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CC licensed by Stewart Black via Flickr.jpgCycling UK calls on Welsh Government to increase access to rights of way network
Fifty years ago, cyclists in England and Wales were granted access to just over 20 per cent of all rights of way by the Countryside Act 1968. To mark the occasion, Cycling UK is asking the Welsh government to improve on this percentage by following through on its own proposals to increase access.
Duncan Dollimore, Cycling UK’s head of campaigns said: “Improving public access, particularly in the creation or restoration of connected routes is a public good. Farmers, visitors and local communities in Wales will all benefit – but let’s not wait another fifty years for this to happen.”
Last year Cycling UK and OpenMTB backed Welsh Government proposals to open up most footpaths in Wales to cycling and horse riding, calling on the public to show their support via the Trails for Wales campaign.
However, in June the Welsh Government changed tack, saying it was, “not the right time for substantive reform.” It cited “strong but differing views,” by way of explanation.
The move came despite huge public support for the proposals, with 16,468 out of a total of 17,391 responses to a September 2017 consultation supporting change to access laws.
“There’s a huge sway of public support for change to rights of way in Wales, and it’s a missed opportunity if they continue to sit on the fence on this important issue,” said Dollimore.
The UK’s rights of way network frequently changes between footpaths and bridleways, with often no noticeable change in quality between the two apart from a different signpost.
This has created confusion among the nation’s cyclists with Cycling UK’s Rides of Way report revealing that 74 per cent of people cycling on the network find it “unsuitable”.
Cycling UK has written to Minister for the Environment, Hannah Blythyn AM, seeking an explanation for the government’s position, and also seeking a meeting to discuss next steps and how to improve countryside access pending future changes to the law.
Dollimore said: “As Wales and the rest of the UK celebrates the fantastic achievements of Geraint Thomas in the Tour de France, now’s the opportunity for the Welsh Government to build on his legacy and do more for the everyday cyclist.
“The Government sought the public’s opinion for their own proposals on how they could improve conditions for cycling off-road. A minority disagreed with an overwhelming majority, and now progress on public rights of way has been kicked into the long grass.”
In the UK, only the Scottish Government has passed laws to improve access, via the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.
This law allows people the right to access and cross land for recreational and educational purposes, unless expressly forbidden to do so. Local tourism has boomed, with cycle tourism estimated to generate between £236 and £358 million for the Scottish economy each year.
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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36 comments
Wales is a beautiful country Don, pity they filled it with the Welsh...
This discussion brings to mind this article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/36580448/welsh-woman-on-bus-shuts-...
Time for a Bill Hicks quote on nationalism:
Personally, I'm fine with other countries suggesting improvements to England as we clearly need their input. I've even heard rumours that Cardiff will get their second stadium before Bristol gets their first! Free prescriptions - count me in (I don't personally benefit from that though).
On the flip side, I agree with Don about not swamping Wales with the will of the English and I disagree with people campaigning against Welsh as a first language in schools. To my mind, different cultures enrich us and the Welsh language should definitely be encouraged as much as possible.
Sorry to be a pedant, but it is respectful of other nations to capitalise the name. England, Wales, you get the idea.
Given that large parts of Wales are going to be losing significant sources of EU funding with no guarantee of long term financial subsidy from the English taxpayer, you would have thought that tourism would be high on the agenda. Land access rights for recreational use of all sorts are crucial to that offer.
Looks like someone's been huffing the sheep dip a little too enthusiastically....
Bit baffled by the anti-English sentiment here. Sure, plenty of English people backed this proposal but then I would have thought plenty of Welsh people might support similar reforms in England and I'd thank them for supporting it. (Unfortunately the government is far too backward for that to happen in England.)
There are three reasons I supported it:
1) Any access improvements in the UK are progress and will help move things forward everywhere eventually
2) I'm sure Welsh cyclists would benefit
3) I do occasionally cycle in Wales and this would increase the chances of me doing so again, which I would have thought is good for Wales (tourist £) and for me.
As for Welsh people having a problem with English people doing recreation in Wales... well that just seems to be an attitude that could materially harm Wales' economy and prosperity. Are there hoards of Welsh people protesting outside http://www.visitwales.com HQ to tell them to stop encouraging the English?
This seems even more bizarre to me than people who hate Germans because of WWII etc.
my point is that there is no need for change in law - land owners can grant access irrespective and I'm pretty fed up with the likes of NT only granting the legal minimum access required by law
You are reading far too much into the statement I made and totally misrepresenting it with a load of bollocks.
We'll start with learning the difference between "would be useful" and "should". Do you really want me to teach you some of the english language? And there is nothing small minded about Welsh being concerned about Welsh issues that are fuck all to do with the english. Like I said, sort your own access law out first.. As a gogg I am concerned that I am restricted on where I can ride in the Peak District. It's appalling and you really should be maximising the tourist pound.
Why don't the land owners in england allow me to ride, or 4x4, where I want? Sort it out now!
Maybe I misunderstood (or perhaps I didn't) but clarification / correction is infinitely more useful than merely resorting to insults. There's zero point in trying to discuss anything if that's all you have to offer.
You do have problems reading, don't you?
This will be the bollocks that I referred to, patronising bollocks to boot, but keep at it.
Has england sorted out its own access laws alrerady? Once it has, feel free to show the Welsh how successful it is and offer it as a suggestion. Until then take your demands and patronising and shove them where the sun don't shine. No, there isn't any point discussing anything with someone so arrogant they think they can tell the Welsh how to manage their country. Your input to the discussion won't be missed.
Just a quick one, should I continue watching the footy or turn over for the end of the roiad race? I'll keep you informed of any other decisions I make that aren't your business.
correct me if I'm wrong but the process went something like this...
welsh government proposes increasing access
they hold an opinion poll, something like 85% of the public consultation back the proposal
a small but very vocal minority object
the welsh government drop the proposal
cycling uk point out the proposal was backed and approach the welsh government
so what part of of this is the english telling the welsh what to do?
your atitude seems to be that only the welsh should be allowed to cycle in wales as far as I can tell. despite the fact that wales is subsidied by the rest of the UK, and currentlty the resty of the EU as well.
What percentage of those are english incomers?
Much like those schools where incomers ask for Welsh to be dropped from the curriculum.
Sorry mate.
Your anger and arguments are just making you look like an angry Welsh nationalist , and it is making you look rather silly with a chip on your shoulder.
I think you need to understand nationalism and my point of view, as soon as england demonstrates the improvements by opening up its own national parks to a proper right to roam legislation, then, and only then, can it ask Wales to follow suit. The arrogance that is being demonstrated here is just reinforcing the stereotypical english image that the rest of the world has.
It's simple, you wouldn't demand that any other nation, France, Germany, USA, etc, implement a legislation (unless it went against global norms), so why demand something of Wales then embarrass yourselves by trying to defend it.
I'm all for opening up the rights of access, just not at the behest of england, and not as long as england refuses to lead by example. If you think that's nationalism and want to use the good old chip on the shoulder put down, I suggest you learn what nationalism is. I also wouldn't be buying a holiday home in Wales in the foreseeable future either, if I were you.
I've said it twice in the same post as you clearly refuse to understand what I am saying and prefer a casual put down. As for the wanker and the sheep joke, 1970 called and wants its casual racism back.
And finally, yes, Mungecrundle, it should be Wales' decision as to whether the land is opened up to all in order to maximise the tourist £, and not england's. I assume that's what you were getting at.
I do have some suggestions for improvements to england, but I'm not that arrogant.
You are too modest in your opinion of yourself. You could start by spelling England with a capital 'E' and work up from there.
He was deliberately doing that to wind you up and it looks like it worked.
No, I fully understand it and I understand your point of view. You took it as some sort of personal insult. It's tainted by your huge chip on your sholder. No one was demanding anyone to do anything on a local level. People want access nation wide, but you took it as some sort of insult. I fully understand the folly and ignorance of Welsh nationalim thank you, what with my mother being born and bred in Caerphilly in a long line of farmers and shop keepers. The one that gets angry at tourism yet ignores the 10% of national income that relys on this. The belife that people who have not lived somewhere for many generations should not be treated with respect. All so stupid.
Don't see what living under a bridge has to do with anything, unless you're trying to call me a troll. Why is asking england to set an example by getting their right to roam legislation in order before asking the Welsh to do it trolling? I'll give you a clue, it's not. The troll is demanding that Wales do this in the first place.
Before we know it england will be telling people to move house so they can flood the land and have a new water supply.
British National,born in that there England, currently live in Aus' , have lived in Wales with all its baggage for the English but I've never ever lived under a bridge
Same point I made applies in England
should also be asking major landowners to just simply allow access by cyclists....the intention of defining rights of way was to give a minimum legal right to cross land...somehow this has become the only right to cross land ... a landowner can allow the public to do whatever - so what about it NT, Forestry Commission, MOD, Water Utilities, Duke of whatever? simple enough just say yes open access and just fix stuff like signposting SSI's and other sensitive areas
Do I have the same levels of access in england as you are asking for in Wales? You may be welsh, bit it's incredibly rich for the english to demand that access is improved in Wales when it is still limited in englend. Why doesn't england extend right to roam to include cycling, horse riding. greenlaning etc before sticking its nose in other nations' business.
This shouldn't even be a discussion. In fact, it would be useful if you put up your nationality before posting on this thread.
I'm a Gogg.
I'm English and it seems fair enough to want right-of-way to be the same in England and Wales.
I had interpreted the article as the Welsh govt had already made noises that they were going to improve access, but then mysteriously (public opposition) aborted that. The UK govt however haven't made any noises about increasing access (or at least that I've heard about) and so it seems pointless to ask them about it (or ask them to do anything that isn't Brexit or career related).
I didn't really get the England vs Wales part of it, I thought it was more Cycling UK vs Wales.
By the way, I'd never heard the expression "Gogg" (or is it "Gog") before - had to google it.
The eng land vs Wales thing is due to Wales being told to improve access while england can sit happily without having its beauty spots destroyed, irrespective of the CUK title representing UK, if it were a UK wide initiative, there wouldn't be a problem. There is a history of england using Wales as its playground, and do you know what? The locals don't like it.
Fair enough - I obviously don't see it from a Welsh perspective.
Personally, I'd be more than happy to have England open up right of way, but then my terraced house in Bristol is not going to be affected, so I have nothing to lose. Are there specific aspects of tourism/right-of-way that you and/or Welsh people object to? I get the usual tourist complaints of littering and not respecting the country code, but am wondering if there are other aspects.
I noted your comments about "incomers" campaigning to stop Welsh being taught in schools.
Does that mean the 'proper' Welsh are only the ones who siarad Cymraeg, then? Must be a bit offputting for the Welsh who aren't Welsh speakers and don't want to learn Welsh, and yet have lived in Wales all their lives, as have their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc...
How many generations makes you not an incomer? (full disclosure: in my village in Somerset in that there England, I gather its about fifty years or four generations, whichever is the longer).
Offputting? Understatement of the century! I don't think I can quite put it into words.
I've known many English incomers and also too many Welsh nationalists with their blind anti-English rhetoric (which I find all too similar to that of the EDL, BNP and so on). The former fuels the latter but the nationalists choose to ignore the many incomers who become part of local life; they ignore those who, encouraged by the Development Board grants and cheap rents & rates, brought employment to many regions. No, they focus on the ones who want Wales to be like it's just another English county because it suits their twisted agenda.
It is understandable on one level. There is 1,000 years of forcefully trying to supress our language & culture. It's baggage which weighs heavily, even for those of us who don't speak Welsh fluently but are proud of our nationality.
The really depressing part of it is that the nationalists, supposedly defending their culture, do more harm than good. They won't acknowledge it but it's absolutely true. On a positive note, there has been a change - in some areas at least - as more Welsh speakers realise that, when they promote, share and open up their language and culture to non-Welsh speakers (regardless of their origin), then many more people value and respect the unique culture and history of the people of Wales and have a better understanding of what it means.
There are far too many cyclists out there who show little or no consideration for other path users on the bridle and cycle network as it is without allowing access to the numerous much narrower footpath network. Add to this the inevitable vandalism, last year my local council had to spend over £4000 replacing gates, stiles and steps ripped out by mountain bikers. Most footpaths could only be used by little old ladies travelling at 5 mph, it would be utterly irresponsible to allow cyclists onto footpaths
That sounds like there's a big demand for cycle-only paths and trails.
I'm surprised that there aren't more people trying to cash in on cycle tourism with either purpose built mountain cycle tracks or the more leisurely family/touring style paths (which can also be shared with walkers). Once we get that wall built between us and the EU, we should try to cash in on people having active holidays in the UK.
barriers removed on footpaths or bridleways? Proof that it was mountain bikers and not motorbikers? Seems relatively easy to get a mountain bike through, much harder with a motorized bike.
Or horse riders? They seem to be the ones who have no respect for bridal paths, turning them in to muddy quagmires over winter leaving time as impassable dusty messes in summer. Ignoring the fact that you are not supposed to use them at times it will cause damage.
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