Dawlish Discussion

Noticed this morning the council highway wombles measuring the footpaths along Exeter Road from Elm Grove up towards Marine. Looks like we could be losing more of our lovely character grass verges to Biker Bob and his fellow looney's. There is no point in making anymore cycle paths if there are no laws in place to make the cyclists use them. There's a small bunch of these lycra clad idiots in town who point blank refuse to get off the road and use the cycle paths, and become very abusive when you point out the paths to them. Pehaps when you pay road tax, insurance and have you cycle MOTd you may have a point to make until then fall off.

If the council can no longer afford to mow the grass verges and repair the footpaths then hand them over to the Probation service and get some of the community service convicts to do it. Better still get the pervert public funded so called Langdon patients to do it instead of allowing them to wander round the town spending our money.

I frequently ride bicycles. When and where possible most cyclists do use the cycle paths provided.

However there are a few problems with them. For example the cycle path at Dawlish Warren has a gravel surface which means road bikes with their thin tyres cannot use it.

Quite often the whole path including the cycle path part is blocked by pedestrians.

@MugOnHead. who is biker bob?

I just wish they would cycle single file when on the road

@roberta - and not ride so close to each other. it makes me feel sick to think how easy one could wobble and unseat all the others. i'd drive past them with closed eyes if that wasn't even more dangerous!

@flo and they have a conversation with each other

Biker Bob? Anyone?

He's Cyclist Cyril's cousin.

Not Tandem Tim and Tom's long lost Triplet brother?

Could be. I do know that his great grand-mother was called Penny Farthing and I believe his uncle was Chopper Charlie.

Oh this is a real Tour de Farce. If his neighbours are Sally Saddlebag and Ian Inner-Tube, then I know who he is. Thanks.

Nelson: Biker Bob of Braking Wind Cycles, Dawlish. Check out www.brakingwindcycles.co.uk/

We need cycle paths.

Sorry, should have been great-great grandmother.

Bizarrely though, after doing a bit of historical research, I've found a Devonian connection. It appears that the original bicycle (or similar design) was actually brought back from the New World by Sir Walter, who of course also gave us potatoes and tobacco. Iconographs of bicycles have been found on Mayan temples and it is believed that they were brought up through Central America by the Aztecs. Obviously, they didn't have chains and gears in those days but they did have rubber so there was a simple drive mechanism which was called the "darien belt" (or whatever that is in Aztec). Anyway Sir Walter's import was demonstrated to Queen Elizabeth and the court. However, as you can imagine it didn't catch on - a knight in full armour just couldn't manage it. The original was left to rot in the Tower of London but fortunately because it was made from teak it survived the centuries and was discovered more or less intact. Sir Walter's descendants kindly donated it to the state and it is now on display in an air-tight container in the British Museum. However, before they made that donation (early 19th century), his descendants patented the design with some updated modifications and that became the start of the Raleigh company. History can be fascinating, can't it?

Thanks DawlishBlue. I think therefore that MugOnHead was being more than a tad rude to call a hard working local businessman a "loony". I agree with you that you can't have too many cycle paths.

Is there now a cyclepath between Dawlish Warren and Dawlish or is it still along the road - does anyone know?

The only cyclepath I know of is the one that runs from Dawlish Warren along the cliff top path emerging by the junction of Warren Road/Exeter Road. From there the cycle path is on the pavement until it (the cyclepath) abruptly stops around about the opposite of St Agatha's (?) RC Church when cyclists have to go back on the road and take their lives in their hands around that horrendous hair pin bend in order to get into the town.

Thanks Lynne. The reason I asked was that I was at the Red Rock cafe where I met a couple of cyclists heading for Dawlish who had been turned back and told that there was a new cycle path from the Warren to Dawlish

MugOnHead also hard working local business man only difference dont encourage my customers to make a nuisence of themselves on the towns roads. Visit to Marine store this am, cylcle count from town seven, number on cycle path when available one. Number nearly killed by dustbin lorry rather than use cycle path one. Point proven. Agree need cycle paths but need them to be used by law and not at the expense of grass verges and certainly not instead of repairing the roads.

Oh and by the way I was right about Sainsbury's 1- month to go and no sign of the 11 employment units as required. Instead begging bowl to TDC to be let off with providing only 6 but as and when, and guess who has no objections VFD what a surprise.

Two pieces of black tarmac are standing chatting at the bar, when in walks a piece of green tarmac.
The piece of green tarmac demands a pint of bitter from the landlord in a menacing manner, downs it in one, slams his money on the bar and walks out.
The landlord turns to the two pieces of black tarmac and says: "Well I'm glad he didn't cause any trouble - I've heard he's a bit of a cyclepath"

@neilh. who turned the cyclists back? was it someone who works at red rock cafe?

@MugOnHead. were you really shopping at marine stores, or were you working somewhere very nearby that might lead someone more cynical than i to suggest that you have a conflict of interest in matters related to sainsbury's, vfd, cars, and alternative means of transport?

@Nelson. not sure but i believe so

There are signs along the sea wall footpath indicating that cycling is not allowed. Perhaps that is why they were 'turned back'?

Yes there are signs but they definitely said that someone had told them to go back and that there was a new route. I know there's a sign at the Red Rock cafe but are there signs earlier on from the Warren?

tut tut nelson are we at it again trying to find out posters identities, lol

@Nelson - just how near are you suggesting post office maybe? lol

LOL with Brazilnut and MugOnHead.

@neilh. i'm pretty sure that there's a fingerpost at the warren end of the lady's mile that directs cyclists along the correct course of the route 2 towards dawlish. that sign at the red rock cafe is ironic given how they never refuse to serve cyclists there lol...

@Nelson, lynne.  belated thanks.  walking back from mamhead obelisk to dawlish yesterday and found the marker for the cliff-top cyclepath.

From a cyclists point of view, when a group of cyclists (ie a club) are out riding their are 2 reasons for riding side by side, one is that they maybe out for 60 miles and feel like a chat, but the other and this is also why they ride so close is wind, riding 2 a breast protects the rear riders from the wind makes it easier, front riders take a short stint at the front then the next riders come through, this takes a lot of practice, what it means is that they can keep a much higher mph going all ride, a Sunday ride for 60 miles would usually average about 17-18mph not many cyclists would be able to achieve that on their own.

CYCLE PATHS- they are for mr & mrs public not lycra clad loonies as the tarmac surface is usually too uneven.

Insurance etc, my bicycles cost more to insure than my car, I check my bike over every ride, (I don't even know where the bonnet pull is on my car)

A road traffic offensive on a bicycle recieves greater punishment than a car, speeding is regarding as endangermant, drink riding is imprisonable and you still get points on your driving licence. Even if your riding down a cycle path off road.

Any cyclist can ride on any footpath if they feel it is unsafe to ride on the road, this was brought in for children but abused by lots.

Oh and I thought biker Bob was that builder guys cousin.

It's not lycra it's technical sports clothing.

Andysport - not knowing where your bonnet lever is in your car is worrying. How do you do the routine checks on your oil, screen wash or engine coolant?  If you don't do those do you ever check your tyres for tread depth and pressure? What about checking your lights? How about checking your brakes? If you don't do any of those things then how do you know your car is safe to use on the road?  If your car isn't safe then you can do considerably more damage with it than you can with your bike!  Maybe it was just a flippant remark but it wasn't thought through was it?

@Andysport. riding 2 a breast protects the rear riders from the wind

But what if all those in front f@rt at the same time. Where is the protection then?

Yep was flippant, to be honest the car has sensors on everything, brakes, oil water tyre pressure, I was merely trying to make a point that I check my bike a lot and I like most people don't check our cars very often at all.

Carer, f arts aren't too bad it's when you get someone with BO that's a killer.