Cycling UK Forum

I strongly suspect that is not actually the case.

A couple of years ago, Bristol City Council painted Cyclists Slow 10mph over the roads through a public park Ashton Court.
Apart from park maintenance and when there are special events like the balloon fiesta, there is no access to motorised vehicles. It is however a well used route for commuting cyclists as an alternative to a very busy dual carriageway Cumberland Basin into town.
10mph seems to be an arbitrary limit, it's not realistic and I think the council have absolutely no intention of attempting to enforce it but since the advent of this speed restriction I have noticed a distinct rise in hostility from dog owners towards cyclists. They make no attempt to call their animals in when they see an approaching bike. They will stand or walk abreast up the road and seem reluctant to make a space for a cyclist to get through. There is however, a small section of road through the park which goes to a golf course and is open to motorists. I have never seen a dog owner allowing their animal to amble around on that section - after all, you wouldn't want your pet run over by a car would you.

To write on the road 'dog owners - please be aware that there are other people using this road and unless kept under control, your mutt may run out infront of them and so cause an accident' would take up a lot more white paint.

Revolution wrote:10mph seems to be an arbitrary limit, it's not realistic and I think the council have absolutely no intention of attempting to enforce it but since the advent of this speed restriction I have noticed a distinct rise in hostility from dog owners towards cyclists.

Sadly, the route through Ashton Court seems to be a private road, so the owner, even if it's the council, can put whatever abusive nonsense signs they want on it. Our lack of trust of Ashton Court was why the local cycle forum kept pressing for the lower cycle track past the pub now called The Ashton (previously The Dovecote) to be developed when I lived there. You've a small chance of holding a council to account through the usual public questions, petitions and press coverage, but no legal recourse. Good luck!

Both the section of National 1 mentioned by Rob Archer and the route I've found a sign on are legally roads, so erecting unauthorised and misleading signs is illegal.

Its tempting to sneak out with a bucket of white paint and change it to 110...

Lance Dopestrong wrote:Its tempting to sneak out with a bucket of white paint and change it to 110...

18 would be easier (And, IIRC, is in a design guide somewhere as the 'design speed' for 'facilities'.)

squeaker wrote:

Lance Dopestrong wrote:Its tempting to sneak out with a bucket of white paint and change it to 110...

18 would be easier (And, IIRC, is in a design guide somewhere as the 'design speed' for 'facilities'.)

(Maybe somewhere but it was most notoriously in a condemned, derided and discarded Blair-era DfT consultation draft as a maximum speed limit for non-motorised cycleways, with anyone faster condemned to go play Frogger.)

I was in Ashton Court on Saturday morning. A bit early for most of the dog walkers but of the few I did see, none abused me. I did however coincide with Park Run, which I'd never seen before. I was impressed by its size: easily a few hundred runners - it was a chilly but sunny day, which I guess is good running weather. As I was in no hurry and after the leaders went past the mass of runners was enough to use the whole road (this was on the flat bit after you've gone down from the gate opposite CSB), I stopped at the side to let them pass. I was impressed then by how many thanked me for that.

The things I don't like in Ashton Court are the speed humps. Those on the road down from the gatehouse are bad enough but those on the entrance road past Bower Ashton are truly horrible.