Fears new cycleway will lead to drunkenness, drug taking and 'naked selfies in the woods' (no, really)

During the past year I have been employed in delivering certain elements of cycle infrastructure in central London. Curiously one of the main objections is that it will encourage drug dealers. Obviously the main objection is cars, cars, cars - what about my car, where will my car park, where will my car go? Completely forgetting that the carriageway is a public highway and no one has the 'right' to park on it or be on it. But the drug dealers . . . . ? never understood where that comes from. 

I live next door to a Greenway in Harrogate. I have the great pleasure of looking out of my kitchen window and seeing walkers and cyclists using this wonderful facility. One of the greatest pleasures is seeing families with young children cycling in safety. Even in the worst of weather you don't have to wait long to see someone. At weekends and in the summer it's so busy that I end up avoiding using it other than early in the morning. Strangely I haven't seen any nudists, drug takers, drunks or any other antisocial behaviour. What I do see every day is people enjoying fresh air and exercise which is undoubtedly doing their physical and mental health a power of good. We certainly don't want to encourage that sort of thing! 

Seriously, what I see on a daily basis demonstrates that if such infrastructure is put in place it is used in a massive way (you only have to visit other such schemes all over the country to witness this). Such initiatives should be encouraged and supported. As has beed said already this is the worst sort of NIMBYism.

Agreed. Shameless nimbyism.

Maybe it will also attract Ecstasy Mother F*ckers?

Love a bit of nude bike riding. The NIMBYs of South Gloucestershire ain't seen nothing yet...

"Visitors come from as far afield as Tewkesbury and Cirencester" is on my shortlist for favourite comment of 2021.

Must be a forest thing or perhaps everyone complaining is related to those lovely people in the New Forest that think cyclists are the reason speeding local motorists drive into thir horses....

There's nothing quite as thrilling to a cyclist as a flat path on an old railway line. The adrenaline junkies will be flocking there.

Sounds a cool place. Where exactly? Asking for a friend

Is it the sunbathing per se that Dean objects to, or the fact that sunbathers are not fully clothed? That said, I guess if you try to sunbathe in a forest you may as well be fully clothed.

Jesus, talk about clutching at sensationalist straws as NIMBY excuses. I've heard it all. I assume they are going to post their evidence that cycle paths bring such behaviours, presumably as evidenced elsewhere across the country? What, they aren't? What a surprise.

PP

Not sure that cyclists are to blame for dirty nappies being dropped.  Pretty sure that these people just want 'their' forest to be enjoyed only by them.

In private.  

So that they can continue their nude shenanigans?

Down with the dog poo and dirty nappies. Up with the nudity.

As a resident of the Forest of Dean, and a regular user of the paths both on foot and bike, I've yet to come across any naked people, drugged teenage parties, drug-taking or thrill seeking; but I live in hope.

If there was a NIMBY olympics, these people would take gold, silver and bronze.