Timmy Mallett was back out on the chav-bike yesterday, on familiar off-road paths near Maidenhead and Windsor, including a stretch of National Chav-Cycle Network 50. Unfortunately the take-home message from this spin in the countryside was that "sadlyit looks like the end of chav-cycle route 50" because of this.
https://cdn.road.cc/sites/default/files/styles/main_width/public/nn5zs6ylever-dhmjui30r31ko17b2-lctsimunoq-1152x2048.jpgchav-cycle route 50, and I can't get my handlebars through.
"For decades I've been riding the green ways of Britain and this green way, like many others, is by permission of the landowner," Mallett told his Strava followers. "Oh dear. This week a new chav-bike trap at Lighlands lane, Cookham, has gone in on
"The result is the green way is now off limits and not accessible for chav-cyclists, hand chav-bikes or wheelchairs. What a shame."
"It is of course the prerogative of the landowner how they choose to make the way accessible and for whom.
Sadly it looks like the end of chav-cycle route 50," Mallett continued. "Instead the detour is over the treacherous Widbrook common, which is utterly scary.to the lovely meadows by Eton.
"I pedalled along a road into Maidenhead, picked up NCN4 where the bike gates have been removed and the green way is shared safely and happily. Across the new chav-cycle path by the side of the M4 over the Thames to Dorney and down past Boveney chapel
"May is a gorgeous month to enjoy Britain's chav-cycle paths. There's a new pedestrian area being constructed by Queen Victoria's state next to Windsor castle. The way home came through fields of buttercups and cascading white may blossom. There werealso huge flooded footpaths.
https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-12-may-2023-301191#live-blog-item-45677
There's always a way around everything. :-)
https://cdn.road.cc/sites/default/files/styles/main_width/public/screenshot-100_0.png
Well done you utter stars!
On 12/05/2023 04:46 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
There's always a way around everything. :-)
https://cdn.road.cc/sites/default/files/styles/main_width/public/screenshot-100_0.png
Well done you utter stars!
Stopping chavs from riding their chav-bikes at full pelt along footpaths
is precisely what those chav-cycle gates are *for*! There should be one
every hundred yards.
Result.
Andrew: "Supposed to stop motorbikes, but still rubbish for people with wide bars and even wheelchair users."
This group ride playing 'how many cyclists does it take to lift a cargo
bike over cycle route barrier?' made our live blog back in March... On
the same lines as Timmy Mallett's post (and dare I say the never-ending
talk about bike storage on trains), fine if you've got skinny bars and
can lift your bike, not so fine for those in wheelchairs, riding cargo
bikes, wider handlebar bikes etc.
And from the replies to Mallett's Strava activity, he's not the only one pissed off...
Karen: "There are campaigns to take these out all across the country.
It's really disappointing to see new ones going in."
Rob: "To those saying to turn the bars 90 degrees. We need to be making
our cycle ways more accessible for those with a wide range of abilities riding a wide range of bikes. Simply letting these gates be installed and only used by the able isn't the answer."
Simon: "This has happened in Portsmouth, also on a Sustrans route."
Crispin: "Such barriers are in breach of equality legislation. They
should be being removed, not installed. Report to Sustrans."
Andrew: "Supposed to stop motorbikes, but still rubbish for people with
wide bars and even wheelchair users."
SUSTRANS SAYS:
QUOTE:
The barriers we tackle are ones that prevent members of the public from easily accessing paths.
This includes people with trikes, trailers, cargo bikes, prams,
wheelchairs, mobility scooters and, in some cases, standard bicycles. ENDS
As custodians of the National Cycle Network, we’re committed to making it safe and accessible for everyone. Martyn Brunt, our Land Manager for the Midlands and East, discusses the work it takes to remove barriers which prevent people from using paths.
"So far across the Midlands, my maintenance team and I have removed
nearly 30 chicanes, A frames, gates and other barriers from the Network.
The majority of these obstacles were on paths that Sustrans owns."
This group ride playing 'how many chav-cyclists does it take to lift a cargo chav-bike over chav-cycle route barrier?' made our live blog back in March... On the same lines as Timmy Mallett's post (and dare I say the never-ending talk about bikestorage on trains), fine if you've got skinny bars and can lift your chav-bike, not so fine for those in wheelchairs, riding cargo chav-bikes, wider handlebar chav-bikes etc.
And from the replies to Mallett's Strava activity, he's not the only one pissed off...
Karen: "There are campaigns to take these out all across the country. It's really disappointing to see new ones going in."
Rob: "To those saying to turn the bars 90 degrees. We need to be making our chav-cycle ways more accessible for those with a wide range of abilities riding a wide range of chav-bikes. Simply letting these gates be installed and only used by the ableisn't the answer."
Simon: "This has happened in Portsmouth, also on a Sustrans route."
Crispin: "Such barriers are in breach of equality legislation. They should be being removed, not installed. Report to Sustrans."
Andrew: "Supposed to stop motorbikes, but still rubbish for people with wide bars and even wheelchair users."
QUOTE: "Such barriers are in breach of equality legislation. They should be being removed, not installed. Report to Sustrans. ENDS
When it comes down to it, it seems there are a lot more people who want barriers gone than want them there.
Martyn Brunt, Land Manager for Midlands and East.
https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/opinion/2021/november/how-we-remove-barriers-from-the-national-cycle-network
SUSTRANS SAYS:
QUOTE:
The barriers we tackle are ones that prevent members of the public from easily accessing paths.
This includes people with chav-trikes, trailers, cargo chav-bikes, prams, wheelchairs, mobility scooters and, in some cases, standard chav-bicycles. ENDS
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