Bikers Protest At The Groves

This article caught my eye in more ways than one. Read it through to the end. There is a spin off away from the main subject matter of the article to some degree. The spin off is to draw a comparison with another illegal act which by and large goes either unnoticed by the Council. Or, for some reason is not deemed as important. Firstly though, more on the bikers protest at The Groves.

On Sunday just gone (6th September) a peaceful bikers protest at The Groves took place. Why was there a bikers protest at The Groves you may ask? Read on for the full story.

Bikers Protest At The Groves

In the region of 200 bikers held a peaceful protest in response to a traffic order which they say will end a decades-old tradition of meeting up on a section of The Groves in Chester.

Both motorcycle and scooter riders gathered on the stretch between the cafe and the suspension bridge to raise awareness of the situation and inform people about their online petition.

The photo above was not taken on the day of the protest. I took this photo some time ago. I only took it as I was intrigued by the array of different bikes on display. In no way at all am I a biker, or a bike fan for that matter. But, on a typical weekend, you may well see some fantastic looking bikes and scooters down at The Groves. The photo above is from a typical Sunday.

Even as a non bike fan I am fascinated by some of the impressive machines on display.

Bikers Protest At The Groves – Are The Bikes And Scooters A Problem Though?

The short answer to that from the Council’s viewpoint is an emphatic “yes” it would seem. Does this make the decision right? The jury is still out on that. I think further clarity regarding the thinking behind the decision may help. More on this below. But also, a bit more background on the bikers and their connection with Chester also needs to be mentioned.

However let’s consider the Council’s perspective first. As the Council has reminded us, laws have been broken by these bikers. Councillor Karen Shore, deputy leader and cabinet member for environment, highways and strategic transport, said recently:

“It is illegal to drive along the section of The Groves towards the Suspension Bridge, unfortunately many drivers have ignored this leading to complaints.

“Following discussions with local Members, Police and Parking services a permanent Traffic Regulation Order has been advertised with no objections.

“It was agreed that waiting restrictions will be added along this length of road and changes will be made to some of the existing limited waiting bays to be for motorcycles only on weekends and bank holidays to make provision for them to park.

How Long Has It Been Illegal For?

Motorcycles and scooters have parked at the Groves since the 1950’s. Without any shadow of a doubt, it has become a tradition enjoyed by Cestrians and tourists alike.

Over the years many of these riders have been involved in local charities including the North West Air Ambulance, Easter egg runs to the Countess Hospital and Teenage Cancer Trust. Bikers use the river site to meet, network and organise events.

Also, over the years they have raised thousands of pounds and delivered vast amounts of Easter eggs and toys to sick children locally. Without this meeting place not only will the Groves lose a part of its heritage, but now there is nowhere in the immediate area for bikes to park in any numbers. This of course makes it very difficult to plan future events. Or impossible even, given that these riders may now understandably, abandon Chester.

So, if the decision was made purely because it is illegal then let us know. If this particular law has been overlooked or ignored for almost 70 years then why enforce it now?

If It Is A Law Then What About An Alternative View?

Alternatively, if it is a law and has been for 50+plus years, then what about a different view? In other words, ditch this particular law. If bikers at The Groves hasn’t been a problem for almost 70 years then why try and fix something that isn’t broken?

Have all the pros and cons been thought through? An enforcement of a possibly outdated law against the loss of revenue streams and support for local charities? How many visitors to The Groves – locals and tourists – see the bikes as an integral part of their reason to visit? With a downturn in visitors how much will the businesses in The Groves suffer? Please let us know the thought process behind the decision.

If Not Purely Legal Reasons?

Of course, if the reasons are more than the legal issues regarding a forgotten about or previously ignored law, then that of course is a different kettle of fish.

Health and safety maybe? I hardly think so if it hasn’t already been recognised as a problem before. If push came to shove (pardon the pun), I am sure the bikers would agree to dismount at the bottom of Souters Lane and push their bikes to the designated bike areas if need be.

The number of complaints maybe as touched on in the Councillor’s statement? How many complaints are we talking about and what are the exact nature of the complaints?

Or, is it an economic decision? Is the prospect of imposing parking fines to riders seen to be a potentially attractive, additional revenue stream? After all, given the long history and tradition these riders have had with Chester over the decades, what have the Council replaced this heritage with? Yellow lines that earn additional revenue basically.

Freedom Of Information?

Finally, on this decision thought process. Is the decision and the workings behind it available information under Freedom of Information? If so, I’m sure there will be many interested in reading such a report.

Off On A Tangent Maybe But Consider This

Many will have considered the bikers protest at The Groves and acted accordingly in signing the online petition (see below for link). But would a petition be necessary if all the facts were known as to why a much loved local heritage has been replaced by income earning yellow lines?

I have touched on the subject of a local think tank before. See my original article HERE. Would decisions like this be the kind to be discussed by a local think tank? As it is, it looks like the sole reason for the decision is a legal issue.

That being so you can understand a petition. If there is more to it, then what about a bit of transparency? Or, consider a local think tank maybe, so all interested parties (e.g. local charities) are involved in the decision making, or at least considered, if they are not already considered?

Council Decisions And Their Priority

Still going off on a bit of a tangent maybe. Maybe not. I mentioned above the possibility of other reasons for effectively ousting bikers from The Groves. Maybe the decision was for health and safety reasons? Or, maybe as a result of the sheer volume of complaints? Economic considerations possibly?

Whatever the reasons it does make you think sometimes as to how decisions are not only made, but prioritised. Let me elaborate.

Where we live in Hoole we have an alleyway that separates us from the next parallel street. This alleyway is of great concern to so many residents. A great concern as it has basically become a bit of a dumping ground. A fly tippers paradise even?

So, to echo the Councillor’s statement above. Or to ask a question. Isn’t fly tipping illegal? Yes, is the simple answer. The amount and the type of rubbish that is dumped in the alleyway is incredible at times.

The photo below is a recent photo of just the area immediately outside our back gate. As it is you can’t walk down the alleyway. Or cycle down there.

In the photo above, what you can’t see clearly is the grid about 4 or 5 yards away. On 3 or 4 occasions this grid has been covered by piles of what looked like raw chicken breast fillets. The recent pile of them have gone now. Melted away I guess. They certainly haven’t been removed.

I spoke with a neighbour this morning and he was telling me that he no longer takes the short cut into the alleyway to get to the local shop or chippy. Another neighbour he knows has also stopped stepping into the alleyway with his 5 year old son. For any reason whatsoever.

And Not Forgetting The Syringes

Not being able to venture into the alleyway can’t be right can it? It smells down there and it’s filthy. Oh, and not forgetting the syringes. If you do go down the alleyway and look down on a regular basis, you will see a fair few syringes.

Are the Council aware of this alleyway? Most definitely. I have been in regular contact with them about the state of it. And I know a fair few other neighbours have. So, on that basis, it seems to have passed the ‘number of complaints’ criteria if there is such a thing.

What about health and safety though? Just have a look at the photo again and consider what may be in those bags. Add to that of course the raw chicken breasts and the syringes. Any health and safety issues spring to mind? Or rather, how many health and safety issues arise?

As I say the Council are well aware of this situation. In fact they did semi sort it out a while ago.

What’s Been Done To Sort The Alleyway Problem?

Back in late October 2019 there was at long last a big clean up. And, to be fair, the Council did a fantastic job in cleaning up the alleyway. A point I acknowledged when I wrote about it in November 2019 in this article, entitled, “Fly Tipping” HERE.

You will see from that link a photo of a colour brochure produced by the Council. The work carried out, the brochure and the discussions at the time suggested this was not going to be a ‘one off.’ This issue was to be tackled full on. Why else would they have gone to the extent of producing colour brochures? I wonder how much they cost? Added to the cost of the initial and subsequent clean ups. Time and material costs etc.

There was a request to keep the Council informed of when things start to build up. I have done this and I know quite a few more neighbours have as well. It was hoped of course that things would not build up. But they have. So, what about CCTV, was a suggestion put to the Council?

Not sure of the cost but whatever the cost, it could be offset by savings in time and materials spent on clean ups; colour brochures; time taken to respond to phone calls and emails from concerned neighbours and, of course, income could be generated from fines imposed when offenders are caught dumping on CCTV.

The Latest Situation

As you can see from the alleyway photo above the situation is quite bad. Putting the costs implications aside for a moment, the health and safety issues alone are more than enough to warrant some attention you would think. Piles of raw chicken breasts!!!

After several messages from myself and other neighbours, I finally got a reply. And it was going to be sorted. Here’s a snippet of the email I received:

“I promise when I am back to normal next week your Entry will be top of my list. I will chase the lead officer caretaking to make sure it is clear and cleansed when I am back next week.”

Great stuff. Something is getting done. A bit premature to get excited though. This email was sent in July. No-one has been to sort out the mess for months.

Playing Devil’s Advocate

Now, don’t get me wrong I am well aware that under the current climate, there may well be mitigating circumstances. To a certain extent. The pandemic of course has made sure of varying degrees of chaos etc.

And in fact, recycling and waste tips were closed during the early days of lockdown. But, they reopened on 11th May if I’m not mistaken? However, looking at the type of rubbish dumped, it is the same rubbish that has always been dumped. Like the raw chicken breasts. These things haven’t just started to appear due to waste recycling centres being closed in April and early May.

One end of the spectrum indicates that the pandemic means ‘everything'(?) grinds to a halt? Given that a message was sent in July saying that this would be sorted ‘next week’ suggests that there is some sort of focus or planning. Especially given the health and safety issues already mentioned. There was no indication that the coronavirus was the issue in the message from the Council.

But nothing has been done. Zilch, nada, zip!! No further communications (as also promised) either. And this on top of how many unresponded emails and phone calls?

On the other hand though, things are operating smoothly enough for yellow, no parking lines to be painted and a local, long established heritage brought to an end.

Back To The Question

Which brings me back on to the question I mentioned earlier. And that is, the question of the Council’s decisions and their priority?

Has ending the long term tradition come about as a priority over and above cleaning up a smelly, filthy, health hazard alleyway(s) [no doubt there will be more alleyways apart from ours] as a result of it being dealt with by a different Directorate? Who knows? But how has it come about? It would be good to find out how or why wouldn’t it?

In the meantime, back onto the main thrust of this post. The bikers protest at The Groves.

Bikers Protest At The Groves – The Online Petition

As mentioned, these riders have supported local charities for years and now ask for your support to continue. So, they are asking for people to sign a petition. If you would like to find out more about the petition and possibly even sign it………

More details about the petition can be found HERE.

Thanks for reading my “Bikers Protest At The Groves” post. It turned out to be a bit of a ‘letting off steam’ rant in some respects. But a justified letting off steam I think.

The alleyway is disgusting and I am surprised that the decision to stop the bikers parking at The Groves was (a) even made in the first place and (b) how it made the light of day over and above dealing with dirty, dangerous alleyways.

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