[Closed] Who cycles on footpaths?

I avoided them for a long time But I have to confess that there are some local to me that I ride. And that have had people walking on when I've done so. Never had a bad word. A few have commented on how much fun it looks and about the bike etc. Some of them showed me the best route out from one path in Shibden. Most have nobody on them. Not the sure the distinction is a real one these days is it?

You can't put a decent route together around East Lancs without riding footpaths. However, if you do ride the footpaths you can put together some absolutely blinding routes! So its a no brainer. Just stick to [url= http://www.cheekytrails.co.uk/ethics.htm ]the rules[/url]

And, when it comes to byeways! ... there are some beautiful trails churned up by tossers in 4x4’s also rendered unrideable.

Main problem round here is crossers. A lot of the trails have been absolutely destroyed by them over the winter. Some previous singletrack that is now an 8ft wide quagmire of churned up 3ft deep ruts 😥

all the time, but there aren't many people around to complain at 9/10pm at night.

How many folks on here ride illegally on footpaths?

Surely it’s time for a change in access laws?

Junkyard.
AND Molgrips.
I've seen it with my own eyes guv'nor.

If you want any more names, it'll cost.

#willsnitchforcake

Me.

However, I cede to walkers whenever practical - pretty much all the time - and also find that an uber cheery greeting is pretty disarming, even to the most stoic of red socks.

We're all the same, out to enjoy the great outdoors, so I try to behave the way I'd expect others to behave.

I ride wherever there's a trail on the ground.

I exercise some judgement as to what time of day and week I ride some of the busier and cheekier stuff though.

Used to when I was in the UK, though my reservation about a free for all on row is that too many people have little or no common sense when it comes to picking when to ride stuff. Add in that people will expect a lot of nice new gates and crap like that which will then become the land owners responsibility.

I think the discussion is a lot more complex than footpaths.

Not all public footpaths would be suitable for cycling, although a great many are, however there are also thousands of miles of trails, everything from made up access roads downwards, that remain out of bounds to riders on access and common land, where walkers (and horseriders in the case of many commons) have an unrestricted right of access.

If you read the joint CTC/BC/WC/OpenMTB response to the Welsh Government access consultation [url= http://www.ctc.org.uk/campaign/trails-wales ]via here[/url] then it will show some of these arguments in greater detail (results due soon, but we know that cyclist ended up being the biggest response group by far, making this the most successful consultation the WG has run)

The success of #TrailsforWales and the rebranding of CTC as CyclingUK next week has the potential that they will be giving more effort to MTB access issues in the future (working with others) hopefully we can all get behind this.

Yep. The only time when riding I've had someone go chicken oriental on me about riding bikes on a footpath was on a path that was, it transpired afterwards, a bridleway

Every time I ride my bike from home, I make a deliberate point of cycling on the pavement outside the Police Station.*

Sticking it to the man. 8)

Coz' I is well gangsta innit!

*This is actually true.

Every time I ride my bike from home, I make a deliberate point of cycling on the pavement outside the Police Station.*

"Whoop, whoop, this is da sound of da Po-lice" 🙂

Yep. Apart from the ones where there are so many stiles and gates it's not worth the bother.

Practically every ride I do involves Footpaths.

I dont really care either.

Folks keep telling me I don't pay Road Tax, so I'll ride footpaths instead.

Yes, as it's the only way to access a cycle track which goes past where I live (joined up thinking by the council and how cycletrack will be used there...)

I was in the Lakes a couple of weeks ago riding a fp whilst my wife was running, got told off had a try at the common sense replies, ended up the woman incandescent with rage shouting JUST F.. OFF at me whilst I pedalled along a rock covered trail.

* Points and laughs.*

"If you want any more names, it'll cost.

#willsnitchforcake"

No-one likes a grass...

I ride whatever/wherever based on what's practical/safe/common sense. So I'll avoid routes through SSI/environmentally sensitive areas, places with lots of pedestrians (this includes some routes that are 'open' to cycling but just too congested for it to be sensible), or where it is clearly just taking the piss. Yes, I get the odd person telling me off, but quite often you can discuss things reasonably and they might even see your point of view. Interestingly, some of the routes I've used 'illegally' for years are now parts of cycle routes, so obviously what I was doing wasn't actually harming anyone. And I think that's the bottom line; if it ain't harming anyone/thing, then go for it.

Who cycles on footpaths?

No-one.... Carry on

I once had a mad old bat pull off the road and drive her car fifty yards up a bridlepath so that she could flag me down and quiz me about where I [u]might[/u] be riding in ten minutes time.

😆

The bigger problem round here seems to be people driving out into the countryside from the towns and walking where ever they want. In the last few years I've seen lots of 'Private no access' signs go up. People seem to think because there's a bit of flatten mud it's a footpath. The landowners seem a lot less concerned about cycling on the actual right of way.

Yup, vast majority of my riding is on footpaths.

On summer holidays in Cornwall/Devon I often head out for an early morning spin on the coastal footpath, accompanying my mate who runs marathons. Locals/serious runners/dog walkers normally give a cheery wave, but as soon as I get within a mile of a tourist town ( Croyde, Polzeath) I can guarantee being shouted at by a holidaying-out of town-yummy mummy-Londoner type.

nickjb - Member

Is it illegal?

yes.

(in the peak district anyway)

Is it only illegal if there's a specific bylaw?

^^^^^^^^

Correct.

What would happen if the access laws were made rather than 65 years ago?

I suspect all "human powered" transport would be lumped into one category, then horses, and then mechanical propelled devices into a third.

Because MTBs did not exist when the original laws were written, those laws didn't accommodate bikes off road.

So, broadly, anything human powered and being capable of being moved by humans (including bikes) fits into one sector, and horses into another (because you need say a full opening gate to get a horse through, whereas you can lift a bike over a wall/fence etc), and finally mechanised transport needing wider, more solidly paved paths etc.

I suspect all "human powered" transport would be lumped into one category, then horses, and then mechanical propelled devices into a third.

You'd have to word it carefully though - massive debate in the States at the moment as to whether their law prohibiting "mechanized" transport covers (or was intended to cover) bikes. Admittedly your "human-powered" bit covers it though.

The irony is that before footpaths were defined on the official map, most of them were packhorse trails. There arent't many packhorses trotting round nowadays though.

So, broadly, anything human powered and being capable of being moved by humans (including bikes) fits into one sector, and horses into another (because you need say a full opening gate to get a horse through, whereas you can lift a bike over a wall/fence etc), and finally mechanised transport needing wider, more solidly paved paths etc.

What about wheelbarrows? A fully laden wheelbarrow woud be perfectly legal to use on the footpath, wouldn't fit through many walkers gates and would do immeasurably more damage to trails than a bike.
Won't anyone think of the wheelbarrowists?

In Scotland, a bicycle is determined to be "an aid to pedestrianisation".

Always; if there's a trail there and it's suitable without doing serious damage then it's our duty to ride them

I can't see it getting resolved for a long time as the simplest idea designating riding a bicycle as "reasonable accompaniment" on footpaths and common land is unlikely to ever get the cycling groups to back it although it solves most issues

Upgrading access if footpaths will need to be turned into bridleways mean that councils will vote against that, higher access rights devalues land so the landowner will want compensation and current schemes for that are coming to an end and conservationists will blame MTB's for everything ignoring the obvious real issues. We will then be in the tramper debate and the whole thing collapses

So, broadly, anything human powered and being capable of being moved by humans (including bikes) fits into one sector, and horses into another (because you need say a full opening gate to get a horse through, whereas you can lift a bike over a wall/fence etc), and finally mechanised transport needing wider, more solidly paved paths etc.

where do ebikes fit into this?

Can we just pop e bikes back in the box and lock the lid?

Can we just pop e bikes back in the box and lock the lid?

no

Personally I think that bridlepaths are there to be ridden hard, with consideration given to peds. Footpaths (countryside and pavements in towns) are there to be ridden with LOTS of consideration given to peds.

Very busy? Get off and walk for a while. Very narrow? Ditto.

Fairly narrow? Slow right down to pass.

One thing that does bug me (on towpaths especially) is how few pedestrians say thank you. Most seem good at saying hello or good morning... but it does bug me how I pretty much always say thank you to people who 'tuck in' to allow me to pass with ease, whilst practically none acknowledge that I've slowed down to pretty much walking pace in order to minimise the chances of a collision and make sure I don't hurt them if we do collide.

Hora does
(Sorry Mark, I'm a snitch)

ahwiles - Member

nickjb - Member Is it illegal?

yes. (in the peak district anyway)

You sure? I though it was a Sheffield thing but after reading a shed load of council paperwork the closest I could find was reference to riding on paths across parkland all of which are specifically listed (in a different document) and does not mention National Park AKA Peak district.

I Seem to remember Singletrack starting a series of articles on this but nothing ever came of it. We really need a proper magazine / website to delve in to this and come up with a definitive answer, it'd be controversial but at least it would correct instead of current situation where no one really knows.

The way my cousin summarised it was to think of bridleways as a pub. Anyone can walk into a pub but if the landlord asks you to leave and you don't then you could get into trouble.

I do.
Just back from a double cheeky lunch time pedal. 🙂

Me, all the time. When motorists start obeying the rules of the road I'll start paying attention to stupid, outdated RoW legislation. I've had one person grumble at me in the last five years, that was a fat farmer who drove his pickup specially to the top of a hill to bollock me for pushing my bike along the FP at the edge of one of his fields. Stupid ****.

I think the Peak District thing is a confusion with National Trust byelaws perhaps? The NT does own big bits of the Peak and you're not supposed to ride on their land (except on BWs etc) it says so in the teeny tiny print on the back of those signs they litter the countryside with. Having said that I've bimbled past their rangers on my bike on FPs so many times now that I've lost count, and all they ever say to me is "Hello!". If they know about that byelaw they don't seem to care...

thepodge - Member

You sure?

a specific bylaw i thought...

(but my google-fu is weak)

anyway, yes i do, if there was even an ounce of sense behind the footpath/bridleway classifications, then i'd probably play along.

but there isn't. not. a. single. ounce.

yes and that's because the law from the '50's was intended to protect public access asnd not be the bare legal minimum

I usually point out that I have the landowners permission - check out the NT, Yorkshire Water etc annual reports and they all say they encourage cycling on their land 🙂

just smile and wave

mintimperial - I think the Peak District thing is a confusion with National Trust byelaws perhaps

But even that isnt clear. In my mind all the below says is that you cannot cycle where it is not authorised. how do you know what is and is not authorised?

Driving, Parking and Mooring of Conveyances
11. (a) No unauthorised person shall:
(i) Moor, park or leave on Trust Property any conveyance except in mooring sites or parking places provided by the National Trust.
(ii) Leave any conveyance between sunset and sunrise in any parking place on Trust Property.
(iii) Ride or drive any conveyance over or upon Trust Property otherwise than upon roads, tracks and waterways authorised for the use of such conveyance.
(iv) Use any part of Trust Property in connection with any race, hill climb, rally,regatta, or other similar function involving the use of any conveyance.
(b) No person shall ride or drive any conveyance to the danger or annoyance of or without due consideration for other persons resorting to Trust Property.
Note: In this Byelaw “conveyance” includes any air, land or watercraft vehicle or machine other than wheelchairs and perambulators. Subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of paragraph (a) shall have no application to pedal cycles.

ahwiles - a specific bylaw i thought...

As did I but as I said, I could only find it referring to parkland and that parkland had been defined in another document meaning it couldnt be uised as an all encompasing term. Ironically it bans you from cycling in Bolehills

Lots of footpaths around here were obviously used for transporting materials by horse and are nice and wide and robust and for those I say fair game as long as you do so respectfully but the same should be so for bridleways, just exercise a bit more caution and be aware at certain times they will be busy with walkers. Others are not suitable but it may be the only way somewhere and very little used so UAE discretion and extreme care.

A couple of weeks ago I got stick behind a group of elderly walkers on a rocky downhill bridleway. I waited behind them patiently, taking breaks and catching up only when it was wide enough to get passed without worried them. One old lady did comment "are you sure you should be riding here?" To which is said "yes it's a bridleway" with a big grin on my face which made my friend following behind chuckle.

yep (cheeky sensibly/considerately)
handy in winter when bridleways are overhorsed and it just opens up so many more areas and routes (bridleway is only about 22% of total tracks in Eng+Wal)

But even that isnt clear. In my mind all the below says is that you cannot cycle where it is not authorised. how do you know what is and is not authorised?

Yeah. I suppose if you repeatedly razzed along something of theirs with massive "NO CYCLING" signs on it after being asked not to, that bit of text would make it easier to bollock you officially. If you're not being a dick about it though I doubt the NT would want to pay a load of lawyers to do anything about the odd bit of cycling on footpaths up in the hills.

andyl - To which is said "yes it's a bridleway" with a big grin on my face which made my friend following behind chuckle.

Wrong answer, you should have said "I can ride any right of way I like but if its a footpath I must leave if asked by the landlord or the land owner's representative".

Excluding random by-laws cycles are not banned from footpaths, they just don't have protection to be there.

Everyone needs educating on this matter, especially cyclists.

We have the ridiculous situation where long-standing rights of way change designation to accommodate the whims of the locals i.e. a bridleway becomes a footpath for half-a-mile and reverts back to a bridleway. The MOD subject to their own bylaws are now trying to enforce the rule of access after 25 years of doing nothing on what is effectively common land, deliberately barriering-off RoW and yet allow motorbike enduros for 200+ bikes that cut new trails and churn every other into a muddy mess. Less issue with locals than the bobble-hat brigade who can be confrontational and ill-informed rather than simply steping aside for a second. Had an angler with all his gear blocking the towpath telling me I didn't own the path too.

.Wrong answer, you should have said "I can ride any right of way I like but if its a footpath I must leave if asked by the landlord or the land owner's

It's not really a wrong answer, I was on a bridleway. I could have taken the long winded line you quote but I will save that for when I am footpaths and travelling slow enough to get all that out without stopping!

andyl - It's not really a wrong answer, I was on a bridleway. I could have taken the long winded line you quote but I will save that for when I am footpaths and travelling slow enough to get all that out without stopping!

Access on MOD land can be mad. There's a section of the Imber Range Path that is a ~8m wide concrete road - tanks could easily pass each other on it. There's also a bridleway right of way along it, except for a ~0.5km section that's a footpath. Presumably the paperwork is too much to make it all bridleway and it's easier to just divert cyclists onto the busy main road!

I once found an awesome cheeky near Grizedale. It has everything; seamed-jagged rock off camber, drops to hardpack, loose earth etc. I'm sworn to secrecy 8)

I do so knowingly sometimes, with judgement where it's a good trail and quiet. I wouldn't plan a route including one if I hadn't ridden it before though. I especially hate it when BWs just stop nowhere or turn into FPs. A lot of the cheeky stuff I ride is stuff in woodland that isn't a RoW, and I reckon it's fair game to ride a trail if it's not clear what it is. I do avoid the paths with 'no cycling' signs or obvious 'footpath' finger posts, it's just inviting someone to win an argument if you do meet them!

The whole system of access rights is crap though, and i'm not going to stick rigidly to inappropriate rules or wait around for them to change.

I prefer the word path if you please.

I do on the commute to work, in fairness it's only around half a mile and never had any problems with the locals, all smile and do the morning and evening greeting, and only because other road users seem to be complete halfwits who try their hardest to wheelchair me

Awh, could you email me details of that... Only I am at the MOD national access forum on behalf of CTC and OpenMTB later this month, and will bring it up. 😀

Labrat dot IMBA@gmail.com

Dovebiker, presume you are talking Surrey? if so, then there are discussions ongoing, but laborious, if somewhere else, let me know.

Weirdly enough I just got back from a ride, at the end of which I had the first "This is a public footpath you know!" in years and years, from a knackered looking red-faced old bloke carrying a bag full of clinking bottles. I was a bit ****ed so without thinking I replied "Yeah whatever mate," to which he responded "COME BACK HERE AND SAY THAT!" and then some other shouty stuff I didn't catch because I was going WHEEEE! down the rest of the hill by that point. I didn't see if he was shaking his fists, with little clouds of steam coming out of his ears, but it definitely sounded that way.

Some people are so angry about everything all the time, it must be very wearing for them. They should try going for a ride on some cheeky footpaths, it always seems to cheer me up. 😀

Has this link been posted yet?

http://www.ctc.org.uk/article/campaigns-guide/cycling-on-footpath-trespass

I tend to ride where it's safest and that's usually the path. Unless the path is busy then i'll pop onto the road until it clears. Always have, always will.

Yes, I ride footpaths, I also have a super cheeky golf course bit I ride. Lovely berms and drops 😳

Footpaths yes, footways no.
More on the topic of bez's post I have as similar although not as servere, I ride to work along an old railway line. Any rain and it it a very muddy ride even with full guards. Even with commuting tyres I get more punctures than I did riding in London. It's no wonder people don't consider it for utility cycling.

Ok, maybe not the wrong answer but it reinforces the idea that if you should be there because its a bridleway then perhaps you should not be on footpaths.

I think you are reading too much into it. The term footpath never came up.

After nearly hitting a granny from racing around a corner and braking like rabbit in heat, then hearing the granny scream and tell me off.

So lucky I didn't hit her.

I haven't cycled on paths since I was 8 years old.

Instead I have had pedestrians walk out on to the road at the last second, crashed into them. Nearly took one of the to court after breaking my neck.

Me, I've come to the conclusion that I'll ride responsibly to minimise my impact which means im going where is appropriate to the ground conditions and how busy it is. Mainly i look for quiet routes, rocky or hard packed footpaths get ridden all year but if they're busy I'll try to avoid peak times, muddy footpaths and bridleways get ridden only when they've dried out.

Round here it's dog walkers, always dog walkers trying to spoil things and assert that bikes are not allowed. They are correct but they should just calm down.

I've ridden one path near me, resurfaced and not exciting but preferable to the tarmac alternative. I've ridden it 4 times in the last 2-3 weeks, and on 3 of those rides a different dog walker each time has taken exception.

Round here the dog walkers are usually wrong, it's usually an unmarked path that neither of us has a right of way on... they never like being told this though 🙂

Course I do. Not in a touristy area on a warm day, but otherwise course I do.

Ride wherever, don't be a knob, shrug and speak french if challenged by a rambler. Job's a good un.

Yep, loads.

maybe get told off once every two/three years.

South Downs NP have made some remarkable discoveries this week:

http://southdownsforum.ning.com/forum/topics/new-research-findings-in-the-sdnp?xg_source=msg_mes_network

ridelikeadoper - Member

Has this link been posted yet?

http://www.ctc.org.uk/article/campaigns-guide/cycling-on-footpath-trespass
br />

I stick to this rule
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Will4/5-6/50/section/72

The highways act of 1835, (25 years before the original "Boneshaker" cycle was invented) states
"[i]If any person shall wilfully ride upon any footpath or causeway by the side of any road made or set apart for the use or accommodation of foot passengers; or shall wilfully lead or drive any horse, ass, sheep, mule, swine, or cattle or carriage of any description, or any truck or sledge, upon any such footpath or causeway; or shall tether any horse, ass, mule, swine, or cattle, on any highway, so as to suffer or permit the tethered animal to be thereon;."[/i]

No mention of cycles on footpaths, your honour...

if my wheels won't sink into it I will use it to ride.

and I will especially use a footpath if it skips a set of traffic lights.

I trust all of us do, discreetly and courteously, never in large numbers and not in tourist hotspots on bank holidays. The law is an ass and needs to be changed - of that we're all agreed.

Never have issues with horse riders and all the locals I meet on foot are affable - attitude is everything as are first impressions?

I stick to this rule
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Will4/5-6/50/section/72

No mention of cycles on footpaths, your honour...

Hmm, not sure what you're trying to say there - That rule refers specifically to 'footpaths by the side of roads' (Which are better referred to as 'footways' for clarity as opposed to 'footpath' as in 'Public Footpath')

but theres no doubt at all that the definition "carriage of any description" within the 1835 act applies to bicycles, as Section 85(1) of the Local Government Act 1888 provides that:
"… Bicycles, tricycles, velocipedes, and other similar machines are hereby declared to be carriages within the meaning of the Highway Acts"

First rule of Footpath Club.

Rorschach - Member

First rule of Footpath Club.

Where's the Like button?