Some rare good news

[treecreeper]

I've just received a newsletter from a wildlife society I belong to. The authorities were threatening to build a cycle track through the middle of the society's nature reserve, an important site for birds on the Dee estuary. An unthinkable act of vandalism. Maybe not unthinkable, because they thought it. They have decided not to go ahead so the reserve is saved. I say good news but it's only partially good. The cycle track will be rerouted somewhere else, so some other piece of countryside is going to be blighted with it.

[Hedge Witch]

Good news, TC I reckon this is one of the things this country lacks. Untouched areas like this are so precious.

[SparklySarah]

That is good news. It's stupid when they choose to put these things through important wildlife areas. But I supose we need to be thankful it's a cycle track and not a road which would have been worse. At least there's no polution from bicycles. xxx

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

I would have thought it would get more people out cycling if the tracks went through nature reserves, and that, as the Sparkly one says, has to be better news than another road.

I don't know the reserve but presumably it has some public access, and a cycle path is hardly a 6 lane motorway. I think we need to be careful not to make nature reserves off limits to the general, and I mean general as in not really interested in wildlife, public. I agree that we shouldn't start putting 50 picnic tables and a dozen fast food outlets in each reserve, but if a cycle path means half a dozen familys go for a bike ride and two young children grow up with a huge interest in nature then that is a good thing, yes.

Only my thoughts.

BWD

[Jez]

A cycle track has been laid out throw the Wyre Forest and it blends in nicely with it's surroundings. A 6am peddle through you can come face to face with deer like fallow and Munjac and have also seen dippers, wagtails, buzzards woodpeckers allsorts whilst silently travelling along aswell as the canals for seeing Kingfishers catching fish, herons and so on all by travelling by bike. For long distances and great views and wildlife and being pollution free, I can't think of a better way to travel!

[ron1863]

We had a walkway built years ago which also doubles as a cycle track and horse track, which is no great problem. The big problem is that when these tracks, paths etc. are built it's only a matter of time before youngsters with mini motor bikes, quadbikes etc. start using it, usually in the evening and the noise is really bad, especially when they remove their silencers

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by Billy Wobble Dagger

I would have thought it would get more people out cycling if the tracks went through nature reserves, and that, as the Sparkly one says, has to be better news than another road.

I don't know the reserve but presumably it has some public access, and a cycle path is hardly a 6 lane motorway. I think we need to be careful not to make nature reserves off limits to the general, and I mean general as in not really interested in wildlife, public. I agree that we shouldn't start putting 50 picnic tables and a dozen fast food outlets in each reserve, but if a cycle path means half a dozen familys go for a bike ride and two young children grow up with a huge interest in nature then that is a good thing, yes.

Only my thoughts.

BWD

I agree 100% with what you say (and welcome back btw). Indeed in some instances a footpath/cycle path can be a good thing in maintaining an area of bare ground good for things like digging wasps and bees, glow worms etc that would otherwise be lost as scrub and grassland encroached on bare bits. Obviously though there are some areas to be avoided, areas with sensitive species - ground nesting birds etc - mudflats where thousands of waders roost etc.

I don't know if I would have grown up as fascinated as I did if it wasn't for the footpath through the ancient woodland near where I lived.

[Hedge Witch]

Originally Posted by ron1863

We had a walkway built years ago which also doubles as a cycle track and horse track, which is no great problem. The big problem is that when these tracks, paths etc. are built it's only a matter of time before youngsters with mini motor bikes, quadbikes etc. start using it, usually in the evening and the noise is really bad, especially when they remove their silencers

This is exactly the sort of thing that I think would happen. From what I remember of the area, it isn't some quiet backwater. The population density is fairly high and and I'm willing to bet that gangs of kids roam the streets in the neighbouring towns. And teenagers will be teenagers Or maybe I've got it all wrong.

[Jez]

Originally Posted by ron1863

We had a walkway built years ago which also doubles as a cycle track and horse track, which is no great problem. The big problem is that when these tracks, paths etc. are built it's only a matter of time before youngsters with mini motor bikes, quadbikes etc. start using it, usually in the evening and the noise is really bad, especially when they remove their silencers

This would be my major concern!!!

[cutecoot]

Some 'cycle tracks' can become a bit annoying for walkers when they become too popular ... I'm thinking of the pathway around Pitsford Water, which is used by many people walking and enjoying the surroundings, but constantly having to dodge out of the way of the hundreds of cyclists who also use it. (I know this isn't a proper cycle track as such.)

[treecreeper]

Cycle tracks in this part of the country are roads. They are strips of black tarmac wide enough to drive a bus on. They sterilise a wide strip of land and municipalise the places that they blight. The nature reserve does not have public access as the land belongs to Eon so the cycle track would have fudamentally change its nature. The birdwatchers said that as soon as people brought dogs onto the path - as inevitably they would - the birds would disappear.

[cutecoot]

Originally Posted by treecreeper

.. The birdwatchers said that as soon as people brought dogs onto the path - as inevitably they would - the birds would disappear.

.. and you probably have an abundance of those 'dog-poo bag' trees along there too now, I wouldn't be surprised?