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Hi, so last night on my cycle home, I was riding along the track outside of Chilton Primary School between all the conker trees as usual. A lady was walking towards me with her dog. I was my usual courteous self and moved off the track, slowed down to walking pace, smiled and said hello. She scowled and pointed at the road and shouted words to the affect that I should ride on the road not here on the track. I wonder if she tells the children that ride along the track to and from school to get on the road?
Obviously, I did not respond with an equally abusive comment and carried on.
To my knowledge that track is not registered as anything. I’ve check OS maps and it isn’t listed. So, am I ok to be riding it?
Like many of us, I ride on the road and it is not uncommon to be abused and told to get off the road. I ride on a track and am shouted at to ride on the road. I ride a cycle path and a minority of dog walkers/general walkers tell me to get off the path and/or ring my bell. I ring my bell on a cycle path and I am at risk of being shouted at for ringing my bell. Breathe and think happy thoughts (roast dinners, fluffy rabbits, Cadburys World).
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Hi, the land / field in front of the school is private land owned by Harwell Campus (UKAEA) and there are signs on the perimeter hedge stating that there is no public right of way. The lady with the dog has no right to walk her dog and is legally trespassing.
There are no rights for the public to cycle on the land either, however you are not public, you are working on the Harwell Campus and you are using Harwell Campus land to get to and from the …..Harwell Campus.
We (campus cyclists) don’t have any rights to cycle on that land and the Campus could fence it off or build on it as they wish but using it to get to work is a reasonable use in the meantime.
It may be worth politely pointing out those facts to the lady with the dog but I have a feeling it will fall on deaf ears.
Another point to be careful of is that, in the past, UKAEA have fenced off and blocked access to land if there is any talk of access rights or rights of way etc.
Keep riding on the land unless Harwell Campus tell you / us otherwise. -
I was told by RAL Estates that the reason why UKAEA fenced off the access via what is now the overflow car park near Diamond, which previously used to be accessible to staff via a card-controlled gate and indeed featured on one of the “healthy walks” routes promoted by Occupational Health, was concern that it could become a right of way, which could impact on any future building plans. This can happen if there is de facto public access for a period of time, but I really can’t imagine how they managed to conclude that there was a risk of this, given that the access was via a staff-only gate. But their land, their choice. So yes, I would concur… use the existing routes informally, and do not rock the boat by trying to talk up your case…
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