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Kinder surprise!

Mass protest or negotiation over tea and cakes – what’s the way
forward for mountain biking? In a strange twist of coincidence, two
different approaches to changing the status quo are being tried on
the same day.

In the red corner, a group of militant Peak District access
campaigners are celebrating the anniversary of the 1932 Kinder
Trespass – think Ramblers invade moorland to force access for red
socks – with a protest ride near Ladybower. Their aim is to highlight
access issues.

And in the blue corner, on the same day, the CTC will be taking
tea and cakes with Steven Norris, Chair of the National Cycling
Strategy Board with some very similar objectives.

Revolution!
The Peak protest ride is being organised by a bunch of bikers in and around the Peak District, who say their mounted protest is in the “true spirit of 1932”. Howard Peel of www.thebikezone.org, who came up with the idea originally, has been joined on this crusade by ridetoroam.org with the aim of highlighting several related issues.

Firstly they’re upset about what they call ‘unwarranted restrictions’ on riding bikes on existing paths which cross national parkland in the Peak district. They’re also concerned about bridleways for riders disappearing, either through them being misrecorded, or downgraded to footpaths by the National Trust and other bodies. Finally, there’s the whole issue of whether insufficient time and resources set aside for CROW (Countryside Rights of Way Act) will result in many paths being lost to the public forever.

The planned protest ride starts from Ladybower Reservoir at 10am, and while they’re being coy about whether they’ll actually do any trespassing, there is a suggestion that they’ll use paths that should be bridleways, but have been ‘misrecorded’. The ridetoroam website though, takes things a step further by advocating mass trespass on restricted trails wherever you happen to ride as a tribute to the “spirit of Kinder”.

Local riders are split on the action. Some we spoke to feel that
while there are some right of way anomalies in the Peak – footpaths
that could reasonably be upgraded to bridleways – riders are
actually pretty well off and rocking the boat could simply sour
relations with other path users and the Peak Park Authority. One
pointed out that it’s perfectly feasible to work to upgrade footpaths
through official channels, something that local equestrian groups are
very good at and we’re not. Others would simply like to see all
footpaths opened up to bikes.

Talking it over
Contrasting with the militant action of the Kinder protest is the chosen approach of the CTC. The latest round of their right to ride negotiations involves sitting down for afternoon tea and a talk with Steven Norris, Chair of the National Cycling Strategy Board. Norris will be speaking at the CTC/CCN (Cycle Campaign Network) Spring Cycle Campaign Conference, taking place on the same weekend as the Kinder protest.

The conference traditionally attracts members of the CTC’s 400-strong Right to Ride Network, as well as local authority officers and representatives of health trusts. It will be addressing the issue of the CROW act with a
presentation by Joanna Redgwell of the Countryside Agency on the
importance of recording
bridleways not currently on the definitive map.

Anyone interested in cycle campaigning is welcome to attend the
conference at the Corn Exchange in Dorchester, the agenda also includes the Transport Research Laboratory’s Stuart Reid talking on drivers’ attitudes towards cyclists (see below for details).

Right to ride or ride to roam?
So is the time for talking over and should we take our bikes into the hills on a crusade for access equality? Or are these things best done patiently and ‘properly’ through the slow moving official channels to avoid upsetting people? Is there room for both approaches to the problem? – go on, it’s Friday, have a rant…..

CTC Spring Conference details
The conference costs £12 to attend, including lunch and social events, and Sunday rides have been planned by the Dorset Cyclists’ Network and Dorset CTC for those keen to make a weekend of it. For full details and a booking form, call John Pritchard on 01258 455699,or email him.

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