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Driving to walk the dogs

85 replies

MrsT1704 · 27/03/2020 12:10

Can anyone direct me to where I can find legislation that says that you cannot drive to a location to walk the dogs or for your exercise. I have not heard this mentioned anywhere else other than from the police who are saying they are going to start fining people.

I walked my dogs around my area the other day and bumped into around 9 groups of people and it was impossible to stay 2 meters apart.

Went for a walk in a forest yesterday and Didn’t see a soul. I’m not driving many many miles, just up the road and just don’t get how walking around the local streets and not being able to socially distance is safer than driving a short distance to walk them in isolation.

I get that people are saying that driving could contribute to accidents but I think that driving up the road and crashing the car or breaking down is much less likely that passing on the virus whilst passing someone on the street that you cannot distance yourself from

I am also a health worker and exposed to Coronavirus on a daily basis without appropriate PPE (which we have complained about but seem to get nowhere due to lack of supplies) and walking around the streets and passing people without 2m distance would put them at much higher risk as it is highly likely I could be carrying it and pass it on

Common sense seems to have gone out the window.

OP posts:
SpruceTree · 27/03/2020 14:47

Loads of people are coming from a nearby town into our little hamlet to walk their dogs.

They are bringing all their germs with them - I wish they would keep to their own town to contain the virus, like everyone in Wuhan had to stay there.

Plus I WISH they would pick up their dog's poo and also not leave pop bags hanging on hedges and gates.

Plus it's bad for the environment to drive here for a walk.

Plus they are letting their dogs off lead and there are pregnant sheep here.

Shr1nkyD1nk · 27/03/2020 14:47

No houses where we go so nobody can claim ownership.

HasaDigaEebowai · 27/03/2020 14:48

Hasa that's the difference between guidance and law.

Haha - Im a lawyer. I know that thanks. No leaving our house here at all and we haven't done for the past week because we're not fuckwits and we don't need to and we don't want to endanger others. Thats just common sense.

Shr1nkyD1nk · 27/03/2020 14:48

Spruce hope you’re keeping to your nearest shop.

SpruceTree · 27/03/2020 14:49

I am allowed to get food. Otherwise I will die. Yes I do get it from my local shop where possible.

mumme111 · 27/03/2020 14:50

It was on bbc one last night don't drive

Shr1nkyD1nk · 27/03/2020 14:51

Food is good, if you have a corner shop and it has food you should be using that.

I am entitled to exercise,if it’s safer to go further afield now and again but stay local we will.

Shr1nkyD1nk · 27/03/2020 14:52

Will wait until the government says don’t drive for exercise at all, until then we’ll use our common sense.

Flaxmeadow · 27/03/2020 14:53

Relevant one is Reg 6. You can only leave your house with reasonable excuse, one of which is exercise. Exercise isn't limited to walking, running or cycling.

It is limited to that. Please speak to a police officer

Driving a car is not exercise

And there's no mention of a car only being used for essential travel - but obviously you can't use the car unless leaving your house when you have reasonable excuse

Please read the government information about non essential travel.

Pleasedontdothat · 27/03/2020 14:55

Association of Chief Police Officers on Works at One this lunchtime clarified that the key thing was to minimise contact between different households and that it’s all about common sense - so driving an hour to a beauty spot and mixing with lots of other people who’ve had the same idea is not good - one person driving 15 minutes to a very large open space to walk the dog and not seeing anyone else is fine. He stressed several times that it’s all about common sense, something which seems to be in short supply at the moment

Flaxmeadow · 27/03/2020 14:57

I am allowed to get food. Otherwise I will die. Yes I do get it from my local shop where possible.

Yes you can drive for food, it is 'essential'. Probably best to keep the receipt (they are time stamped). Incase you get asked by the police road check.

Haffiana · 27/03/2020 14:58

@Flaxmeadow

Stop now. Really, enough now.

Flaxmeadow · 27/03/2020 14:58

a police road check

Flaxmeadow · 27/03/2020 14:59

Stop now. Really, enough now

What do you mean?

Shr1nkyD1nk · 27/03/2020 15:01

Wonder if they’ll note how far you’re driving for food.🤔

Frouby · 27/03/2020 15:03

I think a simple message saying we are to stay in a 5 mile radius of our registered address unless caring for a vulnerable person or buying essentials that can't be found within the 5 mile radius would be the easiest thing personally. Or a 2 mile or 4 mile or whatever bloody miles. Same for cyclists and runners.

If we all just did that it would be fine.

There are rules for a reason but there is also a common sense approach which most people will stick to, however there is always some knobhead who will chuck the dog in the car, load his wife and kids in and go for a lovely long day out with a picnic in the local or not so local countryside causing additional issues for the locals.

I'm in a countryside/farming facebook group and lots of farmers and homeowners in the countryside are getting bombarded with folk out exercising across their land and drives and farms.

Maybe if we put the same rules in place as we had when Foot and Mouth was rife it might stop the mass exodus every sunny day. I think farmers and landowners and councils could close footpaths and trails then.

PestyMachtubernahme · 27/03/2020 15:05

@Shr1nkyD1nk

I am entitled very true, but I won't hold my breath on you having access to common sense.

Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady · 27/03/2020 15:07

Came back from our walk today to find someone had left a note on the car calling me and idiot.

Probably a mumsnetter

In all fairness I've made the decision that the mental health benefits are not worth the stress of travelling to somewhere quiet.

Instead I will walk from here and start pinning abusive notes on people who don't stay 2 metres away...because that's what we do now apparently!

Shr1nkyD1nk · 27/03/2020 15:09

Really. Not sure how you managed that. I am the only person leaving the house by car which I do for work and one food shop a week.

We’ve taken our exercise from the door but on some days it’s too busy so we’ll go very close to somewhere with less people. If it looks busy( highly doubtful) we’ll turn round.

Pretty sure the above is sticking by the rules and using common sense.

jinxpixie · 27/03/2020 15:22

I can not take exercise from my door ironically I am rural but my house is on a narrow road with banked sides . It is impossible to social distance if walking on the road.

Walking off the road on footpaths pushes me onto farmers land and through their properties - but a short drive gets me to deserted army land where no one goes. Common sense choice would be the short drive

Nixby3 · 27/03/2020 16:45

Just throwing this out there - if you're in a wheelchair is it reasonable to leave the house to go around the streets and back again, maintaining a distance from other people of course, as technically you're not exercising?

Circletime27 · 27/03/2020 17:09

They’ve just clarified this on bbc news. No you can’t drive to walk your dog.

VivaLeBeaver · 27/03/2020 17:14

If a health expert or govt person has decreed it necessary I’m fine with that. If it’s just the police making it up I’m less fine with it.

VivaLeBeaver · 27/03/2020 17:16

And I think it’s fine for the hypothetical wheelchair user.....a really important part of exercise is mental well-being and the wheelchair user is still getting that benefit even if not a physical benefit.

LittleRootie · 27/03/2020 17:16

From BBC website on updated rule saying pp should 'stay local for exercise' -
While the new advice does go further, it does not explicitly define what counts as "local", and whether or not people can use cars.