AIBU to challenge cyclists riding on rural footpaths?

[Policeanyone101]

If you’re on a bike stay off footpaths!

I live very rurally and in the last few years we’ve had an increase in cyclists on the footpath through part of our fields, occasionally I do challenge these cyclists as I can see them from our house and they always have very arrogant entitled retorts as why they should be there (to get to our path they need to cross either kissing gates or a bridge with v sides to prevent bikes).

I have a horse and ride and by reason of the entitled cyclists I should use footpaths too but I don’t because I have common courtesy and use only permitted places to ride. My DH thinks I’m mad for challenging people but my argument is if we all ignore the rules there will be anarchy? I only ask because DH thinks I traumatised a poor lone cyclist this evening.

Well I guess there isn't much we can do to control anyone else's behaviour and their level of give and take. My only advice (from Gandhi who almost said), 'be the change you want to see in the world', which applies to most things I suppose!

I’m sorry the horse riders aren’t considerate near you, they should be, as a horse rider we stay off the bridleways through winter for that exact reason, my horse had feet like dinner plates and chops up the ground so we only use bridle paths in the summer when the ground is hard so we don’t make craters for walkers.

This thread reminds me of one of the great reasons to live in Scotland. Access laws.

It only works if everyone is considerate, are they?

Christ, leave the poor fuckers alone. It's not exactly a big deal. Let them enjoy their bikes. I just can't imagine ever getting worked up about something so petty.

Stop digging.
Every post makes you look worse.

That is a great sentiment but how do I explain to our local OAP’s using the footpath that they need to duck for over to the side of a narrow footpath of an arrogant cyclist?

You certainly can challenge them but unless you are the landowner you have no say in the matter. If you have permission from the landowner it’s fine to ride or cycle (or drive a motor vehicle) on footpaths, if not it’s potentially a civil trespass (and a criminal offence in the case of a motor vehicle).

In reality, many landowners aren’t bothered or choose not to enforce and as a result a lot of footpaths are effectively permissive bridleways.

I’ve been challenged more than once by walkers for riding a bike or horse on a footpath on my own family’s land!

I would not be too bothered as long as they don’t keep ringing their bells at me. Some of seem unable to actually talk, they just communicate through the medium of 🔔. Almost always a grown man.

I am the landowner and I live in quite a small community in an area that seems to attract very entitled people.

That’s kind of you. I wonder if they even realise it’s a footpath, the signs are quite old. They’ve made such a mess of the borders too, I can’t believe they’re safe to ride on now, they’re full of rock hard ruts and holes. They’ve spoiled it for themselves too.

This will absolutely be with the landowners permission - probably family or friends. We have been berated by ramblers for riding on footpaths on our own family’s land!

If you are the landowner then you have every right to stop them and if they persist to take legal action.

Try negotiating a footpath made impassable by cyclists, because it’s been churned into deep liquid mud. You might be a little less blasé about it.

You say that but 50% of the moaners when I cycle past are complaining I didn’t ring my bell and the other half are complaining because I did! It’s a lose lose situation for cyclists and bells!

It’s not about legal action it’s about everyone having respect for each other, as pointed out by the cyclist even though it’s a footpath he would only get prosecuted under specific circumstances. But why don’t we have any common decency to respect rules anymore?

I live in a coastal area and cyclists on steep, narrow cliff hugging footpaths full of bends and hedged with bramble and sloe are damned dangerous. Most of the cyclists have got more sense thankfully, but occasionally you have to throw yourself into the bushes to avoid them.

That’s motorbikes and horses that do that. Mountain bikes will cut into the soil when it it is wet but so do boots.

That’s probably because you don’t own a field or respect the countryside. And you’re probably an entitled person, with no thought for anyone else. Stay in the town! It is a big deal to those of us that own the land and work hard to maintain the footpaths.

Same here. With signs everywhere, telling them not to, the horse riders ride on the muddy footpaths and churn them up, making them impassable in winter. Everyone is just too entitled these days. PS, I love horses.

All of them do it.
it doesn’t matter - at the end of the day, only walkers have the right to cross private land on a footpath! It’s someone else’s property and if you’re on a bike, horse, motorbike or vehicle on a footpath you’re out of order. And have no right to be there. End of discussion!

I admire you OP. I'd be too scared of them being aggressive.

Might be a crazy suggestion but it seems to me that if a landowner has to provide public access via a footpath, it should be incumbent on them to build/maintain the path in such a way that a cyclist wouldn't tear it up or render it impassable for walkers. I think we should encourage cycling, much as I've been annoyed like PPs at arrogant cyclists (red lights also apply to you, MAMILs! 🤣) NB I'd rather deal with cyclists than horse riders letting their horses shit all over the paths and roads where I live and not bothering to clear it up!

There is no need to be unpleasant.

Cyclists should not be on footpaths, it doesn't matter whether the path is rural or urban. I've had the misfortune to be on a narrow rural footpath through a wood and had a mountain biker bearing down on me at high speed yelling "GET OUT OF THE WAY". He was really aggressive and I got the impression he would have run me down if I hadn't leapt to one side.

OP - you are completely right.

A woman who lives near me was walking her dog on a narrow public footpath through our local woods, when some fuckwit on a mountain bike came tearing down the hill and ran into the dog.

The poor dog sustained a complex fracture of its femur, just below its pelvis. Three operations and a vet bill that ran into thousands later, the dog could walk ok but not jump, and was very nervous. Thankfully, the owner had insurance. She doesn't go in the woods anymore, and sticks to the fields where she can see who's around.

The cyclist didn't even stop to see if the dog was ok.

I've been forced to jump out of the way on some of the narrow footpaths on the downs when cyclists have come down at speed. On our soft chalk, the paths are often in a sort of gully, and it's not always easy to get out of the way.

They're really well waymarked, too, so there's no excuse for it.