Griff Rhys Jones Vs “yob” cyclists takes a twist; What the… ‘CycloCrocs’!!?; Daily Mail’s Andrew Pierce has cycle lane meltdown; New Canyon Grail; Storm Francis turns Cycleways to rivers; Pacman ride + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
This 'e-bike' looks like a bargain...
Important to stress that it’s for ‘spares or repairs’ only. For £40, we’d be tempted to buy and see if we could make it work somehow…
Another weird veiny cyclist's leg photo, this time from NTT's Ben King
Almost as weird as the legs themselves, is that pro cyclists feel the need to share photos of them on social media. The latest is from Ben King, with the 31-year-old American taking to his Instagram stories to ask followers if his leg is ‘strong’ or ‘weird and gross’… what do we reckon?
See Pawel Poljanski and Jose Joaquin Rojas for other notable examples from the weird veiny leg archive.
London cycleways turn to 'swimways' as torrential rain batters the capital
Siri, show me why it is important that cycle infrastructure isn’t crammed into the margins of roads which are run-offs for drainage 😳 https://t.co/3h13extL7S
— London Cycling Campaign (@London_Cycling) August 24, 2020
Drainage is no joke – it’s an important consideration in civil engineering, and is treated on in several documents such as the recently published LTN 1/30 “Cycle Infrastructure Design” document, by @transportgovuk . Read our run-down of the document here https://t.co/8xx0uGwi7b
— London Cycling Campaign (@London_Cycling) August 24, 2020
Although many saw the funny side, London Cycling Campaign say the scenes flag up some serious points about the design of cycling infrastructure and drainage. Kingston Cycling Campaign added: “Unfortunately it’s a long standing problem here. Before the segregation the water would have been covering a similar width of green London Cycle Network paint instead. Needs more drains.”
Hopefully the storm will pass fairly soon, or London’s cycling network might end up looking like this…
Already approved! https://t.co/gnqy16WtYj
— The Cranlinati (@cranlinati) August 24, 2020
Bora-Hansgrohe rider receives positive COVID-19 test, team withdraws from Bretagne Classic
We’ll be lining up at the @GrandPrixPlouay this morning. Here’s what it’ll entail:
📍Plouay ➡️ Plouay
🚩 Start 09:45
🏁 Finish ca. 16:00
🛣️ 248km pic.twitter.com/ivlEwXTARy— BORA – hansgrohe (@BORAhansgrohe) August 25, 2020
📝 UPDATE: BORA – hansgrohe withdraws team from the Bretagne Classic due to positive COVID-19 test.
Read more here: https://t.co/Zdn9GgFhBM pic.twitter.com/TNxRvckQgz
— BORA – hansgrohe (@BORAhansgrohe) August 25, 2020
Two hours ago, Bora-Hansgrohe took to Twitter to announce that they were lining up for the French one-day race later on today… and now, they’ve had to withdraw due to a positive coronavirus test on the team.
The rider hasn’t been named yet, with a statement saying: “One of the team’s riders received a positive result from the 3-day test after a negative 6-day test. As a result, BORA-Hansgrohe has withdrawn the entire team from the race. All necessary measures for contact tracing have been initiated immediately.
“We received the positive result this morning and reacted immediately. The team cannot participate in the race. All team members who have been in direct contact with the rider will go into self-isolation according to official regulations. The affected rider is asymptomatic and displays no signs of illness.”
The riders in Bora’s Bretagne Classic squad were Cesare Benedetti, Marcus Burghardt, Jempy Drucker, Oscar Gatto, Patrick Gamper, Jay McCarthy and Ide Schelling.
Chris Boardman back on ITV for Tour de France
Here’s a look at the ITV Sport team for this year’s La Course and Le Tour de France 🙌
A big welcome back to Chris Boardman 👏 pic.twitter.com/XLRJ2E8rmo
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) August 25, 2020 words of wisdom
Mr Boardman is a very busy man nowadays, but presumably remote working means he can offer up the time to give us some pearls of wisdom during this year’s rescheduled Tour de France. Fellow former pros David Millar, Dame Sarah Storey, Dani Rowe and Peter Kennaugh also join the commentary team.
Le Col team up with Strava for 'Rewards For Riding', offering discounts for number of kilometres ridden
In the first trial of its kind on the platform, cycling apparel brand Le Col will “reward riders for every kilometre they ride and upload to Strava” with the Rewards For Riding programme, currently in beta mode. All you need to do is make an account on Le Col’s website, link your Strava account and then watch your points tally up as you upload more rides (1 kilometre = 1 point). The more points you accrue, the greater discount you can get on Le Col gear.
Le Col say they’re already working on a Beta 2.0, which will offer extra points to those who are paid Strava subscribers. Le Col’s founder Yanto Barker comments: “We know cyclists put in hours of dedication to the sport, so this collaboration with Strava gives our members a chance to not only be rewarded for their riding but also give them access to performance focused apparel that can improve riding times and experience.”
Find out more here.
Lizzie Deignan wins Grand Prix Plouay
Trek Segafredo rider Deignan triumphed over the 101 kilometre course for her first win of 2020, beating fellow Lizzy and fellow Brit Lizzy Banks in a two-up sprint after burning off the rest of the competition.
Deignan said: “I’m delighted, it’s been a difficult season for everybody so far and we’ve had a lot of bad luck in the first few races. It’s been clear to me that we’ve had the strongest team in all the races and finally the luck was on our side.”
Motoring journalist claims Covid-19 "is being used as a cover for an attack on the British motorist" in bizarre rant
Mike Rutherford makes the extraordinary claims in an opinion piece for Auto Express, saying: “For decades the cynics have searched for undemocratic, discriminatory methods to encourage or force drivers to leave their cars at home before resorting to other modes of travel – walking, bicycling, hailing taxis, or taking inevitably filthy buses, coaches, trains or trams.”
Rutherford then says “motorist-hating fundamentalists” are fighting to rob the public of their “legal right to drive”, before accusing the government, councils and public transport operators of attempting to “cash in” on the pandemic: “Under the cover of Covid they have struck, cynically seized their moment, tried to make the road network so bloody unbearable that car users will throw in the towel.”
Has anyone with a car really had such a rough time during the pandemic?
Anti-cycling rants continued: Daily Mail columnist Andrew Pierce latest to have a cycle lane meltdown, saying cycle superhighways are to blame for London's congestion woes
At last there has been a revolt against cycle super highways turning our towns and cities into polluted car parks. When will the war on motorists come to an end? https://t.co/QoyvV1fGX6
— Andrew Pierce (@toryboypierce) August 24, 2020
In a prime example of someone putting two and two together and arriving at anything other than four, Andrew Pierce complains that London is a “car park”… yet places the blame on cycle lanes rather than the cars themselves for London’s congestion woes. Pierce continues: “The speed limit roughly… the average speed in central London when we’re not in Covid of course is 6mph. And why? Because of all those wretched cycle superhighways. And I’m afraid cyclists, they don’t deserve them.
“They’re inconsiderate, they’re rude, they’re ignorant, they drive through red lights, they cycle through amber lights, they cycle on the pavement regularly, often shouting at me to get out of the way when I’m on the pavement.”
I think you’ll find it is cars that have turned our cities into polluted car parks.
— Cycleops70 (@Carrot70) August 24, 2020
Right it’s the cyclists causing traffic jams. Not the cars. That makes total sense.
— Carlos Fridge (@carlosthefridge) August 24, 2020
You have an unerring ability to come down on the wrong side of every issue. It’s almost uncanny. Tell me how a nearly 10 year freeze on petrol duty constitutes a “war on motorists”.
— Brian Tutt (@tutt_brian) August 24, 2020
Pierce hasn’t replied to any of his detractors, instead turning his attention to the “PC-brigade” in his latest video upload today over the BBC’s decision not to feature lyrics to ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ and ‘Rule, Britannia!’ at Last Night of the Proms (priorities and all). His thoughts on cycle lanes and cyclists appear to be reminiscent of Talkradio’s Mike Graham, who last month claimed that the cycling community is “an absolute eyesore on the entire country”, adding: “What we don’t need in this country is more cyclists. What we do need is more space for cars.”
Are these baseless rants the last bastion of a car-dominated culture that is slowly unravelling, or are there even more troubling times ahead? Let us know your thoughts in the comments as always.
Cyclist who was killed by speeding driver was "going home to wrap presents"
Stuart Milne – whose killer Miles Polite was jailed for three years yesterday after admitting causing his death – was cycling home to wrap Christmas and birthday presents before the fatal incident in December 2017, said his partner of 14 years.
According to the BBC, Carrie-Anne Hardingham spoke after the hearing to explain that school caretaker Mr Milne had gone into work late to lock up after they had been shopping earlier that day. He never returned, as Polite fatally struck him shortly after overtaking another vehicle at speed in a 30moh zone.
Ms Hardingham added: “He was a good, kind, caring man and it’s not just one life that went that night, it’s all of us, because my children still don’t accept it.”
Canyon gives the Grail gravel bikes new 2x SRAM and Shimano groupset options for 2021
Canyon has updated its Grail gravel bike range with a move away from 1X drivetrains that have been so dominant on the gravel market in recent years. Instead, its back to double chainring setups with the only single ring offering being the new entry-level aluminium Grail 7.
The new bike, costing £1,699, gets a 1X Shimano GRX groupset with a 40t chainring paired to an 11-42T cassette for a good amount of range.
The move away from 1X setups is surprising given the way that the gravel market has been pushing the benefits of ditching your front derailleur and it will be interesting to see how consumers react.
Canyon has also switched saddles to Fizik’s Argo for all Grail models except the new 7 and the WMN models.
The Grail range is still topped by the CF SLX 8 eTap at £4,779 with the new Grail 7 being the most affordable at £1,699
Milton Keynes cyclist left with serious injuries after hit-and-run
Thames Valley Police are appealing for witnesses after the cyclist, a man in his 40’s, collided with the the driver of a vehicle that didn’t stop at the scene at 9.45pm on Sunday evening. After the incident on H9 Groveway, the victim was taken to the hospital where he is still receiving treatment.
Investigating officer PC Adam Stevens said: “We believe that the vehicle involved is a Volvo V50, S40, C30 or C70 from debris recovered from the scene. Therefore we are also appealing to anyone who knows of a Volvo that has recently sustained damage to its headlight, front bumper and bonnet to please get in touch.
“Further, if you were in the local area around the time of this incident and have a dash-cam, we would urge you to check the footage in case it has captured anything that could assist our investigation.
“Anyone with information can contact police by calling 101, or making a report online, quoting reference 43200265069.
“Alternatively, if you wish to remain anonymous you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
CycloCrocs???
CycloCrocs pic.twitter.com/BvnBvylP0v
— ChainReactionCycles (@Chain__Reaction) August 25, 2020
We have a sneaking suspicion that Chain Reaction Cycles might be having us on…
Cyclists "likely to be trespassing" if they ride on footpath that cuts through Griff Rhys Jones' garden
Last month, the 66-year-old TV presenter penned a Daily Mail article complaining about “yob” cyclists using his footpath, claiming one went by him “at approximately 40 miles an hour” (which didn’t much amuse Alex Dowsett)… and now, although the footpath that runs through Rhys Jones’ garden has no specific by-law that prevents cycling, Suffolk Highways have reminded cyclists that without permission from landowners, they could be trespassing.
A spokesman for Suffolk Highways told East Anglian Daily Times: “Over the last few months, during the Covid-19 lockdown, many road users have been encouraged to take up walking and cycling.
“Since the interest in cycling has increased, Suffolk Highways has received a higher number of reports regarding cycling on public footpaths, particularly on river walls, because of their narrow nature.
“Although it is not an offence to cycle on a public footpath, doing so without permission from the landowner is likely to be trespassing.”
In Rhys Jones’ article, he was picture next to a ‘no cycling’ sign he had installed himself; however Suffolk Highways have asked landowners to familiarise themselves with the law and refrain from erecting barriers to prevent cyclists.
Manchester United player Victor Lindelöf chases down mugger on a bike
The 26-year-old is taking a break in his native Sweden after Man Utd’s season finally ended recently, and happened across an elderly woman having her handbag snatched by a thief on a bicycle in the city of Vasteras. The mugger clearly wasn’t very skilled or speedy, as Lindelöf managed to chase him down on foot and hold him until police arrived minutes later.
A statement from local police said: “A man who was in the vicinity is said to have run after the suspected perpetrator, caught up with him and held him until the police arrived at the scene.
“The police want to take the opportunity and thank the witness for a quick and wise intervention.”
According to Sky News, the 90-year-old victim said she wanted to thank Lindelöf by treating him to lunch.
Tower Hamlets street reopens to cars... just before schools go back
Oh FFS Tower Hamlets, just as winter is due to kick in and Victoria Park closing early. This would have been the only safe route for families, except the narrow shared footway on Victoria Park Road in Hackney. Wrong decision pic.twitter.com/WQJug9t4iM
— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) August 24, 2020
Just completely the wrong decision and the wrong message to send about liveable neighbourhoods and active travel. You’ve got this completely wrong @TowerHamletsNow when you have an ongoing narrative about creating safe cycle and walking routes.
— Kყ-Cყƈʅҽ-ʅιҽ (@netwench) August 24, 2020
What a stupid decision @TowerHamletsNow! Now is a golden opportunity to make permanent changes which benefits the masses, and not the minority who own cars.
— Toby Edwards (@IsSaddleThereIs) August 24, 2020
Hopes of a traffic-free route to school for local children have evaporated after Skew Bridge on Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green reopened to motor vehicles today.
Kevin Brady, a the Labour councillor for St Peter’s Ward, Tower Hamlets, said in the comments: “The bridge was always due to reopen once the traffic levels started to build up post-lockdown. A closure will still be considered as part of the Old Ford Road Liveable Streets scheme which would manage the entirety of the area holistically.”
It comes amid numerous rows countrywide about the implementation of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, including in Islington where those in opposition have been taking to the streets weekly to protest the changes; ironically on foot, and blocking the road to motor traffic…
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We also have a greater volume of traffic, including on residential roads which were once quiet. Spending billions on infrastructure such as protected cycle tracks and modal filters is the only thing that will lead to mass cycling. Look at London. Why is there mass cycling there? Infrastructure. The Netherlands? The same reason. And often the only way to achieve meaningful change is reallocating some space and priority from motor vehicles, which is why the government's 'don't scare the horses' attitude is concerning.
You think there might be a clue to that in the name "City Light Set"? Marking it down because it's no good for fast riding on unlit roads seems somewhat akin to buying a micro-hatchback and then complaining that it's rubbish at pulling a plough.
This is like something from a kids' activity book. "The editor has a bit of a hangover this morning. Can you help him match the headline to the correct story?"
@kinderje Are you aware that -ise endings are actually the newer form, having supplanted -ize (as used by Shakespeare, the King James Bible and Jane Austen, amongst many others) in the mid 19th century? Etymologically there is a far better argument for -ize endings for words with Greek and Latin roots than the -ise ending which arose from Victorian publishers imitating French verb endings. Both endings are now regarded as acceptable in British English, although the Oxford style guide recommends -ize. It is most certainly not incorrect.
@Backladder Given that the makers are selling it as being useable on any ride on open roads, it doesn't seem unreasonable to try to test it in those conditions.
'Leasting'? That's a whole 4 letters less.
Although usually the easiest thing of all would be for them just to stop for a few moments while you cycle past them (which requires a lot less space to do safely than them passing you), but most people seem allergic to stopping, even for the briefest time.
@Backladder Oh I think I can guess - the nearest indoor velodrome to road.cc HQ looks to be some distance away in Wales, whereas Odd Down Cycle Track (where this test was conducted) is just 2 miles away.
There are a number of causes of "the divide between motorists and cyclists". Only one is to do with the technology (of bicycles and cars) and that's the nature of the car, which is designed to induce the sort of dangerous and careless behaviours that providing humans with a lot of power and glamour fetches out of us. Other causes are much more insidious - A culture of hyper-individualism bordering on solipsism, with violently ultra-selfish and aggressive anti-heroes being promoted in every mass media channel as the ideal. A "news" media that overwhelmingly seeks, creates and offers pariahs and scapegoats to the rabid individualists, which pariahs and scapegoats includes all kinds of those perceived as less powerful and therefore easy victims, including cyclists. The near complete lack of any curb upon the dangerous antics of vast numbers of media-maddened motorists by the forces of law and order, many of whom are actually members themselves of the mass media maddened motorist ilk. ******** No amount of a more rational discourse about active travel or the means of making it safer will change these root causes of the vast numbers of deaths and maiming due to inept, incompetent and deliberately violent antics of vast numbers of motorists allowed their dangerous "weapons of choice". Yet many other highly damaging aspects of modern societies would be solved by a much more effective curbing of mass media mob-building and goading along with a serious attempt to prevent motorists and a whole range of other damagers from behaving as badly as so many do. It'll not happen, of course. Large and powerful elements of the modern world obtain far too much ultra-riches and power from current conditions for them to allow any significant change. And vast numbers of the population have long had their minds, attitudes and behaviours captured and directed by various oligarchical monsters and their mass media propaganda horns. About the only chance of safe active travel becoming extant is for the population at large to become mostly too poor to afford a car, ironically one other likely outcome of the machinations of those same power and money-mad monsters that have created the car-issue in the first place. Their need for zero-sum socio-economic arrangements degrades everything, including the wallet-contents of the masses.
@Astralstroll The hierarchy of road users does not mean priority of road users except in certain circumstances, e.g. stopping to let pedestrians cross junctions before turning. It doesn't mean that cyclists have priority over motor vehicles at all times any more than the pedestrians have priority over cyclists at all times. It certainly doesn't mean that you have priority in the circumstances you describe; personally, unless the driver is being a complete dick, on a narrow country lane I accept that it is easier for me to turn around and go back to the nearest passing place, which is never that far if you're on a bike, than for a tractor or other large vehicle to reverse back down the road for my benefit.
46 thoughts on “Griff Rhys Jones Vs “yob” cyclists takes a twist; What the… ‘CycloCrocs’!!?; Daily Mail’s Andrew Pierce has cycle lane meltdown; New Canyon Grail; Storm Francis turns Cycleways to rivers; Pacman ride + more on the live blog”
Looking at the London canal
Looking at the London canal/cycle ways video – at least you’d be riding with the flow of water…
brooksby wrote:
Since it’s tidal, you’ll have to consult the tide tables to make sure you’re going with the flow. Passing other people could be interesting as ships pass port to port; I think there was a Misleading Case story about this. Don’t forget to fit green/red port/starboard lights as well.
I’m glad that we will be
I’m glad that we will be hearing a bit of Chris on the ITV TdF coverage. I had missed him.
The very wet cycle route is a difficult one, they obviously cannot put huge drain grates on a cycle route, we all know how difficult they can be, especially when associated with the bad paint version of cycle lanes.
There are some off road bits I do with regularilty, and they are turned into riverbeds, some quite wide and deepish when it rains heavily. Some of the steeper bridleways get can get wahed back to the rock or chalk base. With corrosponding pools of runoffed mud at the bottom.
As one of the twitter replies has it, at least the cycle route will be a bit cleaned, for a time.
That is also another very
That is also another very good reason why use of cycle lanes by riders should not be made compulsory.
“I’m not speaking as an anti
“I’m not speaking as an anti-cyclist” – I’m just making a whole bunch of unjustified generalisations vilifying “those wretched cyclists”.
The Le Col rewards scheme
The Le Col rewards scheme allows you to earn up to 25% off your order with enough miles. Which is great, except anyone who’s on Strava knows that every 5 minutes there’s a new challenge you can join that will get you a £50 voucher for more or less riding round the block. So unless you’re buying something that doesn’t meet the minimum voucher spend (like a couple of pairs of socks) or something that’s at least £200, the rewards are a bit redundant.
The only way this really makes sense is if they’re planning to scale back drastically on their challenge activity and effectively replace it with this (less good value) offer.
I have only ever used one of
I have only ever used one of the LeCol vouchers I have earned on Strava, because I have only once felt it worth spending the cash required (the £50 off vouchers require a minumum spend of £100). Unfortunately, the £15 per pair merino wool socks were not even as good at the £6 per pair ones I got from Aldi.
If the points discount can be used against a purchase of any size I might be tempted to go earn some points. Otherwise, forget it.
That said … I do like the Le Col jersey I bought, but it definitely wasn’t worth extra £30 it cost me over the Endura one it sits next to on the shelf.
There doesn’t appear to be a
There doesn’t appear to be a minimum qualifying spend for the rewards, unlike the vouchers. There are (or may be) unspecified product exclusions and maximum discount limits.
However, if you’re spending <£100 you’re going to get stuck with a £5 delivery fee* which will wipe out a chunk of your discount.
* although they do occasionally have free delivery events.
Re Daily Fail rant, it’s
Re Daily Fail rant, it’s almost as if the picture he’s used shows an overcapacity bike lane adjacent to an empty general use lane….
The anti-cyclist tripe is no
The anti-cyclist tripe is no surprise because it emanates from the usual suspects: the hyper-junk press (Mail, Express, Sun etc.) and the motoring press. These people are preaching to their congregations, which consist of people whose opinions are generally worthless and therefore would be unworthy of our notice were it not that these people are highly likely to be conducting cyclist-and-pedestrian killing machines along the roads. Most of us will recall the haggard crone who recently thought it acceptable to publicly declare an intention to kill cyclists if she was lucky enough to get the chance.
Surrey Police tweeted the
Surrey Police tweeted the other day that they were going to start a close pass operation and got over 1,500 rabid responses who seemed to think that there was something wrong with that. Lots of red light jumping, no insurance, no car tax. The usual stuff. All this law-breaking rather put me in mind of the 640,000 active cars on the road for which VED has not been paid (1.6%), and the 13% unisured vehicles, which is a rather alarming 1 in 8, or about 1 car in every batch that goes through a green light. Then of course there’s the disregard 20mph and 30mdh speed limit and the mystery of how cycle-free motorways manage to grind to a halt on a regular basis.
“More cycle lanes are the
“More cycle lanes are the LAST thing we need – we’ve had enough of Lycra louts on bikes!”
The Daily Mail must have a pro cycling 5th columnist on their staff. Anyone else notice that all the images that presumably Andrew Pierce was going to use to illustrate his rant have been replaced with images which show the exact opposite?
He claims that average road speeds in central London are 6mph. TfL claim 7.9 mph for 2019. I also found some figures at 8.8mph in 2002 and 8.3mph in 2015. The first Cycle Superhighway was constructed in 2010. It will be interesting to see the average Central London traffic speeds during lockdown. The cycle lanes were still there, the excess of motor vehicles were not!
I’m wondering where he factors in the huge increase of Uber type vehicles, white van deliveries (well known for stopping anywhere and creating traffic chaos) roadworks, restriction of rat runs requested by local residents and long term road closures due to major infrastructure projects such as buildings and crossrail?
According to TfL some 180000 journeys per day take place by cycle in Central London (2019). Cyclists are not the problem when it comes to practical, efficient, low impact, clean and sustainable personal transport in urban environments. And all for the amazingly low infrastructure cost of a few £hundred million!
Travel in London Report (TfL 2019)
London is a car park
London is a car park (illustrated with a picture of lots of parked cars and no cycle lane in sight…)
“Although it is not an
“Although it is not an offence to cycle on a public footpath, doing so without permission from the landowner is likely to be trespassing.”
Well I’m confused. Surely the whole point of a footpath is that is only for travel by foot. If you want to cycle, you need a bridleway.
I’d wonder what the gradient
I’d wonder what the gradient is, and the quality of the surface.
I don’t think I have ever hit such incredible speeds even on long road descents, not even in my youth on my “racers”.
Of course on such a huge hill you only have to worry about high speeds going down, others will be crawling up.
ktache wrote:
There is a strava segment past his house. The fastest rider clocked 24.2 mph between his backdoor and garage block. (blurred image for privacy)
HoarseMann wrote:
Why let fact get in the way of tripe. Griff is a knob. He objected to a solar farm being erected near his place, but it’s fine to have Sizewell C on our coast.
maviczap wrote:
There is a strava segment past his house. The fastest rider clocked 24.2 mph between his backdoor and garage block. (blurred image for privacy)
— HoarseMann Why let fact get in the way of tripe. Griff is a knob. He objected to a solar farm being erected near his place, but it’s fine to have Sizewell C on our coast.— ktache
I don’t doubt he’s being a knob about this. 24 mph is not 40, he’s over-egging that, and all the crap about lycra stereotypes shows him up. He has a point that some are riding too quickly, but it’s likely to be a very small number. He would do much better to put up a sign that says ‘cycling allowed, by permission of landowner, please slow to walking pace past houses’.
Yes but dont forget his
Yes but dont forget his complaint is largely borne out of trying to limit what access rights that path has to the public, because it goes through his garden,if he tacitly approves considerate cycle access,its harder to legally challenge then if it were to be made into an off road traffic free cycle route.
And Ive always remembered being moaned at by a group of people for cycling too fast on a shared path, as I was stationary because I’d completely stopped at least 5 metres away from them and was patiently waiting to let them pass…there is no speed to some people that is acceptable for cyclists to do.
Awavey wrote:
There’s no way he could challenge the path that runs past his house. It’s a proper public footpath. The bit that is not, is a very short section at the very bottom of his land where the parish boundary intersects the path. It’s most likely this was always a right of way, but got missed off the definitive map. There are many examples of RoW that end abruptly at a parish/county boundary, but exist as a path on the ground. Ideally, someone local should put in a request with the council to have it adopted as a right of way. I think there would be a very strong case. He is being a real NIMBY, which is sad, as he has a back yard bigger than most.
I did get to 40 yers ago in
I did get to 40 yers ago in Dorset. Didn’t find out until I started the climb the otherside. I think I was very glad of my ignorance on the downhill.
well arguably it is nearer a
well arguably it is nearer a bridleway than a footpath in style and probably would be made officialy one if it didnt cross Gruff Rhys’ land and spoil his view, its a coastal route path thats been there for longer than such distinctions of exactitude in desgination ever existed.
so there hasnt been a new twist in the story anyway,not in the way people might think at least,as way back in the original Daily Mail article the guidance Suffolk Highways dept gave was exactly the same, “cycling on a public footpath is a trespass and is therefore a matter for the owner of the land upon which the highway sits to address”, so the EADT is just repeating that story whilst being somewhat late to it, and repeating it probably because at the moment cycling stories generate clicks & ad revenues for them as their predominantly motorist obsessed readership frequently object to people riding bikes around on two wheels
I wasn’t focusing in this
I wasn’t focusing in this specific path, but the general claim that it is not an offence to cycle on a footpath. I’ve just recalled that on a Jane’s walk, some footpath bloke from Herts CC told us that it was an offence to push a bike on a footpath.
See also http://www.environmentlaw.org.uk/rte.asp?id=207
In a previous discussion the
In a previous discussion the ever so knowwledgable Jitensha Oni brought up that there is a specific by law in Surrey that it is an offence to push a bicycle on a public footpath. He even gave a link to it.
He hasn’t posted for a while.
Here you go:
Here you go:
<<Public footpaths are waymarked using yellow arrows
Only walkers may use these routes. You may take a dog provided it is under close control. If the path is suitable, a pram or pushchair may also be taken. You must not push, carry or use a bicycle on a footpath.>>
From here:
https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/land-planning-and-development/countryside/footpaths-byways-and-bridleways/rights-of-way/signs
Well done for finding that,
Well done for finding that, though it was the By Law that Jitensha Oni found. I think it could be fairly unique to Surrey,
Of course, and it took me a couple of weeks of internal conjecture to figure it out, when I told a colleague, his responce was instant “Might as well cycle on it then!”
I ride in Surrey as that is where my place of work is, (though I live in Berkshire, on the Oxfordshire side of the Thames, but Oxfordshire didn’t want anything to do with Caversham, get of the train in Hampshire and end up in Surrey, all 3 meet in the middle of the weird Meadows roundabout) and put every effort into sticking to bridleways and places where I am allowed to ride. Some permissive byways I think.
No basis in law.
No basis in law.
kevvjj wrote:
I’m not sure that Surrey guidance is actually law, it seems to also preclude wheelchairs and mobility scooters – which is not correct.
https://www.gov.uk/right-of-way-open-access-land/use-public-rights-of-way
Well, they don’t specifically
Well, they don’t specifically exclude wheelchairs and mobility scooters, and they don’t actually define what ‘walkers’ are, so I guess they could claim that they include them in the term.
Also, though
so if you trail it behind you, you should be OK.
kevvjj wrote:
what if I carry 2 frames, and my mate carries 4 wheels?
It being a footpath creates a
It being a footpath creates a right to travel along it on foot. It doesn’t create any special offences of any kind. Cycling along it (or, for that matter, say, riding a spacehopper along it) would legally be no different to cycling (or spacehopping) across any other stretch of private land (say, around someone’s driveway).
Awavey wrote:
That’s because EADT hasn’t got any new Ed Sheeran stories to run
It’s not likely to be
It’s not likely to be trespass against the landowner, it is trespass against the landowner. Of course in this case its a civil offence which is generally more bother to pursue than its worth. Also, unless the RoW is also adopted, there’s nothing to stop a landowner putting a no cycles sign on a footpath.
Excellent! Two more entries
Excellent! Two more entries on my Cycling Bingo card.
Cyclists going through yellow lights.
Cyclists are part of a campaign to hijack the Covid pandemic to prevent people driving their cars. (or am I reading too much into that?)
I never bother about comments
I never bother about comments from rabid motorists – they’re simply dinosaurs that haven’t heard the latest news from Chicxulub. & yes, they might manage to trample a few cyclists & pedestrians & people who ride electric scooters (we’re really gonna have to come up with a better collective noun than ‘scooterists’ but it’s beyond me) etc. before the shock wave gets here, but they really are already doomed.
How can you not be allowed to
How can you not be allowed to carry or push a bicycle along a footpath? When carrying or pushing a bicycle you are a pedestrian. Surry CC by-law makes little sense and would see it being challenged if it was ever enforced.
Surry CC suggest that it is an offence to carry a folded brompton on a public footpath?
A bicycle is not something
A bicycle is not something that would be taken with you when going for a walk. There is a thing in highways known as a usual accompaniment, a thing that a reasonable person would expect to be taken with a person using a highway of whatever status. It would be normal to take a baby carriage of some description or a dog when going for a walk but not a bicycle or a horse.
spen wrote:
The same thing was raised about someone walking across a pedestrian crossing whilst pushing a bicycle, and the judge decided that the bicycle was irrelevant, and the person pushing the bicycle was a pedestrian.
What if you’re only ‘going
What if you’re only ‘going for a walk’ because the designation of a path requires you to? There are dozens of Bridleways that suddenly turn into footpaths, sometimes at a field boundary or parish/county boundary. One that springs to mind is the bridleway from Conistone in Wharfedale to Sandy Gate (NP & CP Boundary) where it turns into a footpath before continuing to Middlesmoor and Lofthouse in Nidderdale. Or where the only link between two stretches of bridleway is a footpath.
I did come across the notion of ‘usual accompaniment’ on discussions about access to paths on the Bingley Bash where a landowner was refusing access to even dismounted cyclists. But what if I’m walking from my house to my place of work with a length of timber ,say, over my shoulder. Hardly a ‘usual accompaniment’ but not unreasonable
Cycling UK has useful articles on the subject:
https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/campaigns-guide/cycling-on-footpath-trespass
Time for access to be standardised along Scottish and Welsh lines.
As somebody up the comments said…”you might as well just ride your bike”
pockstone wrote:
The Land Reform Act of 2003 Scotland usually described as the Right to Roam has been very successful.
I have never understood how there is such little momentum in England for something similar.
How can you not be allowed to
How can you not be allowed to carry or push a bicycle along a footpath? When carrying or pushing a bicycle you are a pedestrian. Surry CC by-law makes little sense and would see it being challenged if it was ever enforced.
Surry CC suggest that it is an offence to carry a folded brompton on a public footpath?
How can you not be allowed to
How can you not be allowed to carry or push a bicycle along a footpath? When carrying or pushing a bicycle you are a pedestrian. Surry CC by-law makes little sense and would see it being challenged if it was ever enforced.
Surry CC suggest that it is an offence to carry a folded brompton on a public footpath?
How can you not be allowed to
How can you not be allowed to carry or push a bicycle along a footpath? When carrying or pushing a bicycle you are a pedestrian. Surry CC by-law makes little sense and would see it being challenged if it was ever enforced.
Surry CC suggest that it is an offence to carry a folded brompton on a public footpath?
How can you not be allowed to
How can you not be allowed to carry or push a bicycle along a footpath? When carrying or pushing a bicycle you are a pedestrian. Surry CC by-law makes little sense and would see it being challenged if it was ever enforced.
Surry CC suggest that it is an offence to carry a folded brompton on a public footpath?
I wonder if canyons return to
I wonder if canyons return to 2x has been driven by consumer request. Its nice to see them be the first manufacturer to concede that gravel bikes in Europe probably spend more overall time on roads, albeit bad ones, perhaps as winter trainers or commuters, than they do on endless miles of gravel tracks they were initially designed for in the US. Its also much cheaper for the customer to go from 2x to 1x than the other way around, should they wish to do so.
Anti-cycling rants continued:
Anti-cycling rants continued: hanging loosely off the related topic of Land of Hope and Glory, etc, I have a question about VE Day and VJ Day celebrations. I remember in 1995 supplying some music for a light-hearted amateur production, based loosely on Noel Coward, Dad’s Army and Oh! What a Lovely War.
But I don’t otherwise remember these days being any sort of “thing” I.e. being actively marked a la Remembrance Day, until recent times. Who can help?
I didn’t really realise about Armstice Day until I was managing a Mayor’s office in the early 2000s, and is there still an active Battle of Britain Day (my main takeaway as a child was that the film was usually shown).