• This topic has 38 replies, 32 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by tyke.
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  • Those Pesky New Forest Horseriders strike again
  • hockropper
    Full Member

    Looks like they’re at it again claiming the forest as their own.

    http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/10543419.Horse_riders_demand_action_over_cyclists/

    Frodo
    Full Member

    To be fair none of their demands seem that unreasonable?

    Jamie
    Free Member

    They chose to ride one ton of one of the flightiest animals in the world, but I imagine having a million portly cyclist descending on the place regularly, might get a bit trying for all concerned.

    ernie_lynch
    Free Member

    I didn’t get the impression they were claiming the New Forest as their own.

    Edric64
    Free Member

    There requests dont seem bad .Some sportives are way to big

    wrecker
    Free Member

    • Riders should be provided with an easy method of reporting incidents of inconsiderate cycling.

    And vice versa

    • Each entrant should display a number easily legible from 25 metres.

    Horsists should also have to wear identification numbers for reporting purposes.

    Orange-Crush
    Free Member

    That all seems reasonable enough to me if it is accurately reported and reflects the facts.

    I would be the first to defend the right of cyclists to use the public highway – but there’s the point – it is the [/i]public highway and everybody has equal right to use it without others unreasonably impinging on that use. Events as described, races by another name, could well be seen as unreasonable in that context.

    I daresay if another user group was to do similar and cause cyclists such a level of disruption then we would be up in arms about it.

    We are fortunate enough to be alone amongst wheeled road users in that we are permitted to race on the public highway when no doubt many others would see it as inappropriate use.

    Let’s not push things to the point where that privilege is removed?

    maxtorque
    Full Member

    Thing is, on exactly how many days a year do those sportives occur?

    Surely we can learn to be less dog-in-a-manger about these things and let someone else have some fun for the few days a year that they occur??

    andytherocketeer
    Full Member

    Thing is, on exactly how many days a year do those sportives occur?

    In some locations, potentially far too many, and anyone can organise one in popular locations at any time.

    Box Hill for example is used by several afaik, and probably every other weekend and mid-week by normal club runs.

    atlaz
    Free Member

    Earlier this year residents angered by the New Forest Spring Sportive sprinkled tacks in the road in a bid to sabotage the event. Last month a cyclist was knocked unconscious by a New Forest pony that bolted after being spooked by tourists near Bashley.

    So the paper basically can’t find a single time when a cyclist has caused problems for horse riders.

    JEngledow
    Free Member

    No lists showing rider times.

    Personally I think this should be rolled out for the whole country/all sportives, as they are only allowed on open roads because they are not a race, however due to the publication of times I believe that they are treated as a race by many entrants and if you’ve ever tried to drive anywhere while there’s a sportive on it’s a bloody nightmare as the riders (or at least some of them) appear more concerned with beating the clock/each other than their own safety (and that of other road users).

    plyphon
    Free Member

    As much as I’d like to see things run safer for BOTH parties involved and see both sides of the argument.

    I can’t help feel they lost all respect when they tried to sabotage the Wiggle Sportive with tacks and removal of signs. Not cool. Not cool.

    Gotama
    Free Member

    Don’t know the number but we seem to have had a few over the last couple of months round us (surrey hills) which clog up the roads and irritate people. It’s bad enough that overly large groups of roadies block up roads at weekends anyway but when you combine that with the sportives which are sent down tight single lane country roads, largely blocking it off to car traffic, there are a lot of people getting annoyed with cyclists and they do have a point imo. It’s slightly different if you’re a cyclist but if you have no interest in it as a sport then we’re (road riders in particular) just viewed as a massive inconvenience. I’d be pretty pissed off if i went for a ride at the weekend and all the trails were littered with walkers going up and down them, despite them having as much right to the trails as bikers do.

    End of the day its consideration on everyone’s part and i think a lot of cyclists are very blinkered in that respect.

    scaredypants
    Full Member

    Their points are reasonable but their accompanying argument is bollocks:

    “Making right turns on a horse is extremely challenging if cyclists riding against the clock are unwilling to slow down. In the most extreme cases, cycles pass at an average rate of one every five seconds for more than two hours.”

    “average”. Disingenuous bullshit. 1,800 riders perfectly spaced over 2hrs ?

    Members have written to the New Forest National Park Authority (NPA), which is devising a charter for cycle events

    I hope somebody sensible is representing cyclists in there

    Wiggle (and other sportive promoters) should loan out a load of helmet cameras for these things – might moderate behaviour on all sides and provide some actual evidence of whether any real disruption occurs

    29erKeith
    Free Member

    scaredypants that was across 3 separate routes too (with some common bits) but yeah nonsense!!

    just anti bike bigots, pointless arguing with ’em tbh

    andytherocketeer
    Full Member

    Wiggle (and other sportive promoters)

    Should also avoid having 3+ sportives in one year in the same location too.

    Loaning cameras to gather evidence just lowers cycling and horse riding to the levels of hunt sabs and anti hunt sabs.

    29erKeith
    Free Member

    box hill sounding like it’s getting/got a bit silly though.

    the number of new forest route options and events is not an issue imho
    and I live in village which is often on sportive routes and has loads of horse rides, not seen or heard of any issues since we’ve lived here(year and a half).

    gwaelod
    Free Member

    Iif only we could do something about the mass motoring events that clog up our towns and cities every morning and afternoon…then our kids could ride back amd forth to school in safety.

    I also note that making motorists carry easily identifiable numbers doesn’t seem to stop them killing 240,000,000 people every day.

    HoratioHufnagel
    Free Member

    I’ve found a solution….

    aracer
    Free Member

    I’m particularly liking:

    Riding on the roads is usually a necessity rather than a choice

    …in much the same way that riding a bicycle on the road when taking part in a sportive is a necessity, not a choice.

    brooess
    Free Member

    The speed and pace of growth in road cycling since 2009 means there’s a hell of a lot of inexperienced riders – making up the bulk of the growth.

    I see it on club runs – no idea how to ride in a group – no signals or shouts, 3 abreast, not heeding calls to single out, pacing poorly up hills etc etc.

    Same with commuting – some very poor riding out there.

    The difficulty is the new riders don’t know what they don’t know, although one of my clubs (Dulwich Paragon) have begun to give briefs about the basics on Saturday social rides now.

    I think the core of the problem is that a lot of the new riders are cycling like they drive – poor risk assessment, poor ability to anticipate, don’t look, rag around at speed without consideration of the needs of others…

    thomthumb
    Free Member

    Last month a cyclist was knocked unconscious by a New Forest pony that bolted after being spooked by tourists near Bashley.

    i’d like to see better control of the tourists. limiting them to 500 a day, and wearing easily identifiable numbers should help 😉

    singletrackmind
    Full Member

    There are also alot of Horse Only Bridleways in the New Forest , so its not like the horsists do not have a choice. There is an all lady Sportive in the Forest soon . I was wondering if the loon lady who helped to stir it up last time will enter.
    Horsists horses are probably alot more likely to be spooked by the wild horses that sometimes leg it across the road without stopping to look and listen .

    edlong
    Free Member

    Riding on the roads is usually a necessity rather than a choice

    That does put rather a different complexion on things. Not being from the area, I’d naively assumed that this horse riding was a leisure activity that people were doing in their free time, by choice. I was not aware that horses were actually the means of transport of necessity, presumably commuting, getting the kids to school, shopping, that kind of thing?

    To be fair, if the only way I could get my kids to school was on horseback and I was prevented from doing that by a large peloton of cyclists, I’d be pretty peeved. I also might consider buying a car or looking at public transport options though.

    stumpy01
    Full Member

    gwaelod – Member

    I also note that making motorists carry easily identifiable numbers doesn’t seem to stop them killing 240,000,000 people every day.

    Do motorists really kill 240 million people every day?! Impressive!

    WorldClassAccident
    Free Member

    Last time this kicked up I posted a suggestion on the New Forest Facist Newspaper site.

    I wont give the full version but basically it was an evidence based plan based on the last 5 years published accidents statistics.

    1) Ban all locals from driving – most accidents are locals
    2) Ban all delivery lorries – 2nd biggest issue
    3) Ban all tourists
    4) Ban all motorbikes – only 1 accident in 5 years but better safe than sorry
    5) Ban all walkers – they scare ground nesting birds
    6) Ban all cyclists – no reported accidents or incidents but we don’t like them

    WorldClassAccident
    Free Member

    gwaelod – Member

    I also note that making motorists carry easily identifiable numbers doesn’t seem to stop them killing 240,000,000 people every day.

    Do motorists really kill 240 million people every day?! Impressive!

    Christ, PeterPoddy was luckier than I thought to get away with just a buckled wheel

    edlong
    Free Member

    I can’t help feel they lost all respect when they tried to sabotage the Wiggle Sportive with tacks and removal of signs.

    I’d be pretty surprised if it was the horsey lot with the tacks – pretty harmful for horses’ feet I’d have thought. Dunno about the signs though.

    ciderinsport
    Free Member

    Down here in the new forest, off road cycling is banned…( except on a non-connected gravel route!)
    And they want to limit cycling on the roads!

    Although, because of a wiggle sportive I couldn’t get on the ferry to the isle of wight last Sunday 😈

    Ban wiggle sponsored sportives 🙂

    kilo
    Full Member

    With regard to surrey /box hill issues. I regularly club run down to Surrey from Kingston and firstly there’s not usually that much traffic around first thing Sunday morning to be delayed by cyclists, secondly most of the slow traffic we do come across seems to be in delays caused by volume of cars rather than cyclist (eg Esher town centre on Sunday brunch time), thirdly Box Hill may be getting busy but as it’s a slow speed road with sleeping policemen all over it (20mph limit irrc), and has always been full of walkers, cyclist and people enjoying the view and doesn’t have much residential property on it, so anyone aiming to drive unhindered up there is misguided in the first place and finally with regard to the whingers of Surrey f’em. They’re perfectly happy to drive up to London and clog up the roads round here every workday but people go out and enjoy the public roads on bicycles and it’s NIMBY central. rantette over

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    There are too many sportives IMO.

    PJM1974
    Free Member

    None of it is unreasonable IFAIC. We all need to share the trails, it’s not as if the horsey folk are putting their metaphorical beach-towels down at the expense of cyclists.

    scaredypants
    Full Member

    We all need to share the trails, it’s not as if the horsey folk are putting their metaphorical beach-towels down

    Well, in the NF it’s exactly that – cyclists are not permitted on the trails and the verderers and a number of other organisations are almost explicitly there to keep it that way

    However, I agree that (some) sportives are too big and a limit might be useful (which would probably cause an increase in the number of events, I guess)

    alpin
    Free Member

    the New Forest…. somewhere i wouldn’t consider moving to. have an aunt there. the area seems quite anal, IMO.

    orangeboy
    Free Member

    A touch off topic but I can’t see the point in sportifes

    Anyways as a whole I’ve found most horse riders friendly and accomading , its just the minority that cause issues
    But it’s those problems that people remember ,
    Maybe its passed me by but is there an mtb version of a sportife ?

    aracer
    Free Member

    Well given a sportive is a mass start road ride with a fixed signed course, what do you think something like the Rough Ride is?

    muppetWrangler
    Free Member

    Maybe its passed me by but is there an mtb version of a sportife ?

    http://www.bucksoffroadsportive.co.uk

    buzz-lightyear
    Free Member

    “I think the core of the problem is that a lot of the new riders are cycling like they drive – poor risk assessment, poor ability to anticipate, don’t look, rag around at speed without consideration of the needs of others…”

    What’s your solution?

    tyke
    Free Member

    @Kilo

    You are looking at the BoxHill issue from a very narrow perspective – your ride on a Sunday morning.

    There are significantly more cyclists in the area over the whole of the week-end than there used to be before the Olympics. Combined with the number of sportives that now include Box Hill as part of their route this has led to a lot more issues. For example, across Surrey the number of cyclist KSIs (killed or seriously injured) has doubled in 4 years. Some of this is no doubt attributable to the council not repairing roads but quite a bit is probably down to increased number of riders. A good example of the issues is that despite having cyclepaths along the A24 dual carriageway between Dorking and Leatherhead there are still quite a lot of riders who want to cycle on the road along side cars going at 50-60mph.

Viewing 39 posts - 1 through 39 (of 39 total)

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