Anyone from Bath?

Rich said:

The Bristol Cycling Campaign has started a petition about the
decision of BANES to allow horses on cycle paths in their area. It
says "We the undersigned oppose the decision of BANES Council to
allow horses on cycle paths in their area. We also note the lack of
consultation and demand immediate consultation."

Highway code, section 40:

You MUST NOT take a horse onto a footpath, pavement or cycle track. Use a
bridleway where possible. Laws HA1835 sect 72 and R(S)A sect 129(5)

I didn't realise that a local authority could override the Highways Act.

Pete.

"PeteC" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Rich said:

The Bristol Cycling Campaign has started a petition about the
decision of BANES to allow horses on cycle paths in their area. It
says "We the undersigned oppose the decision of BANES Council to
allow horses on cycle paths in their area. We also note the lack of
consultation and demand immediate consultation."

Highway code, section 40:

You MUST NOT take a horse onto a footpath, pavement or cycle track. Use a
bridleway where possible. Laws HA1835 sect 72 and R(S)A sect 129(5)

I didn't realise that a local authority could override the Highways Act.

They own it, and therefore they seem to think that they can do exactly as
they please without bothering the current users with silly things like
asking them what they think. They did ask Sustrans who seemed to think that
it was a good idea.

Quoted message said:

Pete.

Rich said:

They own it, and therefore they seem to think that they can do
exactly as they please without bothering the current users with silly
things like asking them what they think. They did ask Sustrans who
seemed to think that it was a good idea.

Does the Bristol Cycling Campaign have any official contact with BANES? If
not, then that may be something worth chasing (or get the Bath Cycling
Campaign, if there is one, to do it).

I'd use the petition to talk to the local newspapers about the 'tyrannical
council riding roughshod over cyclists' - get some press releases and
interviews set up, and make some noise. They'll ignore a little quiet
petition, but can't ignore the local press. Stress that your issue is more
with the lack of consultation, rather than the ruling itself, but that the
ruling may not have been made had proper consultation had taken place.

Pete.

In message <[email hidden]>

Rich said:

The Bristol Cycling Campaign has started a petition about the decision of
BANES to allow horses on cycle paths in their area. It says "We the
undersigned oppose the decision of BANES Council to allow horses on cycle
paths in their area. We also note the lack of consultation and demand
immediate consultation."

Many horses are allready ridden on the A4174 cycle track, and I have seen
them on the Bristol-Bath cycle track. What I really hate is the amount
of horse [censored] on them. Sometimes it is impossible to steer round it.
It really is disgusting.

Martin.

--
According to the human genome project, humans are 50-60% bananas.
When emailing me, please include the word Banana in the subject line.

"Rich" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The Bristol Cycling Campaign has started a petition about the decision of
BANES to allow horses on cycle paths in their area. It says "We the
undersigned oppose the decision of BANES Council to allow horses on cycle
paths in their area. We also note the lack of consultation and demand
immediate consultation."

Hold on a minute. I too think the French have the best way of dealing with
horses - but it might be well to consider history. I think it was in the
late 60s that bridleways were opened to cycles; my cycling would be a great
deal poorer if I couldn't cycle on bridleways.

I find that horses chop the land up and make things that bit rougher, they
leave vegetarian droppings that are much less offensive than dog muck and
sometimes I have to slow down because not all horses are well trained. But
on the whole I rub along quite well with horses. The recent horse passport
system will make them more rare and I think we should consider calming down
and putting the problem into perspective.

John

"Eatmorepies" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hold on a minute. I too think the French have the best way of dealing with
horses - but it might be well to consider history. I think it was in the
late 60s that bridleways were opened to cycles; my cycling would be a
great deal poorer if I couldn't cycle on bridleways.

Bridleways are a completely seperate issue. Would you be happy to have to
give way to horses on a cycle path, as you are legally obliged to do on a
bridlepath?

Quoted message said:

But

Quoted message said:

on the whole I rub along quite well with horses. The recent horse passport
system will make them more rare and I think we should consider calming
down and putting the problem into perspective.

You're perfectly right, but:-

* no consultation with the path's users?
* the paths are not wide enough for shared use between cyclists and
pedestrians, let alone horses.
* the danger to both peds and cyclists is considerable. Three years ago a
BANES council employee was killed whilst out riding his bike on the road, by
a horse.
* Many parents have told me that they won't be allowing their children on
the path any more, because of the danger and the droppings.

Rich said:

The Bristol Cycling Campaign has started a petition about the decision of
BANES to allow horses on cycle paths in their area.

<snip>

Quoted message said:

It would be preferable if this was presented to the council by someone
living in Bath. Is there anyone with a Bath address who would be prepared
to do this?

Perhaps the Bath Cycling Campaign?
<URL:http://www.bathcyclingcampaign.org.uk/>

I've been on their yahoogroups list for a couple of months now. They
seem to speak quite a bit to Sir Elgar Jenkins, who I believe is the
"brains" behind the horse lunacy.

--
Danny Colyer (my reply address is valid but checked infrequently)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

[email hidden] wrote:
| Many horses are allready ridden on the A4174 cycle track, and I have seen
| them on the Bristol-Bath cycle track. What I really hate is the amount
| of horse [censored] on them. Sometimes it is impossible to steer round it.
| It really is disgusting.

Collect it.

Honestly, what has happened to this generation of cyclists?
Has it given up allotments?

[email hidden] wrote:
| Many horses are allready ridden on the A4174 cycle track, and I have seen
| them on the Bristol-Bath cycle track. What I really hate is the amount
| of horse [censored] on them. Sometimes it is impossible to steer round it.
| It really is disgusting.

Collect it.

Honestly, what has happened to this generation of cyclists?
Has it given up allotments?

in message <[email hidden]>, Rich

(') said:

"Eatmorepies" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hold on a minute. I too think the French have the best way of dealing
with horses - but it might be well to consider history. I think it was
in the late 60s that bridleways were opened to cycles; my cycling
would be a great deal poorer if I couldn't cycle on bridleways.

Bridleways are a completely seperate issue. Would you be happy to have
to give way to horses on a cycle path, as you are legally obliged to do
on a bridlepath?

There is also the fact that horses spook easily and are very dangerous
when spooked. Mixing horses with even moderately fast moving cycle
traffic is /not/ a good idea.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; If God does not write LISP, God writes some code so similar to
;; LISP as to make no difference.

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Rich
([email hidden]'😉 wrote:

Quoted message said:

There is also the fact that horses spook easily and are very
dangerous when spooked. Mixing horses with even moderately fast
moving cycle traffic is /not/ a good idea.

Someone should let TPTB, and the equestrians, know what horses'
reactions to recumbents often are. Get a recumbent census done and make
sure that every 'bent rider in the area is on the path that day.

--
Dave...

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Rich

(') said:

"Eatmorepies" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hold on a minute. I too think the French have the best way of dealing
with horses - but it might be well to consider history. I think it was
in the late 60s that bridleways were opened to cycles; my cycling
would be a great deal poorer if I couldn't cycle on bridleways.

Bridleways are a completely seperate issue. Would you be happy to have
to give way to horses on a cycle path, as you are legally obliged to do
on a bridlepath?

There is also the fact that horses spook easily and are very dangerous
when spooked. Mixing horses with even moderately fast moving cycle
traffic is /not/ a good idea.

Does that mean you think horses on public roads are also not a good
idea?

I must admit, this whole topic sounds like a load of car drivers moaning
about cyclists on the road. If slowing down behind cyclists for a few
seconds is good enough for car drivers, then slowing down for horses
should be good enough for cyclists.

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
"I dwelt alone in a world of moan And my soul was a stagnant tide"

On Mon, 12 Sep 2005 16:19:11 +0100 someone who may be Keith
Willoughby <[email hidden]> wrote this:-

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

There is also the fact that horses spook easily and are very dangerous
when spooked. Mixing horses with even moderately fast moving cycle
traffic is /not/ a good idea.

Does that mean you think horses on public roads are also not a good
idea?

1) Roads are wider than cyclepaths, almost without exception.

2) Horses are particularly frightened by cycles, for some reason.
This isn't so much of a problem on a road, as there is more width,
though the council member of staff killed by horses was cycling on a
narrow lane.

3) In addition roads tend to have harder surfaces, less likely to be
broken up by hooves.

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me by using the RIP Act 2000.

Keith Willoughby said:

Does that mean you think horses on public roads are also not a good
idea?

Personally, I think horses on unsurfaced public roads less than 2m
wide are not a good idea.

I have been thrown off my bike by a horse that reared as I went past
very slowly. A steel-shod hoof went past just in front of my face at
one point in the melee. The rider of teh horse in question went
ballistic (though why she was screaming at me when she proved herself
incapable of controlling her half-tonne of horse-flesh I'm not sure),
though her companion told her to pull herself together, and enquired
as to my well-being.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

There is also the fact that horses spook easily and are very dangerous
when spooked. Mixing horses with even moderately fast moving cycle
traffic is /not/ a good idea.

With horses, it's a good idea to speak to the rider well before you draw
level with the horse. I also slow down. A simple
hello/goodmorning/goodafternoon/cyclist approaching ... will suffice.
Apparently, so a couple of horse riders have told me, this identifies you to
the horse as a human and not some strange predator, so horse is less likely
to be spooked. Seems to be working okay for me so far on narrow lanes. Mind
you, I tend to speak to the horses as well as the riders 🙂

Cheers, helen s

Martin Dann said:

Many horses are allready ridden on the A4174 cycle track, and I have seen
them on the Bristol-Bath cycle track. What I really hate is the amount
of horse [censored] on them. Sometimes it is impossible to steer round it.
It really is disgusting.

Horse [censored] isn't disgusting, it's just a bit of grass. I come home on a
bridleway, and I keep meaning to get a big bag so I can collect it for
the compost.

Daniele
--
For sale: Apple PowerBook G4 17", 1.67GHz, 1.5GB RAM, 80GB HDD, DVD
writer, Airport Extreme, Bluetooth, backlit keyboard. Almost brand
new - has been used exactly once, on 8th September 2005, for a one-
day project. Absolutely perfect condition. £1500 + VAT or offers.

Ian Smith said:

Keith Willoughby said:

Does that mean you think horses on public roads are also not a good
idea?

Personally, I think horses on unsurfaced public roads less than 2m
wide are not a good idea.

I have been thrown off my bike by a horse that reared as I went past
very slowly. A steel-shod hoof went past just in front of my face at
one point in the melee. The rider of teh horse in question went
ballistic (though why she was screaming at me when she proved herself
incapable of controlling her half-tonne of horse-flesh I'm not sure),
though her companion told her to pull herself together, and enquired
as to my well-being.

And I was almost hit by a car on the road once.

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
9-3

Keith Willoughby said:

I must admit, this whole topic sounds like a load of car drivers moaning
about cyclists on the road. If slowing down behind cyclists for a few
seconds is good enough for car drivers, then slowing down for horses
should be good enough for cyclists.

It's not a question of slowing down for a few seconds, it's a question
of slowing down until either the equestrian or the cyclist leaves the
path. The path is *not* wide enough to safely pass a horse.

Quoted message said:

If
the surface was designed with cycles and not horses in mind, then sure,
maybe horses shouldn't be allowed on.

Thank you. That is the case here.

--
Danny Colyer (my reply address is valid but checked infrequently)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

D.M. Procida said:

Horse [censored] isn't disgusting, it's just a bit of grass.

The fact that it does not disgust you does not mean that it is not
disgusting. Personally, I dislike getting covered in excrement.

--
Danny Colyer (my reply address is valid but checked infrequently)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine