upsidedown
Waiting for the great leap forward
- Location
- The middle bit
A couple of weeks ago a cyclist tragically died after suffering an epileptic fit while cycling along the canal towpath.
This week the local paper ran an article after advice from "a Stourbridge biking expert". Their words not mine. He is actually the head of Stourbug, the Stourbridge Bicycle Users Group.
Here is the article in full :
Me xxx says "Canal towpaths may seem like good places to cycle but they are littered with hazards and obstructions which make them a biker's nightmare. "
He believes people should ride on quiet roads rather than canalside routes to avoid problems including narrow tracks, potholes, low bridges and slippery conditions where a fall from a bike can end in serious injury.
Mr xxx said "we get lots of people who say they only ever ride on towpaths, we show them better places to ride.
What new cyclists tend to do is ride from A to B on roads they tend to drive on, usually where there are the most cars and are the most dangerous.
When they ride on roads with next to no traffic they say ,what have I been worried about ?'
Unlike pedestrians, cyclists have no public right of way on towpaths and if they intend to use routes owned by British Waterways must obtain a permit. "
Mr xxx says cyclists run the risk of coming into conflict with anglers and dog walkers.
He added "we are better off not being there".
End of article
While the cyclist's death was tragic, the messages sent out by this awful piece of amateur journalism could not be more negative coming from a group that claims to represent local cycling.
This week the local paper ran an article after advice from "a Stourbridge biking expert". Their words not mine. He is actually the head of Stourbug, the Stourbridge Bicycle Users Group.
Here is the article in full :
Me xxx says "Canal towpaths may seem like good places to cycle but they are littered with hazards and obstructions which make them a biker's nightmare. "
He believes people should ride on quiet roads rather than canalside routes to avoid problems including narrow tracks, potholes, low bridges and slippery conditions where a fall from a bike can end in serious injury.
Mr xxx said "we get lots of people who say they only ever ride on towpaths, we show them better places to ride.
What new cyclists tend to do is ride from A to B on roads they tend to drive on, usually where there are the most cars and are the most dangerous.
When they ride on roads with next to no traffic they say ,what have I been worried about ?'
Unlike pedestrians, cyclists have no public right of way on towpaths and if they intend to use routes owned by British Waterways must obtain a permit. "
Mr xxx says cyclists run the risk of coming into conflict with anglers and dog walkers.
He added "we are better off not being there".
End of article
While the cyclist's death was tragic, the messages sent out by this awful piece of amateur journalism could not be more negative coming from a group that claims to represent local cycling.
) but I've never come back from a ride on the towpath angry or unsatisfied.
) then BW can bar you from the network, its not a right of way after all although some small parts may be.
