Supporting The Actively Courteous Cyclist (STACC)

Cycling continues to get a lot of coverage in the press, mostly positive - charity rides, more cycling parking added at City Station, etc.  But there are still letters critical of cyclists week after week, mainly caused by a few people riding selfishly and aggressively.  STACC calls on all members and supporters to make a special effort to be courteous when riding.  Not only will you enjoy your ride more, as you get to smile at people and they usually respond in kind, but you will help the cause of better cycling and provision for cycling.
I am sure we all think we are already fairly considerate, but still, we can all benefit from a review and a refresh of our skills and knowledge.
Here are some links to really good guidance to help you maintain a high standard of courtesy and riding skills.

Sustrans, the civil-engineering charity that has created the National Cycle Network, has a code of conduct for cycling on shared paths, it can be found on-line at http://www.sustrans.org.uk/change-your-travel/get-cycling/cycling-code-conduct-shared-use-paths

 

The British Horse Society has produced an excellent Code of Conduct for Horse Riders and Cyclists, which can be found on their website http://www.bhs.org.uk/~/media/BHS/Files/PDF%20Documents/Safety%20leaflets/Cycling%20Guidance%20leaflet.ashx

 

“We want to see more people cycling, and there is more that unites cyclists and pedestrians than divides them” says Living Streets.  Living Streets Policy Briefing reference 03/09, available online at http://www.livingstreets.org.uk/sites/default/files/content/library/Policy_briefings/pb0309pedcycle.pdf addresses the problems that anti-social cycling brings.

Heartwood Forest bridleways and mountain bike access

There are a couple of things going on for bike access at Heartwood forest.
Firstly, progress is being made on converting footpath 32 into a bridleway using a grant from the Paths For Communities Scheme being run by Natural England. The bridleway will run parallel to St Albans road from the entrance to Heartwood Forest car park to Nomansland and should allow linkage into the bridleways which run from the North end of Nomansland back into Heartwood, giving us a continuous off-road circuit. We will be looking at how this route can be extended towards Wheathampstead since the stretch of St Albans road between Nomansland and Whaeathampstead is fast and narrow.
Secondly, the Woodland Trust is complaining that mountain bike access to the aincent forest areas (Langley Wood and Well Wood/Pudlers wood) is causing damage, and the Woodland Trust is considering installing additional gates/barriers to prevent this. Mountain bike access to these woods is prohibited, so please don't ride there- even if you have been riding there for years before the Woodland Trust bought the site. Comitteee members are meeting Heartwood management in early Novemeber to discuss the issue and will be asking the Woodland Trust if they would consider building mountain bike trails elsewhere in Heartwood so that mountain bike riders have somewhere more interesting to ride than the existing bridleways. The Woodland Trust doesn't seem to follow the Forestry Comission's ;ead on providing mountain bike trails, but we will see where gentle negotiation leads us. The terrain isn't steep so cross-country trails would be most appropriate, pitched for intermediate riders. Please let us know what you think.

Support your local bridleways

We have a good network of bridleways in and around St Albans. Some are best used for leisure, others provide useful commute alternatives. All of them need protecting, and we need more bridleways to link them together into contiguous routes.

The British Horse Society (the equestrian's CTC) are very effective campaigners for off-road access, Phil Wadey runs the local BHS cadre (Hertfordshire) email distribution list, which carried this alert the other day:

BRIDLEWAYS (No. 2)27.02.2007
Hoyle, Lindsay That this House recognises the importance of bridleways for horse-riders to exercise in safety and enjoy the countryside; notes that many bridleways are in poor condition or are abused by people using motorised vehicles; and calls on the Government actively to promote the use of bridleways, ensuring that those who use bridleways inappropriately are fined, to look to extend the number of bridleways across the country and to ensure that existing bridleways are kept open and are well-maintained for horse-riders.

Some MPs have tabled Early Day Motion number 1004 in support of bridleways. Early Day Motions (EDMs) are often used to find out how much support different policy choices might attract, and to see whether proposed legislation might get through the Commons. This could be such a flyer. Even if not, it's important to show the Government that there is as much support for new paths this year as there was last time such an Early Day Motion was tabled.

If you would like to see the EDM supported, you need to write to your MP giving the number of the EDM (1004), and reasons why you think it needs support. It is always best to give your own personal experience relating to one or more of the aims of the EDM rather than to use a form letter.

This is well worth supporting if you ride off-road at all.

St Albans MP Anne Main is silent on bridleways both in parliament and on her own website, and hasn't yet signed up to the EDM. (She's equally silent on cycling generally)

Find out who your MP is here, and then write to them using this free and convenient site.