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New Forest row: Sportive organiser warns riders to follow Highway Code... and locals will be watching

Organisers respond to concerns raised by MP, as posters go up in pubs urging those who 'compromise safety' to be reported...

UK Cycling Events, organisers of this weekend’s Wiggle New Forest Spring Sportive, says that riders spotted breaching the Highway Code will not be allowed to take part in other events its arranges. The news follows posters reportedly going up in pubs in the area telling people to report cyclists they see acting in a way that "compromises safety" to take pictures and forward them to local councils.

Yesterday, a picture of one of those posters was placed on a forum thread on cyling website Singletrack World. An email received by one contributor to that thread suggests that some locals have equipped themselves with a speed camera and that they will film and report any cyclist the speed camera says is riding above the speed limit - presumably they are unaware that speed limits do not in fact apply to cyclists.

The poster itself reads:

SAFETY ALERT

Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th April 2013

6000 Event Cyclists

will be travelling at speed in and around New Forest villages

If you see something that compromises safety then take a picture and send with the date, time, location and details of the incident to your Parish Council. Our New Forest authorities need hard evidence before they can act. Remember...

'one click could do the trick'

It's against that background of vociferous opposition to large-scale cycling events, something that has been escalating for a couple of years now, that Martin Barden from UK Cycling Events, quoted in the Salisbury Echo, said: “Cycling is becoming more and more popular and it is the responsibility of every motorist and cyclist to share the roads in a considerate manner.

“We ask cyclists, wherever possible, to ride single file around the course, and have produced signs we will put up around the route to remind riders.

“Any cyclist seen to be breaking the Highway Code will, as part of our terms and conditions, be banned from future events.”

He also said that particpants would be asked to ride slowly past horses and give them lots of space.

“As we choose some of the most scenic and beautiful areas to ride, such as the New Forest, we quite often come across wild animals grazing at the side of the road,” he explained.

“The same principle applies - give them plenty of room.”

Around 4,000 riders are due to take part in the event this weekend, and as we reported earlier this week, local MP Dr Julian Lewis has called for a licensing system to be introduced for organised mass rides within the New Forest.

Dr Lewis claimed that cyclists posed a risk to livestock in the New Forest, and also accused some of breaking the Highway Code.

His comments were made as the New Forest National Park Authority has said it plans to draw up a charter for organisers to adhere to.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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44 comments

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Tongietr8 | 10 years ago
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I am in agreement with everyone that the nimbys are a complete pain and all this opposition to the sportives and cyclists in general is just futile.

However I have a solution! Do northern Sportives - it is so cold and Left Wing up here you won't see any of the chinless right wing idiots within a 100 miles.

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Leviathan | 10 years ago
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6000 event cyclists x 3 metres (with a bit of a gap,) you do the maths. So this is a time trial not a sportive? All they have to do is wait around the first corner of the course and they will have all the snaps they want. Evidence collected; objective to have the event banned. Childish loons.

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brew replied to ridemybike | 10 years ago
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ridemybike wrote:

Are UKcyclingEvents suggesting that cyclists should not ride 2 abreast? Even though that is permitted within the highwaycode?

I was riding in the Forest today, and there are signs up for the event suggesting riding single file on some of the narrower roads.

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gazza_d | 10 years ago
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I suggest everyone riding has a camera either still or video handy and captures every example of bad or inconsiderate driving and bombards the council, parish and above and the MP with them.

Although that'll never happen cos all drivers are whiter than white though...

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gazza_d | 10 years ago
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I'd also like to see all the shops, cafes and pubs etc which see increased trade this weekend because of the cycling event shout it from the rooftops, especially after the inclement start to the year.

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BMC_rider | 10 years ago
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My suggestion is that anyone cycling in the area who goes into a local establishment and sees one of those notices politely asks the proprietor to take it down perhaps explaining that you like to support local pubs /cafes etc. If they take it down, stay. If they don't then leave politely without buying anything or using any of the facilities. If they're good capitalists they'll soon get the message!

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Tony | 10 years ago
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Dr Lewis must be a good friend of the barking Dr Ferris.

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/9372056.Bike_rage_threatens_to_take_hold...

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PhilRuss | 10 years ago
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[[[ 66 dead ponies? Look, you lycra-louts--- if you slow motorists down, how will they ever go fast enough to kill the ponies? Really, though, if "66 died", how many more were injured? Yikes....
P.R.

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Simon_MacMichael replied to Tony | 10 years ago
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Tony wrote:

Dr Lewis must be a good friend of the barking Dr Ferris.

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/9372056.Bike_rage_threatens_to_take_hold...

I'm sure Dr Ferris just has the best interests of all the New Forest's animals at heart and doesn't want people frightening or harming them by charging round the countryside in the saddle while wearing bright clothing.

Oh. Wait a minute...

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/9440849.New_Forest_hunt_supporters...

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thx1138 | 10 years ago
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Look like Sundays event has been cancelled due to the bad weather. The event headquarters at New Park is flooded and as it 95% grass (now deep mud) things aren't looking good for parking.

No doubt the NIMBY's will claim a victory following todays protests.

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Argos74 | 10 years ago
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And meanwhile, just down the road from the New Forest, it's looks like the local press has been getting some advance practice on the taking photos side of things. Bless.

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/10351333.VIDEO__The__gross_stupidi...

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stella65 replied to davidtcycle | 10 years ago
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davidtcycle wrote:

66 ponies killed by motorist in the New Forest last year, more than once a week a pony is splattered across the tarmac. How long do they take to die? A couple of mins? a hour?
or as long as it takes for a vet to be called out to shoot them. So 66 ponies died in agony last year alone after being hit by motorists. Maybe someone would like to photograph that.

Have you never heard of Agisters? The subject of the forest ponies killed on the road is a very serious one but the fact that some visitors to the new forest believe that a vet comes out to destroy these poor creatures is hillarious!

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stella65 replied to davidtcycle | 10 years ago
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.

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qwerky | 10 years ago
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Rode it on Saturday and seems to have been a storm in a teacup. No protesters, very little traffic on the mainly quiet roads. Maybe it was the weather, so rainy even the ponies/cattle stayed under the trees and off the road.

Only complaint was a small amount of litter (I saw maybe 10ish gel wrappers) and that the organisers cocked up my timing (wrong number, wrong time, wrong distance).

Looked like a few people's cars were stuck in the mud in the car park/field (hint: if the wheels are spinning, then more throttle is not the solution) but as I was staying in a B&B a few miles down the road I had a bit of a chuckle about it.

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