"NO BIKES" DIY Signs

Si78

mcflyss

What i dont get is why farmers get so arsy about people biking accross the footpath... for example, i was slowly biking along a footpath just the other day when a farmer in his big red tractor comes along and asks what im doing. i point out that i am lost and wanted to know the best way off the land, but on numerous occasions he pointed out that i was not allowed to be on the path on a bike like that... a MTB... ok, im sure my tyres are causing sooo much more damage than your 10ft wheels and diesel polluting fumes!
I understand if it was wet then maybe yes, but the field was dry and it was such a nice day and there are no routes round my way... never mind hey!!

cat_with_no_tail

mcflyss wrote:

What i dont get is why farmers get so arsy about people biking accross the footpath... for example, i was slowly biking along a footpath just the other day when a farmer in his big red tractor comes along and asks what im doing. i point out that i am lost and wanted to know the best way off the land, but on numerous occasions he pointed out that i was not allowed to be on the path on a bike like that... a MTB... ok, im sure my tyres are causing sooo much more damage than your 10ft wheels and diesel polluting fumes!
I understand if it was wet then maybe yes, but the field was dry and it was such a nice day and there are no routes round my way... never mind hey!!

Did he shout GERRROFFFFFF MOYYYYY LAAAAAANNNNDDD!!!!!!!

mcflyss

pmsl --- no he actually sounded like he had a plumb in his mouth!!

cat_with_no_tail

mcflyss wrote:

pmsl --- no he actually sounded like he had a plumb in his mouth!!

ah yes, he will be one of those new breed of Farmers who get paid by the Govt to not actually farm anything. No Old battered ex-army landrovers for them, Range rover Sport and X5 all the way baby.

[nostalgia]I remember, back in my day, when farmers used to grow stuff, and farm stuff.......and we had to share a bicycle between the whole street and walk 15 mile, uphill, in't rain, on a sunday, with no shoes on........[/nostalgia]

clodhoppa74

sometimes you just have to suck it up and do what people ask you. go out there with a combative attitude and that's what you;ll get back i reckon.

there's a wicked green lane near me that would be a great little section, but the farmer has 'please no bikes, no dogs without leads' sign on the gate, so i've never ridden it. sure i've wanted to, but he, the guy who owns and works the land, has asked me, via the sign, not to.

now i know the reason he asks is because it's his field that he uses for cattle with young, or those about to birth. A fast bike in a field like that (or running loose dog) can cause upset to the cattle, leading to making his life more complicated than it needs to be.

There are other 'farming' reasons why they may ask you to not go that way, so think about them rather than just being 'screw them, they're taking the pi55' (i've thought that way before myself, not being ivory tower about it). If someone told me i had a public right of way accross my back garden, i'd hope i could ask those that use it to be nice, and to respect what i ask of them.

sure, some landowners are idiots and bullies, but consider that not every mountain biker is an angel, and that walkers probably annoy them as much, but they can't do much about them. imho it's the walkers, especially the weekend walkers, that leave rubbish and litter about... so maybe you get the backlash for the idiots they can't shout at.

also, (i'm ranting, i know, sorry), it may be that the trail is dry and lovely at the moment, but it won't be in a month. it'll be wet and easily ragged to death. When the farmer is usually responsible for keeping the right of way viable, maybe they think that if you use it in the summer, you'll tear it up through winter too, as you've got away with it already, and that will cause them a mare through winter.

we have 2 bridlepaths near me within about 20 miles. seriously, that's it. i live next to the dales and it's a nightmare, so believe me, i've thought if lots about the pros and cons of 'trespassing', and usually, it just spoils the fun if you get caught, have to justify yourself. i don't think it helps when you're getting told off if you're in shorts either... instantly 5 years old again

stumpyjon

clodhoppa, I fully agree with you as long as there is no right of way (for cyclists) over the route. If there is then the landowner has absolutely no right to ask you to waive those rights. Otherwise you must obey the land owners wishes, end of.

skyd0g

There's a track/road close to me, that is named "The Avenue" on the OS map (presumably by the council?) and is shown on the OS map by two sets of parallel dashed lines "Other Road, drive or track, fenced or unfenced"

On the entry to the track is a home-made sign saying "private road" (the track is wide enough for two cars, surfaced in hardcore). The track passes a farmhouse and is not a dead end, as it joins other (public) tracks.

Is this just a case of the farmer (house owner) not wanting cars etc to be passing his house as a short-cut between tracks?

alfablue

I think the status "private road" merely means that the upkeep is the responsibility of a private individual or company rather than the local authority. If the road is open at both ends, joining public rights of way, then you can use them. It would only be trespass if there was a barrier on the road. Of course the owner may not be aware of this.

stumpyjon

alfablue wrote:

If the road is open at both ends, joining public rights of way, then you can use them.

That really doesn't sound right. You have no right of way unless the road has some form of rights of way status. The fact it is a track is irrelevant, it's as private as someones garden.

alfablue

stumpyjon wrote:

alfablue wrote:

If the road is open at both ends, joining public rights of way, then you can use them.

That really doesn't sound right. You have no right of way unless the road has some form of rights of way status. The fact it is a track is irrelevant, it's as private as someones garden.

Private roads (also known as "unadopted roads") are different in that they don't belong to the local authority, and the local authority is not under a duty to maintain them. But a private road may nonetheless be a highway for one or more classes of traffic. A private road can become a highway through use by the public over a period of time. Private through-roads sometimes become highways in this way, though private cul-de-sacs rarely do so. (Whether a public right of way exists for mechanically propelled vehicles depends also upon the effect of Part 6 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, which came into effect on 2 May 2006. This extinguished public rights of way for mechanically-propelled vehicles in many private roads.)

(link)

Private roads are roads that have not been adopted ... Maintenance of private roads is the responsibility of the owner.

{link}

of course the definitive answer for any road can only be ascertained by local investigation

alfablue

You can use private roads where there is an "easement" that may occur through use by the public, I am not sure if it then becomes a right of way, but nevertheless, the public may use it. If you have a private road open at each end leading to other public highways, and no barrier or effort to stop access is imposed, then an easement is likely to be presumed.

Tank-slapper

skyd0g wrote:

There's a track/road close to me, that is named "The Avenue" on the OS map (presumably by the council?) and is shown on the OS map by two sets of parallel dashed lines "Other Road, drive or track, fenced or unfenced"

On the entry to the track is a home-made sign saying "private road" (the track is wide enough for two cars, surfaced in hardcore). The track passes a farmhouse and is not a dead end, as it joins other (public) tracks.

Is this just a case of the farmer (house owner) not wanting cars etc to be passing his house as a short-cut between tracks?

Probably a private road. Sounds like a driveway up to a manor house or similar.