[Closed] this riding on footpath nonsense

Agree on the trailbike 4x4 bit unless it's policed properly they really rip sensitive areas apart

I regularly ride along a footpath in Bewdley on my commute.
It's through a park, so for most of its length, there is plenty of room on one side or the other to do a wide loop round any pedestrians I might meet.
Riding home one day last week, the two oncoming pedestrians were wearing police uniforms. 😕
A wide sweep to the right while maintaining the same pace and I was gone before they had time to think about Rights of Way. 😀

Please can someone post a link to this thread on the Ramblers forum?! 😉

the two oncoming pedestrians were wearing police uniforms.

beneath which they had only frilly suspenders...

In my defence, it is a proposed Sustrans route.
North out of Bewdley on the West bank, or heading upstream with the river on your right, if you prefer.
It's a far safer route from Bewdley in to the Wyre Forest than the official Route 45 up Welch Gate, but I think the Sustrans argument is that a long ride up a steep narrow hill between houses in a 30mph limit is safer than crossing a road with a 60mph limit. It isn't.

[i]and welcome confrontation - except it never happens - most of the time there's nobody there to notice or care and the sooner the self-policing meme is eradicted from riders, the happier they'll be [/i]

The confrontation may not happen there and then, instead we get people building traps and obstacles on trails after the "group ride" that affects other riders.

Is a bit of common sense really too much to ask for?

The confrontation may not happen there and then, instead we get people building traps and obstacles on trails after the "group ride" that affects other riders.

not anywhere I've ever been

Is a bit of common sense really too much to ask for?

it's common sense not to build mantraps as it's both illegal and dangerous. It's common sense that it's our country.

SFB enjoys the confrontation a bit too much but I don't think you can lay the blame of "traps" at the feet of cheeky group rides, that rests clearly with the unhinged minds of the individuals building the traps. Just as a mototorist seeing an RLJer doesn't give them carteblanche to run down cyclists, seeing trail poachers doesn't give them reason to build traps, they are just sadistic gits.

I'll admit to not having read every post on this, so apologies if this has already been said.

Like many of us I have done plenty of cheeky riding, but as someone who also likes to go for a peaceful walk with my little 'uns, it is nice to know I can get on a footpath and be fairly confident I don't have to worry about bikes hurtling towards me from both directions. Using the same reasoning, I like riding at trail centres because - generally - I'm not going to find endless walkers around every corner spoiling my fun.

I've also got scars on both arms from a bit of bailing twine strung across a bridleway. Thankfully there are no accompanying scars on my neck. I'm still wondering if this is relevant to the post 😕

don't think that most ramblers or horseriders are anti-mtb but there is potential for conflict where people ride bikes like c0cks and one or two bad experiences colours peoples opinions

got stopped by a peak park ranger riding one of those odd routes where in the 50's south yorks council made an old route a bridleway whilst derby cc decided that it would only be a footpath on their side of the border - it was pointed out that i was breaking a national park byelaw and i pointed out that the national trust that owned the land had a policy of encouraging cycling (true its in their annual report but you'd never realise it) we chatted about the view and he asked me not to do it again i said i'd fought for access for climbers and walkers and was happy to do the same for cyclists - and went on my way
as an experience compares pretty favourably with the pre crow run ins with gamekeepers and waterboard employees and their dogs and guns when out running on forbidden moorland

personally i think should be campaigning for free access for bike access to all crow land and if in exchange we need third party insurance i'd consider it a good deal (runs and hides) and if some places need a voluntary agreement to reduce conflict no big deal

I'm a live and let live rider, I always say hello and am very aware of how quick a bike can close on someone from behind and scare the bejeesuz out of them, so I exercise caution AMAP. That being said you do get some pedestrians who like to give you as much hassle as possible and bar your way. I like think they are off duty teachers and just thank them for their advice whilst sailing past.

8)

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I ride where I want when I want, and I've had confrontation maybe once or twice asa result of it. As with SFB, mostly this is a problem in [b]our[/b] heads. Most folk don't know the rules anyway, and don't venture (on the whole) more than a couple of hundred yards from which ever car park they've driven to for a nice "day out in the countryside" They mostly assume we know what we can do, and if they do know we shouldn't be there, they'll do the English thing, and mutter to themselves about it.

The last confrontation I had with a bunch of ramblers was on a Bridleway, when one decided that I was was responsible for all the erosion (tyre tracks through a puddle) I couldn't be arsed with an argument, so just ignored the silly man. That was a couple of years ago now.

True they don't. For example there are sections of 'trail' that have never been any form of ROW, however over the years bikers have made these little trails and now walkers use them. So it makes me chuckle when I see a walker getting ready to spout 'you shouldn't be on here' and I reply 'nor should you' But at least I've paid my permit money and tidy the trails up two or three time a year.

I just wave my permit and tell them it entitles me to ride anywhere I want, which isn't exactly true 😆

I try to stick to singletrack (aka footpaths) as much as possible, after all, this is the website for "Singletrack" magazine. However I'm always polite to walkers and am happy to slow down/stop if needed. 99% of the time you get a friendly "Hello", quite often followed by words of encouragement and/or a "You're mad!" type jokey comment. Occasionally you get some miserable git but I still give them the same polite treatment and just carry on riding.

I think I made my feeling clear on the other ROW post.
I'll stop riding on paths when, they take down the mobile mast in the woods, dig up the car park and road to it and return it to woodland, bulldoze the café remove all the litter it makes, get rid of all the reflective signs, make dog walkers pick up the plastic bags and remove all the bins and make people take litter home.

I'll stop riding on paths when, they take down the mobile mast in the woods, dig up the car park ...

AKA "never" :o)

I just wave my permit and tell them it entitles me to ride anywhere I want,

Day release permit?

Any farmers on here to give their views on people using their land?

Any farmers on here to give their views on people using their land?

how much time do you spend on farming forums ?

Two weeks ago, I was stopped whilst riding with my two children on a footpath (consisting of a mile long tarmac road approx 9ft wide). I was told politely that it was a footpath and that, next time, we should get off our bikes and push. He then drove off in his car along the "footpath" aka "road" leaving me scratching my head at the irony of the situation. (Car - yes, bike - no). Ok it was probably his land but it seemed ridiculous all the same. Being new to mountain biking, I posted a query on [url= http://www.mtb-wales.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=XForum&file=viewthread&tid=23962 ]this forum[/url] and received some helpful replies from others. The Scots have the right idea though!

2nd BoardinBob

I emigrated

a forestry commission guy who didn't know the law

That bloody Ashdown Forest needs sorting out with a bit of mass SFB treatment.

That bloody Ashdown Forest needs sorting out with a bit of mass SFB treatment.

be sensible, isn't one of me way more than enough ?

For those of you extolling the scottish set up remember it is not an absolute right - its qualified by the need to be reasonable and some of what you can do on bridleways such as mass rides in wet conditions would not always be reasonable. Similarly there is no duty on the part of the council to maintain tracks.

TandemJeremy - Member
For those of you extolling the scottish set up remember it is not an absolute right - its qualified by the need to be reasonable and some of what you can do on bridleways such as mass rides in wet conditions would not always be reasonable. Similarly there is no duty on the part of the council to maintain tracks.

But that's the great thing - the being reasonable - because most of the trail users on foot, bike, or horse know this, so unless you are behaving like a prat, you're likely to get a cheery hello as you go past.

I like that the council is not required to maintain tracks. No incentive for them to try to bring in restrictions to reduce costs 🙂

How can you tell a rambler from a walker ?

[url= http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10245508-93.html ]Google builds Street View trikes to map U.K. footpaths[/url]

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So it must be ok or did google fail to google 'riding footpaths'

I wouldn't be very happy having to pedal that lot either 🙁