RUST magazine: Rust#6

The TRF. Are they the cure or
the cause?
Following our article on the UK’s
Trail Riders’ Fellowship (TRF) –
see RUST #5 – one reader has
questioned whether the rising popularity
of the TRF and their strategy
for the conservation of trails might
lead to greater conflicts, not less.
I have believed for many years that
the TRF are in fact the problem not
the solution. The larger they get and
the more riders they attract, the
bigger target they become. If there
were no TRF then the ‘nay sayers’
would have no-one to complain to.
Here’s an example; recently I rode
a lane close to my house which was,
shall we say, not 100% legal. The
owner, a local dignitary, spotted me
in the village and knowing I rode
motorbikes told me of the mystery
rider, I just said I had no idea who it
was – and the matter died there and
then, if she had been aware of the
TRF she would have been banging
on their door.
The TRF create another problem
when they encouraging group riding,
which I deplore. I have seen groups
as large as 20 riding on what I know
are sensitive legal trails. Riding legal
trails just because you can is brainless.
They also encourage route
sharing which to mind is another
cause of popular areas being overused.
On many occasions I have
seen large groups from other areas
riding around, often a little lost,
annoying the locals, who then
vented the anger on the local riders.
In my experience (50 years of
off-road riding) I have found that
riding alone or with one other guy is
by far the best way to explore the
trails. No-one minds one bike riding
past and disappearing down the trail,
but 20? Yes, that would even get on
my nerves every weekend.
Which leads me to another selfgenerated
problem the TRF create.
Because they encourage group
riding this means that the majority of
riding is done at the weekend when
everyone is free – this is also when
all the trails are used by walkers,
horses and everyone else. I try
never to ride at the weekend and
so rarely meet anyone on the trails.
I have ridden everywhere and
anywhere in the UK and never had
a problem because I ride alone.
I also start and finish in different
areas and never stop.
I really do think that the TRF have
created a battle they cannot win.
Chris Pascoe
Cornwall, UK
The TRF replies:
Is the TRF the problem?
First, a little bit of history, if we may.
Long before the TRF arrived on the
scene, motorcycle clubs organised a
wide range of activities on green
roads. These were predominantly hill