It has emerged that attempts were made to sabotage the Wiggle New Forest Spring Sportive this weekend, with in excess of 1,000 signs vandalised, drawing pins scattered on the road and motorists driving slowly to form a kind of rolling road block, reports the Southern Daily Echo. The event has been the subject of vociferous opposition from some locals.
The incidents took place on Saturday, the first of two planned days of riding, although as we reported yesterday, the second day was cancelled due to heavy rain causing the field that hosted the event headquarters in Brockenhurst to become waterlogged.
The Southern Daily Echo says that while event marshals swept drawing pins from the road at Boldre, some of the near 2,000 riders taking part on Saturday still suffered punctures. Earlier, organisers had also had to replace signs that had been defaced or torn down.
Martin Barden from the organisers, UK Cycling Events, confirmed that no-one was injured, but said that he was “appalled” at the attempted sabotaging of the event, which he said included cars being driven slowly to block riders.
“A small minority of people have taken to vigilante lengths to stop the events,” he said. “Their behaviour is unacceptable.”
He added that the saboteurs “have tried to ruin the day for everyone and tried to endanger cyclists.
“Luckily that hasn’t happened, due to sheer luck, but the attempt to injure a cyclist has been there.
“I think it is appalling. It’s all been reported to the police.
“It is a very small-minded type of attitude. If we hadn’t been on top of it, it could have caused serious harm.”
However, he said that most participants had been unaware of the issues, that most locals had given a welcome to riders in the event, now in its fifth year, and that his company kept numbers low so as to minimise impact on the area.
“We could have had 10,000 people here but we reduced the figures. We did it consciously to be considerate to the local residents. The same courtesy has not been extended the other way, in some parts. ”
Ian Wild, chairman of Boldre Parish Council, described attempts to sabotage the event as “reprehensible.”
He said: “It could have caused accidents and could have potentially been very serious. Anyone who cycled over the tacks could have been injured. If someone had done that, that’s reprehensible.”
Much of the opposition to the event, and similar mass rides in the area, surrounds the perceived danger posed by cyclists to local livestock, including horses; however, it is motor vehicles that are responsible for the death of around 70 New Forest Ponies each year, according to the New Forest National Park Authority.
While many locals, whether in the New Forest or elsewhere, welcome sportives which also bring money into the local economy, attempts to sabotage such events do happen, although they are rare; Saturday’s incidents are reminiscent of similar incidents at the Etape Caledonia in previous years.
62 thoughts on “Sabotage hits New Forest sportive with drawing pins spread on road, signs ripped down and go-slow driving”
Pathetic.. what do they think
Pathetic.. what do they think they’re achieving?
So what will the police do?
So what will the police do?
Having ridden the sportive on
Having ridden the sportive on Saturday, and being from the area myself, I can say I was absolutely appalled by the behaviour of some locals…. Not only were signs vandalised, changed and removed altogether, at a particularly isolated part of the forest a threatening group of men gathered across the centre of the road, pushing at cyclists as we went through the middle of group, bemoaning ‘mass cycling events in our forest’. I note the local MP, Dr Julian Lewis has been less quick to jump to condemnation of this type of dangerous behaviour than he was of peaceful and harmless cyclists bringing money into the area at a time when tourism numbers are down sharply thanks to our terrible winter weather! Having stoked up so much of the outrage, I presume he is keeping his head down…
And one final thought – at
And one final thought – at the other end of the A35, I see motor accident tragically killed two people yesterday… and yet no one will suggest any limits on drivers flying around the forest’s roads today, I’m sure.
Nic
interesting how you don’t get
interesting how you don’t get this problem on the Dragon.
In fact I saw many villages lined with locals out on deck
chairs cheering us all on …. sad that there are such
narrow minded bigots around. Bet the local businesses
liked the influx of trade though !
Similar atmosphere with the
Similar atmosphere with the Dunwich Dynamo: villages along the route open up, serve tea & food and wave people on.
I rode it on Saturday, didn’t
I rode it on Saturday, didn’t see any of this. Whole thing was fairly quiet; little traffic, no protesters, didn’t see the signs turned round.
Maybe they came out early but went home after the rain started (about 10:30).
The rise in popularity of the
The rise in popularity of the Sportive will probably lead to more of this with disruption on rural communities. Some will no doubt be progressive enough to accept that influx, while others will resort to these sorts of tactics.
As a sportive rider I think that it is the responsibility of riders not to impede local traffic (riding two abreast is fine as long as it’s not queuing traffic up down country lanes. Wave through cars when it is safe to encourage motorists through etc).
I don’t know if UK cycling events have to pay a fee for running these events to local councils etc. but if direct profits of the rides flow into local coffers (and locals will feel better about it if it extends to more than the occasional B&B being booked and a Sunday lunch in a pub, by participants) then they will surely feel more kindly about the event taking place and the reaction to inconvenience a bit better.
It does sound like UK Cycling Events do take into account local concerns and by paying schools and other organisations for parking money does go directly to the community, as well as consultation with locals. But the continuation and growth of these sorts of events and the safety of thousands of riders patticipating should mean that local considerations are put high on the agenda. Without that support the safety of everyone involved is compromised.
Colin Peyresourde wrote:
I
I took the wife and daughter, local businesses got over £300 from us on the weekend. UK Cycling Events only got £28.
B&B – £150
Pub dinners – £80
LBS – £20
Aminal Park – £45
Cafes/Sandwich shops – £20
Local economy gets far more money out of this than UK Cycling Events.
I bet you could draw a very
I bet you could draw a very simple line from the morons who did this to The Countryside Alliance which in turn directly feeds to the Fuel Protest lot we saw a few years ago. And from them there isnt a huge jump to the BNP and EDL.
I’m not condoning the actions
I’m not condoning the actions of these idiots, but I do get the feeling that a) cyclists think they’ve paid to have the roads to themselves and are ignorant of other traffic on the road (which will antagonise locals) and b) if the locals see little or no trickle down then they will not see the invasion of 1,000-10,000 cyclists as being anything but a nuisance to them or worse.
Actually, if they invited locals to sell local produce and merchandise at the events it might invite better support from local communities.
I’m appalled by this – the
I’m appalled by this – the New Forest Sportives are one of the highlights of my year and have just booked a holiday cottage there for the first week in July.
What, I wonder, will the local threshold of tolerance be to cyclists in the months to come? I wonder if my wife and I will be hounded off the roads in July for daring to use this public space?
UKCE would have my total support if they decided to suspend all New Forest events from now on. It would be interesting to see what effect it has on the local economy.
Effectively, what they are saying is ‘You and your custom are not welcome’ – maybe we should all drive around the Forest, clogging & damaging the roads and verges, polluting the air and endangering the wildlife.
Careful what you wish for, New Foresters
The picket line of people
The picket line of people stood across the road roughly halfway along was pretty pathetic to see.
I’d have more respect for these NIMBYS if they just admitted they “don’t like cyclists” rather than try and link it to the safety of animals (go and check the official accident stats morons!) and dropping litter (I have never seen a cyclist do this, though frequently see motorists sling things out windows)
Placards and comments about “ruining the national park” where interesting given the gas-guzzling Range Rover parked on the side of the road, and one protester flicking a fag butt into the verge.
I didn’t see them pushing or shoving anyone, just stood there moaning and trying (somewhat laughably) to look menacing. What muppets.
Trying to sabotage the route was also sad to see. Several Wiggle route markers had obviously been ripped off posts and slung onto the road (littering???) by NIMBY protesters.
But overall thousands of cyclists clearly had a good time, and no doubt spent thousands of pounds within the local economy.
The answer is clearly people
The answer is clearly people using cameras to record these vigilantes’ illegal actions. Then public shaming, discovery of workplaces, posting of video and photos online etc etc. We are talking about people with a wilful desire to see others injured or killed on public roads and who will resort to physical assault, nothing less. The next Sportive should include undercover police riders.
Just to get one thing
Just to get one thing straight – there is no such thing as “locals” in the New Forest, the vast majority of people that live there are outsiders who moved to the area in the last 20 years and commute into nearby towns and cities.
The organisation that
The organisation that arranged the illegal vigilante attacks is this one, chaired by Dr Graham Ferris: http://www.nfcda.co.uk/
Their website currently states:
“A number of local people who are greatly concerned about the increase in the above type of event have decided to hold a public meeting to discuss and view the upheaval caused during this ride involving thousands of cyclists using narrow forest roads. The meeting place is Blackwater Car Park on the Rhinefield Ornamental Drive at 1000 am on 13 April 2013. Anyone who shares the concern is welcome to attend.”
KiwiMike wrote:The
What was i saying earlier about the Countryside Alliance/ Fuel protestor/ BNP connection?
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/9440849.New_Forest_hunt_supporters_call_for_end_to_ban/
And i wonder if its the same Dr Graham Ferris who works for …..erm……erh……Shell?
http://www.ceb.cam.ac.uk/pages/research-open-day-and-impl-opening-.html
😕
Some Fella wrote:KiwiMike
Right. So:
1. Riding bikes on forest roads isn’t permitted in case cyclists collide with livestock – something which has yet to be recorded as taking place.
2. It’s ok to drive vehicles (presumably too quickly) in the forest, despite the fact that this leads to around 70 deaths a year of animals.
3. The ban on hunting with animals should be repealed, making it ok to deliberately kill the animals, just not with a bike.
Sound like a bunch of nutters that just don’t want anything that doesn’t benefit them directly. (I suspect that pub/shop/restaurant owners etc are quite happy with it)
It would be _really_ interesting to see the opinion breakdown by occupation.
Some reasonable and
Some reasonable and not-so-reasonable discussion here… including one comment “I found one of the arrow signs on the floor this morning. I put it back on the post, but hope i’ve put the arrow in the right direction.”
http://www.nfed.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1690&start=60
I’ve never wished to visit
I’ve never wished to visit the New Forest, it’s always seemed like a rather gauche place populated with ‘Look at Me’ fuckwits. This sort of malarkey isn’t changing that opinion, but a part of me would like to go down there and cause some mither.
Or perhaps pretend to organise a sportive and tell the locals that there are 10,000 cyclists coming down, book up all the hotels and make reservations in the restaurants etc and then leave the place empty.
Looking forward to the Autumn
Looking forward to the Autumn Sportive. Hope the weathers better than Saturday. As for the Forest Dwelling Morons, stay indoors and stop letting your community down.
Don’t worry about the lack of
Don’t worry about the lack of signs in the Forest. You’ll always be safe if you follow the smell of burning wicker men and cycle away from the sounds of banjos.
Also, I hate horses.
Also, I hate horses.
So as a cyclist is it
So as a cyclist is it acceptable to take a bassball bat to a car so it can’t be used and thus threaten me?
I thought not, so what are the police going to do about obstruction of the queens highway? wasn’t the punishment hanging at one time????
and this isn’t really about locals and cyclists, it is about rich downsizers and relocators who think money buys them a rural idyl. They are the same nutters who buy an old farm house and then complain about the cows in the fields around them. Expect a decent train service so they can commute to work in the city, as long as it goes no where near their house etc etc.
Fools! Why would a local
Fools! Why would a local resident put drawing pins out on the roads that they might subsequently drive over themselves?
Old Cranky wrote:Fools! Why
Because drawing pins are very unlikely to puncture a car tyre, especially a 4×4 whereas a bike tyre is very likely to be punctured.
If they are really that negative and so short sighted then let have the New Forrest to themselves and we can then look at having sportives and other cycle events organised in places that are welcoming of the additional “positive” publicity and additional revenue.
Quote:Fools! Why would a
run flat tyres and servants to do the wheel changing.
compared to events that are
compared to events that are more “mass participation rides” than timed sportives (and so have slower cyclists!) 2000/day, though albeit on consecutive days, is pretty small! Compare that to some that Bike Events organise- especially the London-(various places) rides, which range from 4000-25,000 on a single day, yet generally seem to be well received by the places they pass through.
Further, noted on a story on this on the Bournemouth Echo- a report of a local cyclist, nothing to do with the Sportive, who puncutred and crashed, breaking his collarbone, because of the tacks.
What everyone else has failed
What everyone else has failed to comment on is that the selfish, pathetic, idiotic moron who threw the drawing pins on the road was not only endangering the cyclists but also the ponies, and other livestock, that are free to roam around the New Forest.
As I mentioned on a previous
As I mentioned on a previous thread, the young people employed in the many bars and pubs in the area, plus the owners of these places, seemed very happy to have us there. These guys get a very real economic boost from cyclists in the area. I have stayed in the New Forest WITHOUT my bike on other occasions because I had discovered that it was a nice place to stay overnight with the missus and have a few drinks and walks in the area. So it is not just the money taken by local business’ on the day. My club mate also said he would bring the other half and kids down without the bike later in the year as we had found a nice b&b.
We were told the night BEFORE the Saturday event by a local leaving the pub that “there may be tacks down on the road tomorrow”. We also saw the flyers reported on road.cc in the pubs, stirring up resentment amongst locals. The whole thing was obviously planned by a bunch of complete c*nts who don’t even respect the other people who live in the area and earn a living out of passing trade.
Compare and
Compare and contrast;
“Suddenly we rode into a party: music was playing; the master of ceremonies was announcing our arrival to the whole village; people were cheering and clapping; we were being congratulated, and offered food and drink by an incredibly happy and enthusiastic team of people, who’d presumably been offering riders food and drink over the past few hours. …
What a rare and joyous experience, to feel wanted – as someone who loves to ride a bicycle – by a whole village; no, by an entire region.”
http://thinkingaboutcycling.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/cycling-in-france/
I suppose it’s what the people responsible for sabotaging the sportive want, but I’ll not be heading for the New Forest anytime soon, with or without a bike. I can and will spend my money in other places.
John_the_Monkey wrote:Compare
even without clicking the link i knew that was going to be about the ardecheoise. it’s the best thing in the whole wide world.
One of the reasons I love
One of the reasons I love doing sportives in France and Belgium, even the smaller ones, is that they are big local events.
When I did L’Ardechoise a few years ago most of the villages along the route were covered in decorations, cheering locals and fantastic food stops with local produce. And that’s 14,000 cyclists IIRC.
abudhabiChris wrote:One of
Exactly!
I am very outraged to hear about these goings on… I am willing to go on patrol next year for the few days before the event, even though I won’t be riding due to fear of being mown down.
‘Safety in numbers’ has always seemed a mindless platitude as regards cycling, in my opinion. Bikes were regarded as proper vehicles in the UK 20 years ago and cycle touring/time trialling in the New Forest was an absolute pleasure, with no ill-feeling at all. This is all very sad to see…
RIP Mark Brummell and James Atherton.
A real shame rode this last
A real shame rode this last year and had to cancel this year. Glad I did, certainly won’t return to the area and spend any money in the future. Was planning on a family holiday this year but obviously new forest is for ‘locals only’……
Sigh.
Sigh.
It’s amazing how some people
It’s amazing how some people try to wreck it for many,
I was lucky to do the full Ronde Van Vlaanderen cyclo, two weeks back, it was professionally run, people were cheering you on, and the police stopped traffic to let cyclists through sections that could’ve been dangerous.
Whats up with the animosity in the UK towards cyclists, some of the most successful sporting representatives of your country are cyclists, shouldn’t they be more angry at the national football team who haven’t won anything worth mentioning in decades?
Anita Sibley (aka Anita
Anita Sibley (aka Anita Gresham-Hale), who runs the Vizzit New Forest website has stired this all up with the local media. (mods: she has put her name to the campaign in the papers, this info is not secret, already in the public domain)
Her claims of “carnage”, “lycra clad lemmings” and “what if” have all be unproven. she has claimed fire engines wont be able to get access… but the fire services are cool with the event. But what she has achieved is vandalism and serious road safety issues with tacks being thrown around the forest… which is amazing as she is a horse rider, and no doubt has dogs too. Kids in plymsoles, runners, wildlife, dogs etc etc… a vicous act with intent to harm.
And it gets better…
By day she promotes tourism, 13.5 million NF visitors a year, and even advertises cycling business on her website (Burley cycle hire, and cycle experience… you guys should review who you give money to). Its wrong to take money from NF business and then get the NF portrayed on a national level as a backward criminal BIMBY hell hole. Local traders would have no doubt welcomed the trade on an otherwise wet and quiet weekend.
She has publicised signs claiming 6000 speeding cyclists, despite having all the correct facts (less than 1800 per day).
and now it gets even better…
…. Her twitter account shows that she has taken part in charity cycling events around the NF!!!!! WTF
It was actually Anita
It was actually Anita Gresham-Hale who wrote the complaint letter to the Sway News for which I posted a response below.
I can fix this easily , all
I can fix this easily , all 2000 riders do the course in a big line in their cars 😉 That way we protect the horses, see a bit of countryside and ensure that we are safe in our little tin boxes. As to not cause too many problems suggest that the speed be kept to a safe 14-15mph. We can call it an Auto-Sportive, bikes must be on a rack on the back or roof rack. It may block the roads a bit so suggest we all keep in single file.
Living and working in the New
Living and working in the New Forest, we are not all nimby dinlos down here. The people I know don’t have a problem, in fact we like cycling taking place for the secondary spend, it’s keeping people fit and healthy and any hold ups are no worse than old people driving Honda Jazz automatics, ponies, horse boxes, grockles, walkers etc etc You accept it living here. Locals driving are the best at killing animals, not mamils.
Smaller scale, but there are events like the infamous Big Bike Bash that take place in the Forest every August which are loved by locals and visitors alike, so cycling events can and do work.
Don’t be put off by a vocal well connected anti-cycling minority, we are not all knobs and don’t approve of what they are trying to do as much as everyone else.
ps – I was there on Saturday and escaped the car park field just in time by the sounds of it
A touch ironic that people
A touch ironic that people claiming that cyclists break the highway code are (surely?) breaking the highway code…
Am I missing something or is
Am I missing something or is it not a National Forest there for the enjoyment of the nation 😕 ???
Steel tacks? They’re going
Steel tacks? They’re going to be more of a danger to wildlife than cyclists.
No local would do that. It’s more likely to be the work of a passing petrol head.
The real culprits in all this are the people who keep the whole us vs. them thing stirring.
Well so some “residents” of
Well so some “residents” of the new forest don’t want cyclists in (what they seem to think is their forest) OK well after this weekends shenanigans you can have football events instead 👿
Of course, all this local
Of course, all this local issue has caused problems with actually running races in the Forest. According to local contacts, there are no road races between April – September except a couple of very low key evening events with tiny 40 fields. Police apparantly would prefer not to have RRs, due to all events being seen as “races”. In honesty, a few of the riders take that attitude as well, but not very many. All it means is that a region has effectively stopped racing in one of the nicer parts of their area, as they need a full permission and want to act responsibly. Something not quite right here!
Take the event elsewhere,
Take the event elsewhere, give somewhere else an influx of cyclists investment and money.
Taking the event elsewhere
Taking the event elsewhere would give the vandals a victory and encourage similar abuse at other events.
Interested to read about the
Interested to read about the posters in local pubs and comments on Friday night about tacks. Do these go unchallenged?
It seems to me that the people who resort to such criminal action must believe they have the support of a “silent majority”. Unfortunately, because of their silence, one can’t know one way or the other. If the majority of locals want such events to happen, why not tear down the inflammatory propaganda, or speak up against idiotic acts like blocking the road and spreading tacks?
If a majority of locals do, in fact, see such events as a benefit to the local area, they need to make themselves heard and make it clear to the NIMBY nutters that they’re in fact a very small, very backwards-thinking minority. Sadly, in this country it appears that a general change of attitude will have to be driven from the bottom up, given the generous exposure that is still given to anti-cycling prejudice in newspapers and TV.
Or are the criminals right in thinking they do represent majority opinion?
TGhe MP, Julian Lewis, Graham
TGhe MP, Julian Lewis, Graham Ferris, and Anita (pick a name), really need to take a long hard look at themselves and the antipathy they have started. These things have a habit of rebounding. The idiots spreading tacks are clearly too dim to realise the lasting damage they will do to livestock, who will possibly end up with infested foot injuries and if accidentally ingested may cause serious internal injuries and even a very painful death. Then of course there is the litter. Talk about fouling your own nest!
I hope that the majority of the decent and sensible voters of the area are ashamed of their “representatives” (who only voice their own minority prejudices, it would appear) and act appropriately when election time comes around.
That is a message those who would hold perceived power understand.
Without wishing to sound like
Without wishing to sound like an old hippie, there’s a whole loads of selfishness and anger about. It’s 2 days a year Commoners, get the fuck over it. Get a life and/or job.
I’ve just noticed that the
I’ve just noticed that the NFDCA promtes a cycling event on it’s website
http://www.nfcda.co.uk/index.php/news-meetings-blog
How’s that for irony.
There just isn’t this fuss
There just isn’t this fuss over marathons so it’s definitely just an anti cyclist ‘get off my country land as you’re hindering my progress to the paper shop/ garden centre / pub.’
Critical mass with cycling is fast approaching however and the minority of motorists who feel they own the road will lose the battle in the end. It’s the none sense and even deaths along the way that are so depressing.
My parents live in the New
My parents live in the New Forest and I spend a lot of time down there riding roads and the allowed tracks.
My Dad, who has just come back to cycling in his mid 60’s after years of driving through the Forest to and from work, wrote this to the Sway News in response to a letter from a local NIMBY. It shows that the debate rages even among the locals.
Comment on attack on NF Wiggle Spring Cycle Event in March Sway News
I am a pedestrian, a cyclist and a motorist and can sympathise to a certain extent with Ms Hale’s concerns. I would however like to try and balance the argument.
It is agreed that there will be a large number of cyclists and as with any group of people there will be some who are less than considerate but this is only twice a year unlike the 365 days of the year that we have to put up with inconsiderate motorists racing through the forest to the detriment of other road users, not to mention the animals that get killed or badly injured on a daily basis, 18 so far this year according to the New Forest Post. How many animals have been killed by cyclists this year?
Sad though it is, the fact that one cyclist has died in a tragic accident this year is hardly an argument for taking these Wiggle cyclists off the road. If you were to advance that argument then you are clearly making a case for taking cars off the road.
Cyclists are subject to the Rules of the Highway Code as well as the motorist and, like the motorist, if they are
caught breaking the law or riding dangerously, are fair game for the law enforcers, if they have nothing better to
do.
As for “lycra clad” lemmings, most people who take part in recreational activity wear clothes appropriate to that activity. Cyclists are no different. “Lemmings”? – hikers, marathon runners, jockeys, race car drivers etc all follow the same path to reach their goal.
Before trying to plug this “dangerous loop hole”, the seriously dangerous loop hole of inconsiderate, foolish and dangerous motorists should be plugged first. Perhaps the reduced speed limits being imposed for the Wiggle weekend should become permanent for the benefit of all.
I did the NFS in fall of
I did the NFS in fall of 2012. Within 15 minutes of cycling we came upon a group of 20-30 horseriders within a narrow road area. We all singled out and slowed down to a crawl as it was that narrow, with high banked sides and no room to move.
There were a number of near accidents as cyclists skidded to a halt around me. I ran into my friend’s bike and nearly came off. This wasn’t due to sheer weight of cyclists but to the nasty aggressive nature of the horse crowd. They were aggressive, moving toward us, having the horses rear up and making it very difficult to move at all. They finally passed but the looks and aggression was unmistakable.
I suggest boycotting the entire area to see how they like it.
Bjbeau has it right.
The
Bjbeau has it right.
The Horsy Crowd always did look down on the rest. Partly because they really ARE much higher than anyone else and mostly because they tend to be those sort of people.
The only people they’d talk to in any civil tone of voice would be other people on horses. Very Victorian.
That was the Good Old Days. Nowadays, people on horses probably don’t even know how to look after the things. People who work in stables used to be ordinary Forest kids and adults. Nowadays you pretty much have to takeout a mortgage and know the ‘right people’ to get a sniff of a haybale and they are ‘lower’ than many who hire the horses.
The folk who hire horses are more often the Nouveau Riche who made their pile in London/Wherever and now ride horses, not for the love of it, but because of the Status. These people ONLY ride horses to look down on people and behave accordingly.
They’re scared of mud too – never mind horeshit.
And – yes – they’re dangerous riders.
Avoid those hooves.
bjbeau wrote:I did the NFS in
I suggest an air horn for your bike 😉
Idiots. I have a number of
Idiots. I have a number of events, bike, running, tri and welcome any activity that brings people to the area, to respect and appreciate the countryside I live in, and bring some trade to local business.
The tools who tried to wreck this event are so short sighted. I won’t be visiting the new forest any time soon, screw them.
“Much of the opposition to
“Much of the opposition to the event, and similar mass rides in the area, surrounds the perceived danger posed by cyclists to local livestock, including horses”
Speaking as one who used to live – and commute by bike – in the New Forest for two decades (And my father for 6), this is the purest cobblers.
The New Forest was a good cycling area until the tw*ts moved from London to the New Forest, tore down the cosy houses and built massive SteroidHouses with ‘F*ck you, I’m loaded!’ garages and driveways where once there had been trees and bushes.
As someone who knew the Foresters, I can say that cyclists did nothing to disturb wildlife – unlike the cars.
As always, motorists demand the right to screw things up for everyone and then blame others for what they’re doing. When people get into cars, they become spoiled children – just as the adverts promise.
As an erstwhile New Forest Resident,I’d like to make a public plea – the New Forest was a lot safer and nicer when there were less cars and when the motorists drove as if they were part of a Community.
Now, there are very few cyclists there because of the speeding traffic that hurtles round corners on small lanes without slowing. There are pretend ‘cyclists’ on bikes hired for the afternoon with cycle helmets (Because cycling isn’t transport – it’s an ‘Extreme Sport’) and sticking to the very few designated paths in the forest, away from the roads. None of these amateur cyclists venture onto the roads where it’s ‘Too dangerous’.
Is it these tourist cyclists that are ‘to blame’ for disturbing wildlife?
If so, I might tend to agree as the density of ‘theme park’ cyclists is much like the Longleat Safari Park. There’s not enough forest to go round. We need more forest – or, more practically, we DON’T need a population increase.
If anyone is concerned at depletion of the Forest and its wildlife (And they should be – it’s declining fast) might I suggest that the Forestry Commission cease their recent policy of chopping down acres of forest to build access roads and ‘Tourist Villages’ “In the forest” to “Enhance revenue”.
There is a word for “Houses built in the Forest”. The word is: Village, Town or City. If you’d like to watch TV and luxuriate in your bath in your ‘Forest house’, I’d suggest somewhere like St Johns Wood or Forest Gate – those names tell you what the places were before people built there to ‘enjoy the sylvan ambiance’.
What the New Forest does desperately need is a Cycling Campaign – particularly to instigate a cycle lane in Lyndhurst and along the Soton-Bournmouth road. This would massively improve the quality of life for everyone in the area.
This has BEEN the beginning of that much-needed campaign.
Thank you, everyone who took part!!
Everybody just run tubeless
😕 Everybody just run tubeless tyres with sealant a la Bontrager and just ride straight over the drawing pins laughing loudly whilst bemused locals double take in horror at their thwarted plans?
Followed by a go-slow cycle ride around their houses when they’re trying to leave for work on Monday morning?
I was castigated last week on
I was castigated last week on here for calling the small-minded Conservative luddites leading these protests CUN*S ….. Well I stand by that comment..
Small Minded CUN*S!!
If people cannot live and let live, there’s not much hope for any of us..
Sadly the New Forest is like
Sadly the New Forest is like many lovely parts of the UK; populated by wealthy city dwelling second-homers.
‘Why should we share what we’ve worked hard for!’ I hear them say. You all know the type I mean; Selfish, small-minded, ill-spirited tw@ts.
These village communities are no longer functioning normally because the second-homers want the place for themselves. The genuine locals often feel oppressed, after an influx of ‘outsiders’ who buy their houses and so make it hard for local kids to stick around as they grow up. It signals the death knell of the community and this behaviour is symptomatic of these fearful feelings.
The loss of community in parts of the New Forest means the culprits will remain anonymous. When locals knew each other well the culprits would be identified and the problem dealt with. It’s not that the culprit is likely to be a second-homer or a stereotypical teenage troublemaker, it could be the little old lady who walks her dog and never bothers anyone, the point is as these communities change for the worse the things that bind us together diminish.
We all know that Cycle events like this should be a cause for celebration and joy and a reason for communities to come together. God knows we need cheering up at the moment after such a miserable winter and the dire economy. Hopefully, the villagers of the New Forest will make their feelings known to those in their community who feel that isolation is their only answer and persuade them otherwise.
These sorts of ASBs occur on major pro events too so we shouldn’t be surprised. I’m not a religious man but turning the other cheek is my advice. Rise above it and show them by our good humour that we will not be deterred. It will really piss off the culprit if we show them next year that we will carry on regardless.