the attitude and speed of road users!! how do i get the police involved (rant)

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gill84

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the road we hack on is a busy main road and used alot by tourists, tractors, wagons, bikers, boys racers etc. i cant avoid this i have to go on it all be it for a mile at most to get to the quiet roads. weve had our yard for about 13 years now and ive never known the road as bad. i was out the other day on my sedate ID and got completely taken by suprise by a coach coming hurtling behind me (i was on the footpath coz its safer at this point but your still very visable, i had pink vest horse wears pink brushing boots). if id reached out i could have run my hand along the side!! just so happens the said coach was the company i drive for and believe me did they know about it!!! the offender has given me a very wide birth since! a couple of years back an idiot tourist with a caravan in tow passed me and my mum slow enough but not wide enough and the caravan caught my mums horse on the bum causing her to rear up. the bloke hadnt even noticed and i had to force my horse into the road to make him stop! but anyway i have someone hack my horse out for me and today she got "bloody horses!!" hollared at her from a car driver who had to brake hard to avoid a cattle wagon over taking her from behind! the road is a 40mph but once vehicles get up over the railway bridge its a long down hill (still 40mph) past my horses stables then down some more into a tight left hand sloping bend. in past years countless people have missed the corner and gone through the fence or taken the road signs out on the bend and even the local farmer has thrown his sheep trailer over twice!! as i say ive no choice but to ride on this road to get to quiter roads. theres a trekking centre 2 miles away in the next village and theres caution horses signs not that it makes much difference but at my end theres nothing! how would i go about getting signs put up or how would i go about asking the police if they would do a few days checking drivers speeds? im not the only one using the road theres a few yards around ours and its just getting silly! weve got a youngster and we have to box him and take him to another livery yard up the road and then i ride up and meet her coz although hes good in traffic i still dread something happening:mad:
 
This isn't meant to be pointlessly critical, OP, but I couldn't get past the first couple of lines of your post because of a lack of capital letters, punctuation and paragraphs.

If you're asking for advice and help, may I suggest you preview your post first? If it's not easy to read, it's not easy to help!
 
This is a horrid situation, we are in a rat run around are yard, so I do know what you mean, even as its not a main road the speed they travel at is horrific, if its not horses it could be walkers people on cycles or another car !! We were thinking of trying to get hold of the signs and I think but I am not sure that you would have to contact the council or the highway dept. Re the police the only thing I can think of is just give your local station a call and explain this to them and see if they can do anything to help. It is so bad are way that I only hack out very early on the weekend before most of them get up, nothing worse than hearing them coming and you can't see them and they can't see you till the last min. Its worth giving these people a ring to see if they might be able to help, take care.
 
Sorry mrs B didn't realise you had to have a degree in English to post on here!! Seriously does it really matter!!
 
Ebonyallan I know what you mean about not seeing them until the last minute! There's a few bends on one stretch and it's treat like a race track! I find myself trotting on to a straight bit thinking "please slow down, I can hear you but you won't have seen me". I don't know which is best, trotting to safer place and hoping they see me or riding a little into the road so they maybe see me. I always wear high viz but no matter how bright you are there's just too many idiots who are too quick to blame the "bloody horse" rather than their driving! Expect the unexpected and all that!
 
As always you can complain to the police for all the good it will do you! I would suggest deciding what action would help you best then going round yards in your area getting a petition signed before approaching your local council with it :).

There are some right pricks on the road! grrr. some guy passed me a couple of days ago in a 40 going at least 40 and still part on my side of the road, I had thanked the car in front of him which had slowed down and gone wide but naturally did not thank him, he promptly swore at me in his rear view mirror and when I went round the corner he had pulled up and got out of his car to have a go at me for not thanking him! I politely explained why I had not and what he should have done if he wanted a thankyou whilst he was F-ing and blinding at me and then when he stupidly got closer to my horse still angrily gesticulating and calling me a bitch my dutifully intimidating TB reared up at him (thankfully I was not on the small lovable coloured mare!) and I pointed out the damage a metal shod horse could do and suggested he got back in his car. He did and we headed home but im glad I was on my stomping lad and not my little lady as it was getting to a point where I thought my whip was going to have a new use!

It was a really offputting experience and I wanted nothing better to get home as I couldnt until he moved his car. Ive had pricks drive at me on my motorbike deliberately for filtering through traffic but this was even worse! Some drivers are just scarily thick! good luck getting it sorted, my incident happened on a relatively quiet road so just goes to show you arent safe anywhere from idiots :(
 
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We are in a similar sitation with the road outside our yard. We tried the council numerous times asking for signs but nothing was done. I then e mailed my local councillor about the situation and 2 weeks later drove to the yard to find the signs had been put up! I would suggest doing the same as local councils seem to take more notice if you get a councillor involved (in my experience anyway)
 
aro said:
I would suggest doing the same as local councils seem to take more notice if you get a councillor involved (in my experience anyway)
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This is true, especially if you have horse-sympathetic councillor. You could try contacting your local bridleways riding group for local information,the County Council Rights Of Way Officer or the BHS for ideas.
I used to live in a horsey area where local riders had to hack on some very difficult roads. A group got together and formed a local bridleways access group. They made contact with a councillor who helped them and one of the things they did was to persuade a few councillors to ride some safe horses with walkers leading them along the roads. Having experienced riding on the roads first hand the results included a horse crossing on a dual carriageway, better visability with hedges being trimmed, horse road signs and two bridleway openings onto roads being slighly moved and double, easy to use gates installed. Also had some stretches of boggy tracks resurfaced to make winter use better and seperate paths for riders and dog walkers.
If you can show a local need and have enough enthusiasim to get organised, changes can be made that make a real difference.
You do need to be realistic though, with increased traffic, some roads that were safe for horses a few years back are now too dangerous to use, particularly at busy times. If you feel it is unsafe to ride a route, then don't do it unless you are able to get changes made, or move yards, or transport to hacking routes. Its a problem that affects most riders and the bottom line is, unless the risk is reasonable, don't do it.
 
we have a very busy main road which we have to hack down for about 2 miles to get to an equestrian center for shows, we trot down it 2 a breast, the cars have to wait behind us. We are head to toe hi viz and thank them for waiting. Only do it on a sunday too when its quieter. I would suggest trotting 2 a breast so they cant come past, but if you can pull over to let them pass safely do so. Dont forget the arm signals for slow down and stop, and thank you!
 
Mrs B said:
This isn't meant to be pointlessly critical, OP, but I couldn't get past the first couple of lines of your post because of a lack of capital letters, punctuation and paragraphs.

If you're asking for advice and help, may I suggest you preview your post first? If it's not easy to read, it's not easy to help!
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, but I have to agree with Mrs B. Your post was very hard to read, but I do feel for you: you should, as others have said, report this. I'm glad you are ok!
 
gill84 said:
Sorry mrs B didn't realise you had to have a degree in English to post on here!! Seriously does it really matter!!
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To be fair it's not about having perfect written english skills,more about ease of reading.Your post was very hard to read mainly due to lack of paragraphs IMO,big blocks of writing ARE difficult to read and people end up either not bothering or skimming and missing things.

In regard to your issues,as someone who has to navigate busy roads to get anywhere,and has practically no off road riding,i can sympathise with the frustation of idiot drivers.I am sure the roads are getting worse and worse for horse riders as people seem in more of a rush to get anywhere and less tolerant of horses.

I'm not sure there is a solution TBH,could try some signs of you can get council to put some up or permission to do it yourself,at least would let people know they might expect to see horses around.
Other than that I think it's just a case of doing all you can to keep yourself safe like being visible as poss,riding at quieter times of day etc.
There will always be idiots that think they own the road and have no thought or consideration for anyone else,not sure there is any way to tackle them sadly.

Stay safe and hope you manage to sort something out.
 
There are two ways of looking at this. If your yard fronts out on to such a dangerous rosd I'm surprised they ever got permission to use it as a livery yard - many councils would refuse permission for the planning and change of use. It is there now so you need to find a solution.

If you can raise the funds for accompanied horses and ponies signs you may find your local council will put them up for you (nobody else is allowed to put up thses signs on the highway). If the local problem is as serious as you say there should be plenty of support to pay for them.

Alternatively think outside the box. See if there is another route off the yard that could be opened up across country and then approach the neighbours with a view to allowing access, even if there is some kind of toll to be paid.
 
Must be how our brains process things, I had no trouble reading your post.

As far as drivers go, well we live in a world of ignorant Hare Soles, so don't expect it to get better, if things are bad I would keep on at the council and police, but don't hold your breath for any action, someone will have to get seriously hurt first, then "lessons wil be learnt", it's the new in quote.
 
Sometimes I think that if you ride on the footpath/verge then you just don't register on the drivers radar. You may find it's better to ride on the road, at least then you have the footpath as an escape route.

Second carry a very long schooling whip, with something very bright (tinsel is good) tied on the end. Carry this in your right hand and hold it pointing straight out, also wrap bright stuff round the offside stirrup. These will make you appear wider.

Third review your Hi Viz, as someone mentioned before the Polite stuff is very effective. Use every piece you can afford, not just a vest. A quarter sheet (you can get fluro mesh for hot weather) is very effective, you want your horses bum to look as big as possible
 
I have a video hatcam I take out hacking with me so any inconsiderate drivers are captured bang to rights on film. Haven't had to use it that way yet - but I've seen hatcam cyclists getting successful prosecutions against road rage drivers :)
 
I can sympathise with your problems but I think for your own safety, that you have to change your mindset. Rather than trying to improve drivers skills - honestly, you are on a hiding to nothing here IME - you need to think about how you can manage/manipulate traffic to ensure the safety of you and your horse. I would get as many people as possible on your yard to take the BHS Riding and Road Safety course, it is very useful.

JMHO

Don't ride on the pavement/verge/into the kerb - stay on the road so that traffic can see you and has to slow to pass you and use the space on your left as an escape route if needed.
Yellow high viz, the more the merrier :). It looks more 'official' as it's what the police, council and road workers wear. The polite stuff works well too.
Ride defensively - be very aware of what is going on around you, position your horse so that cars cannot slide up along side especially at junctions. Give clear signals to drivers with eye contact if possible. Be confident that they will do as you ask and it is surprising how many people will.

On the other hand, play fair with drivers also - trot on when possible, don't dilly dally blocking the road and of course, Thank them! While we are entitled to use the roads safely we don't have exclusive use of them and it is unrealistic to expect everyone to pander to us and be happy if they are delayed (even if it's not for long) without acknowledgement.

Also, take the reg numbers and report drivers that are dangerous - if you don't what can anybody do about them?
 
cbmcts said:
I can sympathise with your problems but I think for your own safety, that you have to change your mindset. Rather than trying to improve drivers skills - honestly, you are on a hiding to nothing here IME - you need to think about how you can manage/manipulate traffic to ensure the safety of you and your horse. I would get as many people as possible on your yard to take the BHS Riding and Road Safety course, it is very useful.

JMHO

Don't ride on the pavement/verge/into the kerb - stay on the road so that traffic can see you and has to slow to pass you and use the space on your left as an escape route if needed.
Yellow high viz, the more the merrier :). It looks more 'official' as it's what the police, council and road workers wear. The polite stuff works well too.
Ride defensively - be very aware of what is going on around you, position your horse so that cars cannot slide up along side especially at junctions. Give clear signals to drivers with eye contact if possible. Be confident that they will do as you ask and it is surprising how many people will.

On the other hand, play fair with drivers also - trot on when possible, don't dilly dally blocking the road and of course, Thank them! While we are entitled to use the roads safely we don't have exclusive use of them and it is unrealistic to expect everyone to pander to us and be happy if they are delayed (even if it's not for long) without acknowledgement.

Also, take the reg numbers and report drivers that are dangerous - if you don't what can anybody do about them?
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This is excellent advice and how I tend to ride, it's a bit of an art having a safe road presence without coming across as arrogant, but if I can manage it I'm sure others can :D
 
I very much sympathise with the problems you are having.

My advice would be to always ride out in a long sleeved Hi-Viz jacket as motorsits can then see your arm signals from a distance. You then have the ability to take command of the situation. Make sure you regularly check for vehicles coming from behind you and if they are travelling too fast or close eye ball them and point at them and hold the palm of your hand up towards them to get them to stop over take you slowly and at a wide berth.

Additionally if there are grass verges or agricultural land adjacent to your route along the main road then ask your local BHS access (bridleway) oficer to assist you in getting a horse route placed along it so that you don't have to ride along the road.

If you want the name and contact details of your BHS county access officer drop me an e-mail with your nearest town and county and I will send you their details.
 
I am sorry but I did find your post difficult to read, however, forgive me if I have pulled the wrong bits out of it.....

The road you refer to already has a 40 mph limit. Is it the traffic in general which gripes you or is it that the traffic speed (or your perception of the speed as they pass your horse)?

If it is the speeding in general then may I suggest you ask to speak with your local traffic management Officer at the Police force which covers your area. They are one of the agencies responsible for surveying the speed of traffic in the area by placing the trace lines on the road which monitor the speed. If it is found that traffic does indeed speed, Police patrols will be directed to the area to enforce the speed limit.

If found that there is not a speed problem (ie, not exceeding the 40mph limit), then unfortunately it is likely that nothing will be done as patrols tend to be tasked with the problems areas.

I personally don't like pink hi viz as to me, it does not stand out as much as yellow. Drivers naturally look for yellow as that is what "road workers" tend to wear. Orange is for the rail network and in my mind, pink has no place other than fashion.

I think others have offered some excellent advice so I won't be repetitive. would echo the BHS road safety test.
 
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