An interesting range of responses… I think the best course of action for me is to get involved with the process. I did attend a laf meeting at Leeds but couldn’t at the time see how I could add value, but I do think it’s worth doing if not just to see how the system works and put my two penneth worth in.

Hi, I am active in Friends of Baildon Moor and have recently become a Right to Ride rep with the CTC, with an off-road focus. I’ve been to two LAFs in Bradford and more to follow; I was the only MTBer there.
I do have a good relationship with the council too who are quite supportive of biking.
Personally, I was against the surfacing of the path to Sconce on Baildon Moor, if that is was referred to earlier but I don’t think this will be the norm here. There are plenty of other routes on BM which are good technically and away from most other users and sensitive areas.

David

BTW, on the thread: Downgrading of bridleways in Cullingworth
These are still ongoing after 10 years or so. The first, uncontested by the council, is going to public enquiry in Jan 2012. The other one will go to another PI in the summer.Both are opposed by range of groups doing good work, though I not sure how co-ordinated we all are.
Any new evidence as to use prior to 1952 as anything other than a footpath is important.

I remember an article that Janet Street Porter did in a paper a while ago.
She is a keen rambler and was moaning about the approaches to some mountains being paved.
So it’s not just bikers moaning.

To mr sonor again. Can you tell me just who has gained from the gravel?

Whoever sold it to the council contractors? I’ve no idea what kind of gravel it is or even where the trail is. And honestly I couldn’t give a ****.

Are we to go on a sacred quest to ensure that every track is perfectly smooth so that if some unknown user ventures out into the nasty countryside they won’t be spooked?

So is this track Gravelly or smooth? Or are you somehow referring that the councils in this country have limitless resources to “sanitise” every bridleway. Which they don’t. I’m with TJ on this, there are plenty of trails around that don’t get this treatment and those that do will be weathered soon enough, surely the few trails that are smoothed out are a benefit to other users who like us mountain bikers may want to use them.

It is the countryside after all. Surely those awful mountainbikers are a bigger menace to this sensitive rambler than a bit of dirt. Are you going to give up biking just in case.

This mountainbiker understands that there are other users of the countryside that may require different kinds of trail surface in order to access it. There are plenty of trails of all kinds for all to share.

These are legitimate cycle paths that have been covered in gravel and rendered dangerous to ride.

In that case they must be legitimate for other users as well. Perhaps instead of bleating about the temporary loss of a rough trail surface on an internet forum, you actually find out why it was done.

As for budgets if they have money to waste on these projects they are being given too much, and I would like MY money back.

A waste in your narrow me, me, me opinion. Your not from the south of the country are you?