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Cyclists riding up Cheddar Gorge (Bikmo)Cyclists could enjoy traffic-free days on Cheddar Gorge as 80% back proposal... but opposition claim "people will be run over by bikes" and "Putin's election was fairer"
Traffic-free days at Cheddar Gorge have taken a step closer to becoming a reality after a consultation saw more than 80 per cent of respondents express support for the idea that closing the road to motor traffic would make the site more accessible for pedestrians, cyclists and other non-vehicular visitors.
The Mendip Hills National Landscape Team said the support for one traffic-free day a month — 71 per cent saying they wanted to see it on a Sunday, while just 17 per cent were not in favour of the road closure — is exciting and the project will be advanced to the next phase, which will see discussions with partners and the Highway Authority to "decide on the best options", although the team did mention the potential for an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) to be used to implement the closure.
Jim Hardcastle from the Mendip Hills National Landscape Team said he was "thrilled to have had so much positive feedback" and stressed that "valuable and interesting points which we will carefully consider" include "the speed at which cyclists may come down the Gorge, the impact on local businesses, the provision of parking and space for vehicles to turn around, and concerns about the length of the diversion route and impact on other roads nearby".
However, he said, "We are confident that we can take these concerns into account when deciding on the next steps in the process."
Despite less than a fifth of the 1,700 respondents expressing opposition to the road closure, the news of the project moving on to the next stage prompted wild criticism and complaints on Facebook, a vocal opposition to the road closure flooding the Mendip Hills National Landscape Team with negative comments.
Some questioned what percentage of respondents were local residents, while another accused the consultation of being "nonsense" and less fair than "Putin's election".
"When you hear the demographic who were polled, they were always going to get the answer they wanted. My only surprise is that it wasn't 90 per cent instead of 80,"
Ché Moore commented.
Another, from Chris Maunders, said: "Leaving it open to pushbikes is a ridiculous idea. To be honest they are more dangerous than the cars because you cannot hear them and they come down that Gorge [at] over 30 miles an hour. People will be run over by bikes all over the place."
However, Steve Wilson also commented: "How can something as innocuous as this get so many people so angry? I wonder if all those shouting about it now, took the same minimal time to actually respond to the consultation?" Likewise, Vanessa Winchester pointed out the vocal opposition was to a plan to close the road for "only one day a month".
The project has been funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to explore the possibility of opening up the beauty of the country's highest inland cliff and the twisting road that runs through the Gorge to more people by closing the road to traffic once a month, enabling horse riders, cyclists, pedestrians and those with limited mobility who might otherwise be unable to enjoy the normally busy road.
During the six-week consultation process, feedback was sought, "especially from local residents", the majority expressing support for the closure.
On top of the headline figure that more than 80 per cent agreed it would make the route more accessible for pedestrians, cyclists and other non-vehicular visitors, and 71 per cent would like to see the road closed on a Sunday, around half of respondents (48 per cent) said they would enjoy the traffic-free environment.
When it came to walking groups, 47 per cent who responded said they would use the route on traffic-free days, while 46 per cent of cycling groups and 45 per cent of families also expressed interest in the idea of utilising the road closure to enjoy the Gorge. A third of respondents said they would like to see live music events, and a quarter said they would like to see theatre performances as part of wider events put on around the road closures.
"We are thrilled to have had so much positive feedback to this proposal and we are grateful to everyone who took the time to respond. We have received many comments expressing support from those who would be more likely to visit the Gorge on traffic-free days to enjoy the beauty and tranquillity of the area," Jim Hardcastle, the manager of the Mendip Hills National Landscape Team said.
"There were some respondents who raised valuable and interesting points which we will carefully consider. These include the speed at which cyclists may come down the Gorge, the impact on local businesses, the provision of parking and space for vehicles to turn around, and concerns about the length of the diversion route and impact on other roads nearby. We are confident that we can take these concerns into account when deciding on the next steps in the process.
"We are excited to take this project into the next phase, and look forward to improving this picturesque location by opening it up to a wider range of visitors. Over the next few months we will be working with partners and the Highway Authority to decide on the best options. Look out for updates from us later in the year.
"There has also been some feedback that covers issues outside the scope of the temporary road closure. These include road improvements, support for local businesses and improved public transport. While these are out of our direct control, we appreciate this feedback being raised with us and will share it with partners who are well placed to respond."
Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.
Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.
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41 comments
We really need more Ron's on bikes like the wonderful man who rode straight at me yesterday whilst I was crossing the road at a junction in my wheelchair and therefore had priority under current legeslation . I'm hoping for a rockfall at the right time to knock some sense into these Ron's
Did that wonderful man ride into you, or did he realise he was going to hit you and go around you?
(the whole junction thing really hasn't filtered out to the general public, I think - I still get nearly run over by motorists every time I exercise my priority…).
Last time I looked, the number of people put into wheelchairs in the first place by motorists was orders if magnitude greater thant that by cyclists.
I had exactly the same thing with a car yesterday, I was crossing the road on a zebra crossing and so had 100% priority but someone in their car drove directly at me. If they hadn't put on the brakes and stopped before they reached me it could've been very nasty.
Same thing happened to me the other day, a Tuesday I think it was. Nearly got knocked down by the Grimethorpe Colliery brass band. I had priority under current legislation but they just barged into me. They are such a nuisance round here, along with drum majorettes and Boys Brigade parades. It's a real nightmare. I'm thinking of staying in on Tuesdays.
I'd like to see some car free Sunday day-times for the whole of Purbeck - that's everything from Corfe Caste to the coast and with wall to wall (vintage) buses running - check the 1965 timetable for a template.
I'd like to see some car free day-times for the whole of the UK.
People have all but forgotten what a nice place the world can be without cars. They flock to Center Parcs and Snowdon, but never make the connection.
Meanwhile, back in Dorset the public consultation every bit as extensive as the one about the rise of mass car ownership has started:
Farmergiles2014: THRY CAN CLOSE WATWVER ROADS THEY WAT IF I HAVE TO VITSI A SICK ANIMAL ON SUNDAYI WILL AD THAY CAN THROW ME IN JALE IF THEY WANT
David9694 : Have you thought this through?
I can see dogs off leads being an issue.
On multiuser paths known to me dogs let loose by owners are the most common form of ASB.
"It's a lovely morning Fido, let's get your 20 foot lead out and I can watch that TED talk on my 'phone at the same time". Mate, your dog isn't stupid, it knows you aren't giving it your attention, "I mean thanks for the walkies and all but you still owe me."
My experience is that dogs off lead are smart enough, and adequately aware of their surroundings to cooperate with other users of shared paths, including cyclists, providing there is enough space to start with, so there is room to go between the dog and the owner if required. A lot of those owners will keep an eye on where their dog is as they aren't reliant on a lead to do the work for them.
I have far more of a problem with the ones on leads, especially when a dog is fixated with walking by a wall, but the owner hasn't noticed and persists on walking on the other side without calling them to heel. This is an issue for pedestrians on pavements too.
Long leads come with the added bonus of not being sure where the trip hazard actually is, and too many owners who think simply holding onto one end fulfils their responsibilities.
There will be challenges to ensure the car free days at the Cheddar Gorge work, and it will require the different groups who will benefit to be thoughtful towards the needs of others.
Make it one way - uphill only for bikes, 2 way for pedestrians. Cyclists on the left, walkers on the right. Nobody on a bike is going to be going much more than 10mph, so there shouldn't be any conflict. There are other ways to get back down again for cyclists if needed.
I rode Cheddar with my son, when he was 10. He dropped me half way up and he was on an MTB and I was on a road bike!
Great idea, except it is the great British pub lice. Dogs running free, kids playing football etc will make ascending a ball ache let alone descending. Throw into the mix that pedestrians probably view cyclists with as much if not more disdain on shared paths as drivers do on the road... Of course that is before you put the odd nutter who manages to get a vehicle on the road past any barrier because there will be no traffic and they think they will be able to give their Corsa the full Fittipaldi.
But isn't that the council's stated aim? They want to turn it into a huge and very picturesque shared space for that one day per month.
Like a shared cycle path means walking 6 abreast whilst staring at a mobile phone and walking a rabid pit bull on an extending lead.
Good in principle , more roads should be closed to cars occasionally. As a cyclist I also know roads closed to cars are more dangerous to ride on since pedestrians are less careful, so I would avoid them . If you are a cyclist who feels entitled to ride quickly through pedestrians then you need to be educated. Ride in a manner that is safe for all and use spaces in a shared way.
Richmond Park was closed to cars for a few days during the 2012 Olympics. It was great and not dangerous at all.
RP is a very different place though - it's wide open space where pedestrians tend to spread out. Cheddar's Gorgeousness means everyone bar those with ropes and harnesses are concentrated along the bottom where the road is. And visibility around bends is limited.
I'd rather ride CG when it's open to all traffic (albeit at a quiet time). I'm looking forward to walking there when there are no cars and - ideally - no cyclists chasing PBs.
It was also closed to cars for many days during the pandemic and some of it still is and I thoroughly agree that it was/is great. Unfortunately it did also show that such schemes need perhaps a little more signage and supervision as some cyclists went lashing through crowds of pedestrians as if they had a right because it was still a road, and some pedestrians wandered all over the road shouting at cyclists to slow down (even the slow ones like me) even in the areas where there is a very good wide, solid concrete footpath just a couple of yards to the side. I thought at the time, and did suggest it to Royal Parks but got no response, that a simple line down the middle of the road, cyclists one side, pedestrians the other, would have improved matters greatly.
I think the concerns about cyclists on the descent are perfectly valid; why not simply ban descending on the car free days? There's a perfectly good loop round from the top of the gorge back to the town of Cheddar which as I recall isn't much more than five miles, mainly on pleasant country roads and mostly downhill. There are loads of good descents in the area for people who like a bit of speed (I am one) but it's the climb that makes Cheddar Gorge so unique.
FFS.
The replies here suggesting that sharing with pedestrians on a car free day will make the descent rubbish need to give their heads a damn good shake.
Enjoy the climb without some impatient mouth breather in an SUV all over your rear tyre wanting to be past, but take your time and relax on the descent and share with care.
If you want to hit terminal velocity then cycle it on one of the other 29 or 30 days of the month.
Having a car free day a month is fantastic, but don;t be gits and screw it up
There's clearly an increased risk on the downhill of a collision, so the question is how best that is managed. "Share with care" is a joint effort and a number are questioning how realistic it is to expect pedestrians of all ages and animals to make it work.
It's going to be closed to motor vehicles.
You still have a duty of care to anyone else using the road. If you want to be a spoilt child about then go another day.
Good luck with the dogs on extendable leads and dogs on no leads.
And for your information I am thinking of the consequences of even cycling down safely as I'm an adult. Perhaps you could think a bit more about the risks and mitigation instead of throwing our petulant insults
That right there would be the main advantage of the whole thing
Cheddar Gorge is a fantastic descent: not too steep, beautiful, sweeping bends and breathtaking scenery. It flattens out somewhat by the time it reaches the built-up area, too.
I wouldn't fancy caning it down there if pedestrians were going to be in the road. They will need to manage this: either warn peds to keep out of the road (or even to stop, look and listen!) or have a speed limit for riders.
I can't see them warning pedestrians to keep out of the road, given the stated aims of closing the road to motor traffic in the first place, and I'm not sure how they'd enforce a speed limit.
I beg to differ - hideously short sight lines because the of rock faces and crappy tarmac make it way too dodgy. Use the Gorge as a climb, and descend Burrington instead!
Really??
At the risk of attracting the ire of the road.cc massive. Dont the nimbys have a point?
If its sloped then mixing peds and cyclists is madness because there are alway dozy pedestrians and twattish cyclists.
If its not sloped then as you were.....
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