Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 42 total)
  • Stanage causeway resurfaced
  • ianfitz
    Free Member

    I’ve not seen it myself yet, but photos on the Ride Sheffield FB page seem to show its been extensively resurfaced with compacted clippings.

    I’m going to go and ride it tomorrow. Will be taking the road bike!

    Yes it looks that smooth.

    I do wonder about the rationale behind this sort of work. It must surely push more people on to ‘cheeky’ trails. Certainly has with me…

    lemonysam
    Free Member

    Onzadog
    Free Member

    They’ve done that quickly haven’t they? Last I knew it was 8ft deep with snow.

    hora
    Free Member

    Can horse riders now use it safely?

    dannybgoode
    Full Member

    @Hora – I think that’s it. Us MTB’ers get our knickers in a twist when the authorities come along and make the bridleways fit for purpose for ALL users but b**ger up the enjoyment of us lot.

    Bridleways weren’t originally intended to be gnarly tracks for mountain bike use.

    Cheers

    Danny B

    Pook
    Full Member

    they were doing it last weekend when I went up.

    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    I wonder if it’ll last as long as Chapel Gate, which is already falling apart again. Or the Roych, which is, in parts at least, starting to look like its old self.

    Anyway, for all you lot who love 4x4s and their right to destroy everything they drive on, this is what it’s led to. Hurrah for recreational off-road vehicle use 😉 [hotlinked image from Ride Sheffield FB page btw]

    nosedive
    Free Member

    please complain to derbyshire ROW department. Link here:

    http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/leisure/countryside/access/rights_of_way/enquiries/default.asp

    I have asked for 3 specific bits of info:

    – how many people contacted you saying the track was too bumpy asking you to flatten it?

    – how much money is being spent on this?

    – how many people have contacted you to complain that the current work is unwanted and is ruining the trail?

    they are compelled to reply under FOI leglislation, if we all ask the same questions it should be interesting.

    Please complain now (not just on here!)

    meehaja
    Free Member

    I imagine a large part of the problem is council workers not being mountain bikers/ horse riders/ trail riders. If they’re anything like our local councilors they are primarily interested in pies and the eating of said pies. But anyway, I digress, If you view trails as a way of getting from somewhere to somewhere else then why wouldn’t you want it smooth, dry and wide (like a motorway). For some people the idea of the trail itself being the fun part is just odd.

    It does oped access up for wheelchairs and buggies i suppose?

    thepodge
    Free Member

    Dull over used road turned into duller over used road… Internet is up in arms

    The plantation bit is / was the only fun bit round there & you can only do that before 8am on a weekend otherwise it’s full of dickheads who have just parked 20 foot away to get some clean air.

    nosedive
    Free Member

    grid reference if you want to complain is: SK 234 846

    lets get on this one, if hundreds of us register a complaint it might make them think twice next time.

    If you are even vaguely local then you can also have a look at the Ride Sheffield facebook site

    thepodge
    Free Member

    Ps, it’s not a bridalway, it’s a road that vehicles have been banned on

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    Looks fine for a 29erSS that, wots yer prob? 😆

    globalti
    Free Member

    Stop moaning and wasting the council’s time. In a couple of years it will be back to its old condition; it doesn’t look as if they’ve put any drainage or water bars across so the first bit of rain will start the damage.

    jfletch
    Free Member

    Now the 4x4s have been banned who is going to rough it up again?

    thepodge
    Free Member

    Also, this means my wife will happily ride there, in fact she is now excited and suggesting going there tomorrow

    If this promotes and encourages more new cyclists I’m all for it

    schnor
    Free Member

    A quick google shows the Peak District NPA (AFAIK nothing to do with Derbyshire RoW) commissioned a 19 page management plan a few years ago – a lot of thought has gone into this considering it’s only a 3.6km BOAT (TBH as much as I do for all of my patch 😮 )

    To me they’ve definitely done their homework. Its inevitable some people don’t like it though.

    [edit] acronyms FTL

    zippykona
    Full Member

    This happened around my way a few years back. All the crap weather is slowly putting it back to something worth riding.
    We ended up with trails that were far better condition than our pot holed roads.
    When the local hospital can’t supply injured people with a wheel chair and cuts are being made all over the place,smoothing out the countryside should be way down the list of priorities.

    dobiejessmo
    Free Member

    Is it like that all the way up?Where all the big boulders are have they gone too???.

    MoreCashThanDash
    Full Member

    I can understand that some of our fun has been taken away, but it’s worth remembering that

    a) there are no trails in the countryside outside trail centres designed or legally created to be challenging riding terrain for mountain bikers, and

    b) mother nature will reclaim it for you in a year or two’s time

    We moan that ramblers won’t share their footpaths and then moan when we are expected to share our routes which require some resurfacing

    GEDA
    Free Member

    That looks really cool. Just like a trail centre. Have they put any jumps in? Much better flow than the load of rubble that was there before.

    ahwiles
    Free Member

    1) it was crap anyway

    2) it had gone from bad to shockingly terrible

    3) it’ll now be (at least mostly) climable – making new loops possible

    4) it’s now better for beginners, and beginners rock

    5) give it a year or 2 of growth, and a lack of 4×4’s, and a lovely singletrack line will appear, it’ll be great, and climable

    (see: the BOAT out the back of crosspool. it’s completely ace now, but 5 years ago it looked like this ^ )

    i’m struggling to get too upset about it all*

    (*but maybe it would have been nice if we’d been asked/warned/involved a little more)

    UseItorLoseIt
    Full Member

    Went up there today. It’s not all resurfaced. The big boulders are still there.

    Pook
    Full Member

    perhaps we should go up with a rake, wheelbarrow, mattocks and a visionary eye

    dobiejessmo
    Free Member

    Glad the big boulders are still there 🙂

    gregwaring
    Free Member

    Heads up folks, it looks like the rocks are next on their hit list according to ride sheffield. Get on it and get your voices heard. Notwithstanding that not everyone will be happy with it, they reckon it’s a quarter of a million quid spent on this. Ridiculous in the current economic climate. Just ban the 4 x 4’s which costs nothing and let it sort itself out!

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/Ride.Sheffield1/permalink/10151518923847850/

    gazc
    Free Member

    surely the 4×4’s will rip out some loose Type 1 in no time. give a couple of years will be back the same way. bring em on in droves! :mrgreen:

    plantation much more interesting route down btw, so just tweak your routes to suit

    Sancho
    Free Member

    hey stop knocking us in the off road fraternity, we do loads to ensure paths are kept clear and work with councils all over the country to keep access open and that impacts the mtb lot as well, the TRF I would say is a pretty good allie for the mtb cause.

    christhetall
    Free Member

    The pic above shows the lower section which has been pretty smooth for some time.

    It’s the section 400 yards above that which I believe needs structural work – collapsing wall.

    Do we know if DCC intend to surface it like this all the way, or is it just to allow them to work higher up ?

    hubert
    Free Member

    Just to correct some of the errors in the RideSheffield report and others.

    1 This is a Byway Open to All Traffic (BOAT).
    2 It has a temporary width restriction for repairs. This restricts only 4 wheel vehicles.
    3 The route will be closed to ALL use from Monday 29th April to June 14th for repairs to the retaining wall.
    4 These repairs are being driven by 2 groups of anti vehicle bigots, Peak Horsepower and Peak District Green Lane Alliance. Both are allied to GLEAM whose sole intention is to spread anti-vehicle lies, get all BOATS downgraded to bridleway status and then campaign for regulation of bicycle use on all routes as they claim they are dangerous to horses. One of GLEAM’s members and supporters is Richard Benyon, DEFRA minister.

    They represent about 100 people who think that they are the guardians of the countryside. They are constantly badgering the Peak Park and DCC to ruin these iconic routes by unsympathetic over-repairing of routes in an attempt to make them unattractive to motor and cycle users. The only thing this does is wreck the natural drainage, accelerate wear and leave these groups with an opportunity to blame users they don’t like for the state of the route.

    These are unreasonable and unpleasant people. Be warned.

    gusamc
    Free Member

    “One of GLEAM’s members and supporters is Richard Benyon”

    Richard Benyon is of the opinion that cycle paths should be shared by horse users. http://horseytalk.net/ROW/SaysRichardBenyon.html

    The Englefield Estate actively discourages cycling (signage, gamekeeper will pursue and stop you and refers to section 59 regarding ‘antisocial cycling’ and that your bike can be confiscated, [*it’s actually for vehicles]) however horse riders can buy access permits and walking/dog walking is allowed.

    The Englefield Estate is owned by the Benyon family.

    rogerthecat
    Free Member

    @hubert- this attitude is quite prevalent around the peak and has been for some time. There are a significant number of them trying to downgrade trail and access. Shatton permissive access on the green lane was removed, forcing 4×4 and trail bikes onto even fewer routes and the latter onto bridleways. A local farmer has tried to prevent paragliders and hangliders from launching off Bradwell Edge by acquiring various fields. There is a very strong undercurrent within some circles (including a lot of incoming NIMBYS) that access should only be for horses and walkers. They have money, time, access to the ear of the PPA and they are organinsed far better than us. We really need well funded representation.

    IanMunro
    Free Member

    That’s an interesting post gusamc. Do you know if anyone has written to him asking about his selective views on access?

    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    There is a very strong undercurrent within some circles (including a lot of incoming NIMBYS) that access should only be for horses and walkers. They have money, time, access to the ear of the PPA and they are organinsed far better than us. We really need well funded representation.

    Well, we appear to have Ride Sheffield and a somewhat inactive IMBA. Thing is, representative lobbying bodies tend to be built around clubs or communities – The Ramblers are based on numerous local rambling clubs, ditto the equestrian groups, the BMC originally on climbing clubs etc.

    Mass participation mountain biking is pretty much an internet era thing, the social model is different: tends to be small groups of mates or people who’ve met through forums like this rather than organised mountain biking clubs with a central, coordinating body.

    For a group to be well funded, it needs members prepared to pay to be a part of it and other donations. IMBA didn’t do so well as a mass group in the UK though, who’s fault is that?

    I’m not sure it’s about being well funded anyway. The impression that BBC documentary gave was not that they were well funded, just that they were organised and, being mostly retired, had a lot of time on their hands.

    Derbyshire CC says that the origin of the legal challenge which was at the heart of the Stanage work was from ‘a member of the public’ rather than a lobbying organisation btw.

    Maybe IMBA was just too early in the game? Maybe the way mountain biking is organised (ie not organised) in the UK means a representative body is a pipe dream? I see it a bit like the numerous advocates of virtual violence on here: it’s easy to threaten bike thieves, car drivers, anyone else with good beating from behind your computer screen – and pretty unpleasant too – but in real life it will never happen most of the time.

    Likewise, mountain biking representatives. Oh, finally, fwiw, the motorised recreation vehicle people seem pretty well organised – LARA etc – and it doesn’t seem to have helped them overmuch. My impression is that the Peak Park authority etc, will do pretty much what it chooses to eventually.

    hora
    Free Member

    The Peak Authorities aren’t ‘anti-biking’ though.

    gusamc
    Free Member

    Ian – my knowledge is partly local and partly via this post: http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/minister-thinks-bikes-are-ok-on-footpaths-by-implication

    hora
    Free Member

    Looks like someone is twisting the Ministers words to mean/imply something else..

    hubert
    Free Member

    It is certainly true that most of the anti vehicle campaigners are retired professional types and well funded, often by dint of selling high value properties in London and surrounding areas. The people they are trying to ban are generally the opposite, hard working people who are trying to keep hold of jobs, pay mortgages/ rent and feed their kids. All very difficult to spend time fighting off when you have work and family commitments.

    Consequently, most of the lobbying of DCC and the Peak Park goes unnoticed by their victims until it’s too late and routes have been closed or downgraded. If you are a vehicle user then this kind of activity resulted in NERC in 2006 which was probably the most targeted and deviceive bending of legislation ever to stop ordinary people doing entirely legal recreational activities. Similar legislation based on gender, colour or creed would be illegal.

    All this works on the principle that authorities will only react to complaints and if you target carefully and keep nagging then they will do whatever you want just to shut you up. Whining child syndrome, really. These antis have manufactured all kinds of stories and sham “dangers” and they have repeated them so many times and in so many places that people think they are true. For example, they claim that recreational motoring only started after 2002 and therefore there is no possibility of recorded 20 years of continuous use to justify highway status. I and many more of my fellow riders have been active for over 35 years but are branded liars because of this manufactured start date.

    A warning from history, Dr Goebbels devised this method of propaganda and it was central to the cause in 1930s Germany.

    antigee
    Full Member

    [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL_M4NCfFxk[/video]

    another hardworking “salt of the earth” parent taking some time to relax from the stress of bringing up the kids on a shoestring budget
    as usual the bit when everyone does trail maintenance has been edited out. Possibly in a bit of hurry to get home to check out how the Trail Riders Association’s pro bono lawyers are getting on in their latest attack on local authorities attempts to use actually use the law as it was intended.

    legal yes, quiet time of day yes in this video will give that but the noise and shear arrogance of most off road riders/drivers in the Peak is not acceptable in a place that many visit for the quiet enjoyment of beautiful countryside, antisocial yes.

    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    A warning from history, Dr Goebbels devised this method of propaganda and it was central to the cause in 1930s Germany.

    You’re an embarrassment mate, this is about middle-aged men getting their jollies in over-sized Tonka toys comparing it in any way with a genocidal, totalitarian regime is absurd and more.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 42 total)

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