I have received an email thread from British Cycling South East regarding complaints by local residents on Toys Hill near Edenbridge about riders riding recklessly down the hill.
I would just like to warn riders / groups to take extra care down there (not too fast and not on the wrong side of the road) so as to prevent any further antagonism of local residents.
There is no suggestion that RCC riders have caused any problems to date, but I hope our riders are aware of this situation so they can be especially careful there.
The whole email thread is below.
Thanks,
Rupert.
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Dear Club Secretary/Team Manager
please see the following emails.
Best regards
Geoff
--- On Wed, 2/3/11, Geoff Hodgson <secretary.bcse@btinternet.com> wrote:
From: Geoff Hodgson <secretary.bcse@btinternet.com>
Subject: Fw: Toys Hill Road, Toys Hill, Edenbridge
To: "radrenner2000@yahoo.com" <radrenner2000@yahoo.com>
Date: Wednesday, 2 March, 2011, 20:42
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "John @ Hawkridge & Co" <john@hawklaw.co.uk>
To: claire.bournazian@kent.pnn.police.uk
Cc: "Iandrake@Britishcycling. Org. Uk" <iandrake@britishcycling.org.uk>; Vic Hopkin <mcwn43@dial.pipex.com>; Sally Page <sallyp2@dsl.pipex.com>; "Roypage@Britishcycling. Org. Uk" <roypage@britishcycling.org.uk>; Ray Betts <raybetts75@btinternet.com>; Preston Anderson <prestonanderson@btconnect.com>; Peter Wall <peterjwall@sky.com>; Peter Ansell <peteransell@btinternet.com>; Paul Tunnell <paul.tunnell@landg.com>; Nigel Wood <nigelw29@gmail.com>; Kristin Durrant <kristin@surreyleague.co.uk>; Kim Anderson <kim-serrl@live.co.uk>; Keith Butler <keithbutler@blueyonder.co.uk>; Glyn Durrant <glyn@surreyleague.co.uk>; Geoff Hodgson <secretary.bcse@btinternet.com>; Eric Lejene <ericlejeune@britishcycling.org.uk>; Eddie Land <land6@tiscali.co.uk>; Vern McClelland <macbike2@googlemail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, 2 March 2011, 18:50
Subject: FW: Toys Hill Road, Toys Hill, Edenbridge
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Dear Claire
Your email has been forwarded to me by the Chief Executive of British Cycling. I am the Chair of British Cycling's South East Region which covers Edenbridge.
We had lengthy correspondence by email with local residents of Toys Hill last year after two near fatal accidents to cyclists. The residents had contacted both British Cycling and the CTC who are the two largest cycling organisations. We immediately sent out a warning to the 140+ Clubs in our area and kept in touch with the local residents until Kent County Council had installed new signage to their satisfaction. I believe that the CTC also warned their members of the risks and the understandable concerns of the Toys Hill residents. I will arrange to forward your letter addressed to Ian Drake to the Club Secretaries of all the Cycling Clubs registered with British Cycling in our Region. Unfortunately we cannot send out that letter before the end of this month as our Secretary is on holiday.
I do not believe that any of the cyclists whose riding is giving the residents cause for concern are either racing under British Cycling rules or engaged in organised Club runs for Clubs affiliated to either British Cycling or the CTC but I will make full enquiries. Because our organised events have to be risk assessed by an experienced cycling official from either British Cycling or Cycling Time Trials I do not believe that any event would be organised where the riders raced downhill. I can only envisage Toys Hill being used by either organisation as a Hill Climb, which necessarily means that the riders would be climbing uphill at a relatively low speed.
We do not represent all cyclists and many have formed a loose structure where friends ride together. They have never been members of any club and have therefore not received any instruction on how to ride in the company of other riders or indeed how to ride safely. The growth of Cyclo Sportifs and Charity Rides has exacerbated this problem. I cannot be sure from the information given in your email but it does seem that the riders who are behaving so recklessly are part of a group and, if they are racing, part of an organised event which is not regulated by either British Cycling or the CTC. If that is the case we have no influence on them nor any power to discipline them.
We have taken all the actions which we can to bring the dangers of Toys Hill to the attention of as many cyclists as possible and the residents have expressed themselves satisfied with our efforts in this respect. We share the residents concern that the problem still exists - it shows our sport in a bad light. We are happy to take any reasonable action that you or the residents suggest but it may well come down to the enforcement of the law or a ban on cyclists using Toys Hill and both of these are outside the scope of the action which we can take.
May we suggest that before such action is taken notice is displayed giving cyclist warning that dangerous riding may result in prosecution and/or a ban on cyclists using Toys Hill. We know that the residents have already displayed a notice that riders have suffered two near fatal accidents o the hill and those notices and the new signage are being ignored. It may well be that for the safety of the local residents and those cyclists who have no concern for their own safety that a ban may be inevitable - but then if cyclists ignore the ban who is going to enforce it?
Best wishes
John Hawkridge
Chair - South East Region of British Cycling
-----Original Message-----
From: Ian Drake [mailto:iandrake@britishcycling.org.uk]
Sent: 02 March 2011 11:10
To: John Hawkridge
Subject: FW: Toys Hill Road, Toys Hill, Edenbridge
Dear John
I have just received this e-mail from a PCSO in Edenbridge.
Are you happy to respond as I know you dealt with the Toys Hill issues last year.
If you need any help please do not hesitate to ask.
Regards
Ian
From: Claire BOURNAZIAN PSE 56341 [mailto:claire.bournazian@kent.pnn.police.uk]
Sent: 02 March 2011 07:56
To: Ian Drake
Subject: Toys Hill Road, Toys Hill, Edenbridge
Hello Ian,
I am one of the Police Community Support Officers that works from Edenbridge in Kent. We recently received a phone call from an Edenbridge resident who was very concerned about the manner in which cyclists had been riding on Toys Hill, Edenbridge on the second weekend in February. He stated that there was a group of cyclists coming down in a bunch of 20 at High Speeds and partially on the wrong side of the road. He also stated that it had been difficult to see them as they had no lights on the bikes and it was foggy at the time he saw the group. The caller stated that this happens on a regular basis and he has concerns that there will be more accidents on this stretch of road. There have been a number over the past few years involving cyclists.
Later on the same week I received a call from a resident on Toys Hill Road, Toys Hill. Who wanted to raise a similar concern to me. She stated that she understands the road is used for time trials and Racing which Police are aware of. her concerns are that cyclists that are part of clubs but not part of these events are riding at extremely High Speeds and often riding more than two abreast, causing them to come onto the wrong side of the road. The resident stated she has fears that there will be further accidents on this stretch of road due to this.
Over the past two years as I am aware there has been one fatal accident and one serious injury accident involving cyclists on this road. One of which crashed into the back of a stationary vehicle that was parked up. We are obviously aware that the clubs make our Traffic Management department aware of any events taking place at this location. Could we however ask that information is disseminated to cycle clubs using this location, to highlight the dangers on this road. The resident also raised concern that smaller junctions on Toys Hill were not being marshalled and she had witnessed some near miss accidents due to this. is this something you could also look into please?
Many Thanks
PCSO Claire Bournazian
Claire Bournazian
PCSO Edenbridge
Office (: 01732 379361
Internal (: 02 3906
Mobile (: 07772226024
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