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<\/a><\/p>\nI will be reproducing the full Derbyshire County Council post at the bottom of this page in unalterable, Rosetta stone, screen shotted jpeg format for these things have a habit changing (\u00a370K dropping to \u00a330K for instance) and previous statements being denied. In this post I will\u00a0address and expose\u00a0the specious and facile arguments put forward by DCC.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Derbyshire County Council Chapel Gate<\/p><\/div>\n
As you can see from Derbyshire County Council’s own illustrative photograph, this bridleway is down to bedrock. the rocks you see in the picture are stable and are not going anywhere. \u00a0Let us look at what\u00a0Derbyshire County Council have deemed suitable to resurface Rushup Edge with.<\/p>\n
<\/a>If this is what Derbyshire County Council do in the name of safety I dread to think how they behave when they are being negligent.<\/p><\/div>\n
To give you a sense of perspective the smallest of these rocks is the size of a large fist and when you ride a bike over them they undulate like a carpet of marbles. If this is what Derbyshire County Council do in the name of safety I dread to think how they behave when they are being negligent. Now imagine the surface area of a horse’s hoof. Does this in anyway look conducive to the safety and comfort of a horse or rider? My concern is genuine because it highlights the only real question I want Derbyshire County Council to answer: Who are you doing this for?<\/p>\n
Walkers?<\/h2>\n
This is a wide group that encompasses young and old from every section of society. Walking is a\u00a0unique human trait, one of the cornerstones of our evolution as a species, freeing up the hands to develop the fine motor skills to use tools, write down lanugage, share ideas, poetry and pass on knowledge to the next generation. Walking transcends class and financial means, to do it in comfort costs no\u00a0more than the price of a waterproof jacket and a pair of boots. The one thing that we can safely assume, without fear of contradiction,\u00a0is that everyone in this group can walk.<\/p>\n
Now that we have established that walkers can walk, and they would have to do a fair bit of it to reach Chapel Gate \/ Rushup Edge in the first place, I would like you to imagine this scenario. You are standing at the bottom of a steep set of steps that reach up meters into the air, they number 10, maybe 13 and they stand between you… and your toilet. How are you going to conquer this monumental barrier? One approach could be to contact\u00a0Derbyshire County Council’s PROW\u00a0department and they’ll pop round and turn your house into a bungalow, not particularly practical or cost effective but that’s how they roll.\u00a0My point being that most people encounter steps no bigger than those on Rushup Edge everyday of their lives, to say that these steps are impeding walkers is frankly laughable.<\/p>\n
Does anyone go walking in the Peak District expecting it to be smooth, even and flat? Isn’t the fact that it’s rugged, exposed and natural part of the attraction of these routes? In September 2014 I\u00a0rode up these steps on my\u00a0bike as part of the Hope Valley Moutnain Bike Challenge. I am not especially fit or talented so if I can do it on a bike, I put it to DCC that even those of below average fitness would\u00a0be able to walk up them at a steady pace. These steps were not impassable they were a unique natural feature that has been carelessly destroyed.<\/p>\n