m concerned that’s the order of priority. And who in their right mind would want to upset half a ton of dum animal often piloted by someone with less intelligence than the horse 🙂

    Klunk
    Free Member

    just to start another argument pedestrians, horses, cyclists going up, cyclists going down 😉

    kerley
    Free Member

    It is not law no, i.e. you will not be prosecuted for not complying with it.

    ferrals
    Free Member

    . And who in their right mind would want to upset half a ton of dum animal often piloted by someone with less intelligence than the horse

    This. I amazes me the speed that strava says people go down one narrow and well used bridle way with blind corners near me. Meet anything going the other way at 50kmh and someone will end up in the hospital.

    On the plus side, horses and cyclists can both gang up on chavs razzing their 105’s round quiet country lanes!

    xherbivorex
    Free Member

    Will carry on giving way and smiling at everyone however miserable they seem to be.

    this is also remarkably good for one’s own health. we need less angry people out there, so bravo to you!

    char34
    Free Member

    an act is not law
    an act is a statute obeying a statute is voluntary ie which requires consent
    anyone can withdraw their consent to a statute
    so unless you consent to the act it means nothing
    slow down to walking pace for walkers and stop for horses
    just respect other bridle way users a smile and hello

    wicki
    Free Member

    so jogers 3 abreast running at me and forcing me off the path is ok ….because thats what they allways ?

    char34
    Free Member

    because they allways what wicki

    spooky_b329
    Full Member

    Forced you off the path? You obviously didn’t slow down/give way then! Although perhaps the signs in the OP could do with an extra sign attaching, a reminder that everyone should respect other trail users, even if technically they have the right of way.

    Richie_B
    Full Member

    ^ Speed awareness 😳 101: There is no such thing as a right of way. Its about common sense and respect

    thegreatape
    Free Member

    Do I smell a FOTL up there?

    whitestone
    Free Member

    Animals get priority as they are unpredictable. As others have said politeness from all parties goes a long way.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    We are all animals technically

    One of those always give way to horses and let them know you are there when approaching form the rear as who wants to spook them

    Walkers its about mutual respect I slow down, pick a side and expect them to give me room to get past.

    They dont always do this and I dont always take it well.

    slowoldman
    Full Member

    As hebdencyclist says – Section 30 of Countryside Act 1968

    30 Riding of pedal bicycles on bridleways.E+W.
    (1)Any member of the public shall have, as a right of way, the right to ride a bicycle, [not being a mechanically propelled vehicle], on any bridleway, but in exercising that right cyclists shall give way to pedestrians and persons on horseback.

    It seems perfectly reasonable to me that cyclists should give way. These are bridleways not cycle trails.

    schnor
    Free Member

    Definitely Countryside Act 1968 (Section 30): –

    cyclists shall give way to pedestrians and persons on horseback

    Would a cyclist not giving way on BW be illegal? Yes, but only if the circumstances met the standards as set out by the Road Traffic Act 1988 (if the cyclist acted recklessly, carelessly, without due care, etc).

    However, it would be very unlikely that a solitary act of not giving way would meet this standard, so it would need additional factors such as by not giving way and also acting recklessly / dangerously by knocking someone over and / or killing them (i.e. it needs more than just someone being annoyed at someone else for not giving way).

    I’m unaware of any case law relating to cyclists being prosecuted under the RTA by virtue of any wrongdoing on a BW, there are a few on roads, but again relating to matters more serious than merely not giving way.

    TurnerGuy
    Free Member

    Everyone gives ways to horses.

    Personally I think that is wrong – everyone should give way to walkers.

    It bugs me giving way to horses as normally the riders are just out for a social gathering – the horse is getting bugger all exercise and neither are the riders – witness how fat many of them are and the fact that they ride two abreast holding conversations without any sign of being the slightest bit out of breath.

    Road cyclists dawlding about on Sundays for a social bug me as well.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    One of those we should but the reality is it is often much easier for a pedestrian to take a sideways step than for us to stop and dismount etc – depends massively on the BW to be clear but a technical downhill it not always easy.

    Mutual consideration/respect/cooperation is the key here rather than an absolute adherence to the code.

    I always slow down so it is obvious I have reacted to them but I then expect them to make reasonable efforts to leave space for me to pass. If they dont I do stop as the alternative is to ride into them.

    kayla1
    Free Member

    It’s just good manners as much as it may be law (or not)- on BOATs and RUPPs 4x4s (are supposed to) give way to motorcycles, which give way to cycles, which give way to horses, which give way to walkers. I don’t know why she swallowed a fly, perhaps she’ll die…

    I agree with JY though, some walkers are just arseholes and make themselves as wide as possible regardless of the size of kindness bomb you let off near them.

    wicki
    Free Member

    do lol …..uups!

    I allways give way to walkers horses etc …but the jogging fraternity wind me up with an attitude that the entire path width is theirs just so they can run abreast of each other and chat.

    medoramas
    Free Member

    They should update the law – “Strava users have priority” 😆

    StefMcDef
    Free Member

    For the most part, as a bike isn’t a flighty big creature with a mind of its own, unless it’s muddy, I am happy to slow down or stop and let the person riding the flighty big creature with a mind of its own pass at their own pace.

    D0NK
    Full Member

    was thinking about this the other day we give way to everyone, horseists give way to pedestrians.

    Whereas one would have thought common sense would prevail: walkers being the easiest to stop and stand aside would be first to give way, cyclists next easiest to move aside then horses biggest and hardest to yield to others so they get priority.

    Or you could go with the danger thing, horses have most momentum so should give way to everyone, cyclists next, (then runners I guess) walkers top of the pile as they do the least damage.

    Either way we should be in the middle but we’re lowest of the low, probably due to timeline as avdave says, doesn’t seem sensible really.

    but if everyone is considerate we tend to rub along ok.

    <edit>If you’re faced with a line of walkers/runners coming towards you completelyt blocking a wide trail just stop on the trail, they can then choose to walk around you or have some shouty stand off while you calmly give way to the walkers, I wouldn’t let them “force” you off the trail. Bit tricky if they are walking in the same direction and they’re being obstructive as technically they don’t have to move aside for you and so you could come to some stupid impasse caused by them being nobs. edit2 actually had this with a horse rider a few weeks ago, was a tricky one.

    fr0sty125
    Free Member

    It’s about manners, from my experience walkers tend to move to one side if you give them heads up and you are travelling at speed. I normally give way to horses however yesterday a horse rider gave way twice was very polite.

    TurnerGuy
    Free Member

    horseists give way to pedestrians.

    wrong way round…

    brooess
    Free Member

    The one thing people forget in priority conflicts (whether bridleway or road) is that ‘manners’ is undefined and very subjective – what one person thinks is ‘manners’ someone else thinks isn’t e.g. joggers coming at you 3 abreast think you not moving out of the way is rude, but you think they’re rude… and from there comes a load of passive aggressive conflict e.g. silliness like this

    Road cyclists dawlding about on Sundays for a social bug me as well.

    We all need to remember that in most situations everyone has a right to be there and when it comes to bridleways, everyone’s out for some exercise and fresh air and in that respect we’re all on the same side.

    Just think about what you can do to make the situation better, forget your own needs, smile, be generous of spirit and remember that people often don’t hear or see bikes coming, often make mistakes when moving out of your way and often have a different definition of ‘manners and politeness’

    I do wonder how we can all get so uptight about leisure pursuits!

    D0NK
    Full Member

    wrong way round…

    ah right, I stand corrected. So it’s not even timeline based then.
    horseist>walker>mtber
    still seems silly/arbitrary that way round

    ninfan
    Free Member

    Geek Facts

    When the 1968 act was discussed in parliament, the original recommendation of the gosling committee was that cycles be allowed to ride on footpaths, in its way through parliament this gained the caveat that it would be illegal for cyclists not to dismount when passing either horseriders or pedestrians – it was of course recognised that this would lead to a game of chase every time you tried to overtake a walker and got off your bike, then by the time you got back on they would have overtaken you and you would have to ride to catch them up and then get off the bike again 😀

    inconsistencies like this led to the amendment not being adopted, so we were stuck with just bridleways.

    crispycross
    Free Member

    horseist>walker>mtber
    still seems silly/arbitrary that way round

    That’s the class system for you.

    ninfan
    Free Member

    Is there a legal definition of what “give way” actually means?

    It clearly does no mean ‘stop’

    thestabiliser
    Free Member

    You know the worlds donald ducked when we need laws for this sort of stuff.

    schnor
    Free Member

    ninfan – Member
    Is there a legal definition of what “give way” actually means?

    I suspect, like many words / phrases, ‘give way’ isn’t defined by statute. Indeed, like ‘reasonable’ could it even be defined? I doubt it, as once embedded in statute you would have people constantly debating every nuance and forever redefining it’s meaning as a single phrase (“as my client doesn’t meet the definition of ‘give way’, he therefore can’t be found guilty of XYZ”), when in reality its a more of a concept.

    It would therefore need correctly assessing by a judge e.g. “Person X, acting with a disregard to other highway users (e.g. a flighty horse) or traffic directions (e.g. ignoring a sign), failed to ‘give way'”

    Although not the same as, it could be synonymous with ‘stop’ / ‘letting the other user go before you’ / whatever, depending on the circumstances 🙂

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 54 total)

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