CaRT encouraging speeding sport cycling

IS THE Canal & River Trust (CaRT) encouraging cyclists to speed on our towpaths, writes Allan Richards?

It certainly seems that way because in March the Trust appointed a Sports Participation Manager to introduce people to new kinds of sporting activities on its waterways. One of those ‘sporting activities' is cycling!

Joe Sammon

CaRT's new Sports Participation Manager, Joe Sammon, blogged a couple of weeks back:

‘Having taken up the new role of sports participation manager, I am tasked with encouraging more people to take part in sporting activities along the regions' canals.
I am looking for two volunteers to help me in the delivery of taster days and courses as a way to introduce people to new kinds of sporting activities and encourage them to explore the nation's waterways. We will be working with various local organisations, sporting clubs and youth groups to increase sports participation'.

Canoeing, paddle boarding and cycling

He goes on to say:

‘The water and land based sporting opportunities on the miles and miles of traffic free exercise space will include canoeing, paddle boarding, and cycling which are great fun and brilliant for beginners...'.

Joe seems to have forgotten that our towpaths are not ‘traffic free' but are a shared space used by pedestrians and others. Pedestrians such as 76 year old pensioner, Judith Norris, who was knocked down and severely injured on a canal towpath by a speeding cyclist (We warned you Mr. Parry).

Should it be encouraging sports cycling?

Perhaps, CaRT, should take a long hard look at the photograph of Judith Norris's injuries and ask itself if it should be encouraging ‘cycling for sport' along its towpaths.

Indeed, perhaps the Trust should ask Mrs Norris if they can display her picture at towpath access points to discourage speeding cyclists. Shock tactics might work where ‘daffy duck lanes' fail.

[It is widely accepted that 'sporting' cycling is not a family out for an afternoon's gentle meander along the towpaths, but people out to better their trip times, as clearly shown by the results given on the website Strava, where cyclists' only concern is to better their speeds, with little care for pedestrians or animals in their way.]