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New Forest abandons rural 'Boris Bike' scheme

Did risk of sabotage by locals lead to bizarre anti-tourism decision?

The New Forest National Park Authority has decided not to go ahead with the planned implementation of a 'Boris Bike' style network of hire bikes. Had the project gone ahead it would have been the UK's first rural hire bike system.

In a statement issues this afternoon, the authority said that its 12 members were concerned about the system's financial sustainability and believed that "the likelihood of the system receiving significant sponsorship had markedly reduced since it was originally conceived".

However, earlier this week Graham Bright of B-Cycle, the company retained to implement the scheme, told the Southern Daily Echo that concerns over sponsorship were misguided as any deals to cover ongoing costs would not affect the viability of the scheme.

Bright said: “We have not had an opportunity to engage with members. The things they have mentioned in their reports can be easily addressed.”

It's not known whether Bright was able to address today's meeting of the New Forest National Park Authority.

In its statement, the authority also mentions perhaps the crux of the decision: opposition from some locals. It said that a recent  survey "showed a lack of strong support for the scheme among local residents".

As a result, it said, "there was a real risk that suitable docking station sites would not be supported at key locations, making it difficult to set up a viable network".

Since it's clearly irrelevant whether or not the building of a bike docking station is "supported" or not, the obvious conclusion is that the authority has backed down under the expectation of sabotage of the construction of docking stations.

Cycling events in the New Forest have been sabotaged numerous times in the last few years, with tacks and slurry spread on roads and signage removed.

The authority says it plans to spend the funding intended for teh scheme - part of a £3.57m grant from the Department for Transport - on other local cycling projects, though it's not currently clear that it has the authority to do so.

Here's the authority's statement in full:

New Forest National Park Authority members have voted not to proceed with a project to develop the UK’s first rural public bike system within the New Forest.

This self-service bike hire system would have comprised up to 250 one size fits all bikes for public hire at 20 unmanned locations in the south east of the National Park.

Members were concerned about the financial sustainability of the £2m public bike system. They considered that the likelihood of the system receiving significant sponsorship had markedly reduced since it was originally conceived, given that similar recent schemes in Liverpool and Reading have launched without major sponsors.

Concern was also expressed about the mixed results of a recent community feedback survey, which showed a lack of strong support for the scheme among local residents. Members felt there was a real risk that suitable docking station sites would not be supported at key locations, making it difficult to set up a viable network. The results of the survey are available at www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/bikesurvey.

Given the challenging delivery timetable for the project, by March 2015, it was felt there was insufficient time remaining to overcome these issues.

The National Park Authority now intends to support alternative cycling projects with the funding previously allocated for the public bike system.

Members underlined their commitment to supporting responsible family cycling in the National Park, in particular as a key mode of transport for people to get around the Forest for work or pleasure, and as a way to enjoy its special qualities without a car.

National Park Authority Chairman, Oliver Crosthwaite-Eyre said: ‘This would have been an innovative project that had clear benefits to offer those wishing to use bicycles for quiet recreation and travelling around the Forest, rather than using their cars.

‘However as members we have scrutinised it very carefully, and concluded that the risks of setting up the scheme now outweigh the benefits. We felt we simply could not justify spending a considerable amount of government money on a system that might not be able to survive at this time, and which seems to have insufficient support in the key locations of the Forest where it needs to operate from.’

The public bike system was part of the New Forest Family Cycling Experiences programme. The programme is funded by a £3.57m grant from the Department for Transport and  will continue to invest in other local cycling projects through:

  • Supporting Hampshire County Council to deliver infrastructure schemes in and around the National Park this year to improve safety and access for cyclists
  • Funding community groups and businesses to develop their own cycling facilities through the Sustainable Communities Fund. Further details at www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/scf.

Minutes of the meeting will be available in due course at www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/meetings.

John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.

He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.

Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.

John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.

He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.

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46 comments

Avatar
PhilRuss replied to oozaveared | 10 years ago
0 likes
oozaveared wrote:
Forester wrote:

....was following a youngster on a road bike who simply jammed on the brakes and stopped when he came to a cattle grid leaving me with a car behind me having to take evasive action.

Then you are a bad and inconsiderate driver.

As an advanced driver I can only hope that in furure....

Many driving schools offer remedial lessons....

[[[[[[ Er...Forester was on his bike, not driving....

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jacknorell replied to Forester | 10 years ago
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Forester wrote:

Not sure about this one; there are plenty of cycle hire firms catering for visitors who often want childrens ' bikes and trailers. Unfortunately said visitors often end up on busy and unsuitable roads as there is no joined up cycle route; was following a youngster on a road bike who simply jammed on the brakes and stopped when he came to a cattle grid leaving me with a car behind me having to take evasive action. Apart from Wiggle issue, forest residents in general aren't too bad. Money needs to be spent on roads and tracks.

The relevant part of that is the driver behind you was not leaving sufficient space as per Highway Code.

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badback | 10 years ago
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Well they are really going out of the way to sell themselves as a place for me and my family to visit [not].

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dp24 | 10 years ago
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They should have the money taken from them, so it can be given to somewhere who are willing to put it to good use, instead of caving into to a bunch of arseholes who don't want bikes getting in the way of their 4x4.

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levermonkey | 10 years ago
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So they are happy to give up the scheme but not the money, strange [Not]!

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parksey | 10 years ago
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Agreed, really cannot make sense of this decision at all.

I'm going to keep riding there, mind. Don't want the weekend locals to think they can always get their way.

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jacknorell | 10 years ago
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Basically, the moneyed second home/retirement place people are f-ing over the locals who are dependent on tourism. Though I'm sure some of the locals are swivel-eyed loons as well, they mostly welcome tourists.

At some point, they'll get a clue and get active, but cyclists will likely have moved on long before then...

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userfriendly | 10 years ago
0 likes

This is truly shameful. Pity those kind of people don't know what shame means.

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jova54 | 10 years ago
0 likes
Quote:

The authority says it plans to spend the funding intended for teh scheme - part of a £3.57m grant from the Department for Transport - on other local cycling projects, though it's not currently clear that it has the authority to do so.

Surely if the money was a grant to cover the costs of a specific scheme and it hasn't been used for that then it should be repaid to DfT immediately.

Given the failure of New Forest Authority and Hampshire County Council to show it has sufficient balls to stand up to NIMBYS, the chance of them being given any more money for cycling related schemes should be nil.

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thx1138 | 10 years ago
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The National Park Authority now intends to support alternative cycling projects with the funding previously allocated for the public bike system.

What's the point of that given the locals resentment of anything cycling related...

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bikebot replied to thx1138 | 10 years ago
0 likes

The National Park Authority now intends to support alternative cycling projects with the funding previously allocated for the public bike system.

So if I were to make an educated guess as to what that might be, I'd say it would be some typical sustrans rural off road routes. Better known as "bridleways", with a nice top layer of horse poop.

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banzicyclist2 | 10 years ago
0 likes

Won't be going to the New Forest anytime soon to spend my holiday money.

 14

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DuncanMc | 10 years ago
0 likes

I thought the point was this scheme is not for locals but visiting tourists.
Shame on those so called locals who shouted this down. I hope they enjoy the fume choked forest on thier own.
Obviously a local forest for local people.

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DuncanMc | 10 years ago
0 likes

I thought the point was this scheme is not for locals but visiting tourists.
Shame on those so called locals who shouted this down. I hope they enjoy the fume choked forest on thier own.
Obviously a local forest for local people.

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Some Fella | 10 years ago
0 likes

There is so much that beggars belief in this story that i wont even bother leaving an erudite and articulate comment but simply offer my opinion - that New Forest National Park Authority members are dicks.

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matttheaudit replied to Some Fella | 10 years ago
0 likes
Some Fella wrote:

There is so much that beggars belief in this story that i wont even bother leaving an erudite and articulate comment but simply offer my opinion - that New Forest National Park Authority members are dicks.

Under the circumstances, this is a very restrained response that sums them up perfectly.
God forbid that the second homers have to slow down as they bomb around the forest. FFS it's a National Park. For everyone. The clue is in the name.

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