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news
Obstacles 2 via Adam Wainwright on Facebook.PNGPensioners admit laying traps for cyclists on North Yorkshire path (+ link to video)
Two women aged in their sixties were spoken to by police after admitting placing rocks and branches on a path in North Yorkshire to stop cyclists from using it.
The obstacles were discovered by Nathan Cartwright, aged 17 and who lives with his parents in Leyburn, when he went for a ride on his mountain bike, reports Mail Online.
After finding the path blocked last Sunday on the Bolton Estate, a mile from where he lives with his parents, he spotted two women nearby.
The women, Anna Hacket-Pain, an ex-parish councillor and Wendy McLachlan, a retired teacher, both aged 62 and who were walking their dogs, alleged that he was breaking lockdown rules.
They demanded to know where he had travelled from, and claimed he was trespassing on the land.
The teen filmed the exchange on his helmet camera, with his father subsequently posting the footage to a local Facebook group, saying that the women should be "totally ashamed" of themselves and that police had been contacted.
Nathan argued that he only lived a mile away, that they had no more right to be there than him, and that as residents of different households they should not have been out together. He also said he had informal permission to ride on the estate.
Asking them if they had placed obstacles including branches on the path to stop cyclists from using it he was told, “Yes we did.”
Police sent officers to interview both women, and warned them about placing items that could cause injury to cyclists or damage their bikes.
Nathan said: “I remained calm to try to sort the situation out. I was surprised to see who it was who was doing it – I assumed it would be someone younger, judging by the weight of some of the rocks and branches.’
Mail Online reports that Mrs Hacket-Pain admitted having been spoken to by the police, and that the issue “is being dealt with through the appropriate channels.”
While she would not discuss the traps laid for cyclists, she did say: “Wendy and I met coincidentally in the woods that day – we were socially distancing.”
Mrs McLachlan said: “I don’t think that is something I want to comment on, thank you.”
North Yorkshire Police confirmed that they had been contacted “about obstructions put on a track popular with walkers and cyclists. It was believed these items could cause injury or damage to bikes.”
Since the UK entered lockdown, we’ve seen a number of incidents in which cyclists have been targeted by people spreading tacks across the road, including on the Outer Circle at London’s Regent’s Park.
And earlier this month, we reported how a man cycling in woods in Cleveland had both his tyres punctured after he rode across a wooden board with nails hammered into it that had been left as a trap for cyclists.
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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32 comments
One last thing and to coment on horses, im in deep Surrey county, but horses are always on the road, & stables are situated in large ground with training areas, also when you see them, They are always nosing over your fence, rider not horse.
Did you intend to publish your email address to the entire internet?
Im a cyclist and will be out latter (Road) BUT you have to admite, since Boris said about cycling, every man, woman & Dog is on a bike, swarms of them, as my mate said, he saw 30 cyclist in a bunch, "must be a big household" social distancing but forget about the snot slipstream, also for people just out for walk, mountain bikers or the latest word (GRAVEL RIDERS) hurtling past can be a bit off putting, anyone seen any gravel, usualy dirt/mud.
I mostly see swarms of cars, but that is just so commonplace that it is unremarkable. Hold on to the remarkable memory of quiet roads, the sight of families with youngsters cycling happily on the road, of being able to walk along the pavement holding a conversation without forever shouting or being drowned out by road noise. We've settled for swarms of cars without question. And I've read so many testimonies on line by recently pupated cyclists all saying the same thing - they were always too scared to cycle before. Let them swarm, and long may it continue.
And the slipstream thing? Rubbish. It is predicated on the flawed assumption that the virus just sprays out of every pore of the moving cyclist. It does not. It comes out in saliva. So assuming people are not spitting, sneezing, dribbling or coughing as they cycle, not much saliva coming out. Talking, that would be a different matter, but most cyclists only chat side by side.
Astonishing composure from a 17-year-old. That certainly wouldn't have been my behaviour when I was 17, or even when I was 27!
However, a small point: today's 62-year-olds aren't pensioners. They have at least another three years to wait until they get their state pension. Why the headline?
Certainly one is described as a retired teacher, so she would have a pension, and is therefore a pensioner.
So impressed by Nathan's calm attitude, I checked him out on Strava.
KOM on a segment called 'Where's my shovel'!!
Kudos!
What a fabulously-mature response to the situation in the face of unjustifiable pettiness from two allegedly more mature people.
Awful people completely shown up by someone they look down on due to his age and mode of transport. They should be ashamed and embarrassed about their rude conduct and total ignorance.
Indeed. They were neatly summed up by the ill-mannered woman's opening remark: "We f-ing live here".
Meanwhile, the young fella remains polite and courteous throught in the face of continued provocation.
Typical aspirational upper class Hyacinth Bucket types. Reminded me of these arses we passed on horses. We shouted ahead and then when we passed they said "why don't you get a bell, boy" in a condescending tone.
Not a good idea to ring a bell behind horses. As I know from personal experience, it will often spook them in a way that a voice doesn't. Nowadays I call out from about twenty feet or more 'cyclist behind, I'm carrying on speaking so as not to startle your horses' and always get thanked by horse riders. Such a shame you can't explain this to types like the horse's arses who said that to you.
My experiences with horses range from the weird to the sublime, so when I approach a horse from either direction I use the utmost of care. Horses are irrational. I have had a horse bolt and run at the sight of me riding up a hill on a bicycle.
And they are expensive to keep for most people, at least here in the US and I suspect the same for the UK. Many of the people who own horses are delightful people who just choose to spend their time outside with an uncontrollable thousand pound animal under them.
Other horse owners are first class works of art. When I meet one of the later, once I am a safe distance away, I say the traditional parting words for such a person on a horse: “Goodbye Frau Blucher!”
Oh, that was a depressing watch. The young chap remained very composed in the face of such pettiness.
I really hope the landowner is an avid mountain biker and after seeing this, closes this path to walkers and gives the green light for bikers to build up the trail.
Extremely polite and incredibly patient young man in the light of severe provocation.
"If you ran into me or my dogs, you would be in prision!""What law would I be in prison for?" "MANSLAUGHTER"
Surprised the Heil has picked this up and not sided with two of their obvious readers.
The trail builders around here put those kinds of obstacles on the trail to make it more entertaining. Maybe that was what the two were doing... never mind!
No argument that these malicious, anti-cylist women have been commiting hate crimes,with intent to cause serious harm to vulnerable groups, and should be dealt with accordingly, as any other nasty abusers...they could easily have killed a child, innocently riding their bike, unbeknown to anyone of the deadly traps.
I hope there's a prosecution coming out of this and not just "having a word"... It is only luck that this didn't cause serious injury, and it would Set An Example (and I bet these two women would completely approve of Setting An Example).
So the police have an admission of an act which they agree could cause "injury or damage". The identities of the perpetrators are known. Sounds both reasonably serious and a reasonable probability of conviction. Further action? Grounds for complaint if no further action?
So impressed with Nathan's calmness. I don't think i would have been so polite
Too right and not thrown off by their attempts to bully him.
Why aren't they being prosecuted ?
Time for a clear signal after the tacks in 2 places and the malicious nail trap.
Those two women are particularly horrible people. It's just luck that no-one got injured from their deliberate attempts to hurt other people.
A very grown up young man of 17 showing up two old biddies for what they are; interfering busybody vigilantes. Chapeau to the lad, and I'm afraid I'm rather older than him but I'm not sure I'd have kept as cool as him.
Let's hope the two "ladies" are now chagrined and penitent after a visit from the police. I do hope they parked a large, highly visible police car outside their houses so the neighbours knew as well.
FFS the everyday grinding pettiness of people...so depressing.
Former teacher and parish councillor.
What upstanding pillars of the community! How many kids and parishioners have they influenced with their bilious intolerance over the years to also have similar attitudes?
Age shouldn't come onto this, or anything relating to whether police take action or not. Would they prosecute an 18 year laying traps? Or course they would...meaning they would suffer with a criminal record the rest of their adult lives. Getting a criminal record when retired is meaningless by comparison, so why are so many offences committed by older people ignored or downplayed due to their age? They are not at deaths door, they potentially could live another 30 years or more easily.
This annoys me no end. Society tells us older people are wiser and should be taken seriously by no nothing youngsters for some things but for other things they have a free reign to break what rules they like.
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