[Closed] 'sos' points on the trails....

Nope! We aren't a nanny state just yet and free thinking and choice should still be encouraged...having more 'safety' options on a trail will make even more people stop thinking for themselves and will result in more people getting hurt.

Look at the number of people who ride the trail centres then try some natural stuff and fail as it wasn't marked with a warning or didn't have arrows to tell them which way to go (or had chicken options) - adding yet another option like this (the basic idea is a very good one) will result in more people taking less responsibility for their own actions in the belief that someone else will pick up the pieces...

Well its a "thought" for a start

Whats more its a stupid one at that. Do you want one installing at the bottom of every crag thats used for climbing in the UK too, or how about the summit of every peak in case people get lost ?

This is a troll?.....please God let it be a troll.
Hang on,I've not thought this through.You could have ranger stations every 100m and you could check in to each one with an estimated time to the next and if you were late they could launch a helicopter search and there could be starbucks at each one and someone could deliver muffins at stategic points but not those really gooey ones but the nice cheewy moist ones that don't stick to your teeth and look horrible.Or something.
Or....you could TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN LIFE GODDAMMIT.....and breathe.
just a 'THOUGHT'.....phew

ride within your abilitys if your that paranoid ....

seriously though .....learn some mountain craft ....

It's a no from me as well.

Much as I disagree with some of the tone of Dick's answer, I actually agree with the idea. It seems kind of pointless anyway. At worst you might be lying there for an hour or so before someone found you at a trailcentre.

It'd be a far more 'useful' idea up mountains and such, but still I disagree. Most people who end up calling out the rescue teams are those who are completely unprepared for what they are doing, and I say this knowing that the brother of a friend died 2 days ago in exactly these circumstances. Nature should be wild and make you step back and think, "Am I ready?" before setting off.

just a thought dont we already have this system in place ..... if you ride down the m1 - orange boxes on the hard shoulder ...

"Look at the number of people who ride the trail centres then try some natural stuff and fail as it wasn't marked with a warning or didn't have arrows to tell them which way to go (or had chicken options) -"

Go on, show us the numbers then.

I think this is basically a daft idea but it's got * all to do with "nanny state" or "free thinking and choice". Just that it's impractical. If it wasn't so impractical I'd say go for it, not for the riders but for the emergency services and rangers that have to deal with "I think we're somewhere on the red route, maybe not, we didn't bring a map...".

Now, what IS a good idea is what they do at Kielder, every trail section's got a board up saying exactly where you are, grid ref, nearest reliable mobile phone coverage... So in the event you come across a real emergency, you can get help for yourself or others more effectively. No doubt the "nanny state zomg" people object to that as well but it's a minimal investment thing that makes things easier for the emergency services, I can't see a downside. If you applied that to places with really s*y mapping and waypointing, like Fort William frinstance, it could be of real benefit to people- and not just riders obviously but emergency services.

+1 what Northwind said.

Never ridden Kielder but that sounds far more sensible. At least it should (technically) force someone to be able to read a map.

If it was only at trail centres/bike playgrounds, it wouldn't matter. It would help ensure broken heroes got carted away before they spoiled the trail with too much blood.

But not in our mountains please 🙂

Please let this be a piss take it's bad enough that trail centres exist without adding electronic tagging to them .No one is there to help you on bridleways where you make your own route up without being tagged on a spoon fed trail centre route

"OP goes into witness protection program" shocker......

Each Bog Trotter should be fitted with one on top of their helmet 🙂

[img] ?psid=1[/img]

Just take a phone.

Edric 64 - Member
Please let this be a piss take it's bad enough that trail centres exist without adding electronic tagging to them

Ah, perhaps that's the way forward for trail centres.

A deposit of £50 for an electronic tag which keeps an eye on where you are on the trail, and if you stop for an unreasonable time automatically sends a rescue helicopter.

If you get 'slightly lost' it will administer electric shocks until you are back on course.

Just take a phone.

I reckon mobiles work about 25% of the time in the places we ride...

If you get 'slightly lost' it will administer electric shocks until you are back on course.

YAY!

it's bad enough that trail centres exist

Edric, are you some sort of Harry Enfield character?

IdleJon could be onto something there-if your average speed dips too low it interpretes this as 'mincing' and delivers 30'000volts of electric justice....WINNER.

simon didnt realise you rode in the highlands that often - i really dont see how with the coverage we get up here that you cannot have a working phone for 75% of the rides you do in englandshire....

the ammount of times ive been in the arse end of no where in the highlands and had my phone go off in my bag is uncanny

Rorschach - you could have different settings of course

1 - Mincer
2 - Jeycore lite
3 - Piabetic

I reckon mobiles work about 25% of the time in the places we ride...

My phone (3 network) works at a guess about 75% of the time in the places I have ridden in the Lakes.

i really dont see how with the coverage we get up here that you cannot have a working phone for 75% of the rides you do in englandshire....

75% of most rides 🙂 Maybe propagation is better in Scotland, but generally, if you can't see habitation there's no signal except in a few places.

My phone works at about 7.5% of the time where I ride in wales... 😯

and of course you would need lots and lots and lots of signs like they have on the motorway so you know what direction the "panic" button is and they could be big in case people can't find them - more signs fantastic 😯

I always thought getting a bit lost on rides was part of the adventure, and a bit of risk adds to the enjoyment/ challenge on some rides. 'just a thort' but not much of one.

Truly terrible idea.

I think I read about a forest in Japan where they light numbered chinese lanterns (OK Japanese) if they get lost. BTW I rally think that photo is fantastic. Should be a cover shot.

Take a phone, and if you get into [u][b]SERIOUS[/b][/u] trouble dial:

[center]112[/center]

This will enable the phone to access any network that works (based on signal strength), at no cost to you, and connects you to the 999 call centre.

This also works internationally.

mildred - urban myth apparently - http://www.snopes.com/science/mobile.asp

Grum, if you read the link you posted it agrees with mildred. He didn't say it would magically work when there is no signal, just that it would use the signal of any network that was available.

I always thought getting a bit lost on rides was part of the adventure

I have great nostalgia for my early days of riding when I had no idea where I was - but I made the mistake of looking at maps 🙁

and a bit of risk adds to the enjoyment/ challenge on some rides.

correct 🙂

...it was just a thort...just a Troll then :twisted:?

my t'other half said .... well shall we stop all ambulance services then then and firebrigades and let everyone fend for themselves too..lol (it was his thort of the day anyway.... i just typed it to see wot response there wud be....so anyway end of the TROLL..trip trap trip trap under the bridge- hope that Troll doesnt fall into the Abyss requiring open heart surgery...teeheee

Are you pished?

Please tell me someone other than SFB who sees getting lost, falling off, busting a bike and generally having an adventure as the main appeal of most outdoor sports?
Am I also the only one who was taught to drag your own sorry ar*e of the hill/river (with teeth if needed) if you got hurt or into a spot of bother?

Adventure and self-reliance. Wonderful things.

erm ? nope the Troll is pished ! hahahha

beej - sorry yeah you're right - didn't read mildred's post properly. 😳

Please tell me someone other than SFB who sees getting lost, falling off, busting a bike and generally having an adventure as the main appeal of most outdoor sports?

Dunno about the main appeal but 'having an adventure' is certainly the most memorably aspect of any of it.

Please tell me someone other than SFB who sees getting lost, falling off, busting a bike and generally having an adventure as the main appeal of most outdoor sports?

well, getting lost is not much of an option these days as I carry a 3D map of most places we ride in my head, but I still enjoy the thrill of the unexpected, and accept the occasional crash as part of the experience.

Am I also the only one who was taught to drag your own sorry ar*e of the hill/river (with teeth if needed) if you got hurt or into a spot of bother?

I didn't need to be "taught" that, it comes naturally, however I wouldn't necessarily expect others to conform to my preferences, and one's natural duty of care to others sometimes leads to seeking help from 3rd parties.

don't they have these at most trail centres, by "difficult" bits. impressed by 7 stanes location posts, with hospital info and nearest phone reception area. not in the wilds though? surely the whole point of the countryside is that there isn't posts telling you what to do/where to go

when i am in the country side i take an os map - and stay aware of my surroundings to the point where i could give you a 4 fig grid ref and narrow it down to 1 square Km very soon after looking at the map .

maps are not just for emergencys - knowing where you are is just as important as being able to find out where you are !

Can we have laybys as well so I can stop for a picnic.

and narrow it down to 1 square Km very soon after looking at the map

very soon after I look at the map I find:
a) I'm on the wrong side
b) it's upside down
c) I get all those little coloured lines mixed up...

"a [b]footpath[/b] ? Really ??"

The idea at Kielder was going to be done in a similar fashion at a Scottish location that got left well behind - amusingly it fell on it's face as the FC allegedly refused to pay for a SIM card on each network to check service on all available networks - so rather than offering this info on Vodafone (which was what the ranger had) it wasn't done at all as not everyone used Vodafone so if it couldn't be done for all it wasn't done.

I think the idea is a very good one for trail centres but it also removes the need for responsibility from the rider. Out in the wilds it would be impractical and difficult - trail centres it has more obvious benefits (being in a 'single' location would make it easier to manage - from emergency services point of view it would be a huge benefit).

Have a chat to people riding at the trail centres and ask them how often they ride natural stuff - the majority (in my case) say they don't ride natural stuff as it isn't signposted, no warnings and it needs to be joined up. Saying that I've not asked every single rider who uses trail centres...but in my case, they don't ride natural stuff.

As another daft idea (along similar lines) - I'd suggested some remote cameras in black spot locations - they would be solar powered and would show the area back at a central point - car park/ranger office - that would then let others see if an accident had happened and could be reported - wouldn't identify every single inch of trail but it could be used at locations that regularly have accidents.

Makes alerting emergency services easier (landline from an office rather than potential flakey mobile reception); also makes it much easier for the emergency services to identify the location.

Like I said - another daft idea along similar lines...

Part of the issue is that you are suggesting the removal of responsibility from the rider and you are also adding responsibility on the ranger service/whoever is manning the tv images/call-out service.