Thurso river - cycling

[Thurso man]

Are you allowed to cycle around Thurso river? Was out for a ride today with my child and was told by somebody else using the path that we weren’t meant to be cycling up the river.

There’s no signs that I can see.

Anybody know the answer?

[pat]

Cannot see any reason why you cannot cycle where you want.
No cycling on pavements but otherwise usually ok, why not ask the bailiffs for the river or the council what the rules are but I would think this person is incorrect in assumptions of no cycling.

[Fulmar]

I agree, surely it is a multi-use path under Scottish Access legislation which you are entitled to use.

[mi16]

Or alternatively tell the person to go ahead and report it then continue with your cycle.

[Neil Howie]

The Scottish Govt. says "it's complicated", copied below from here (https://www.parliament.scot/ResearchBriefingsAndFactsheets/S4/SB_12-24.pdf)

I don't know if the Thurso path is a core path but the other bit in bold might apply?

My personal view is that it seems a bit petty of the person to mention it, particularly when improving you and your child's health, and enjoying the local environs.

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Cycling on the pavement: Most people will tell you that an adult cycling on a pavement iscommitting an offence. However, the issue of cycling on the pavement is more complicatedthan it may first appear. The Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 does not use the term “pavement”, asthis can also mean the surface of a road. Rather, it defines five key terms:

 Road: A way over which there is a public right of passage by any means, including theroad‟s verge and any associated bridges, tunnels etc.

 Carriageway: Commonly known as “the road”, the carriageway is a way which can beused by any vehicle.10

 Footway: Commonly known as “the pavement”, a footway is a way, which is associatedwith a carriageway, where right of passage is limited to foot.

 Footpath: A way, which is not associated with a carriageway, where right of passage islimited to foot.

 Cycle track: A way where passage is limited to bikes or bikes and foot.

Generally, anyone cycling on a footway or footpath in Scotland is committing an offence underthe provisions of Section 129(5) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984. It is not an offence to cycleacross a footway or footpath to access a cycle track, driveway or other land where cycling isallowed.

The issue is complicated by access rights granted to cyclists under Section 1 of the LandReform (Scotland) Act 2003 (“the 2003 Act”). The 2003 Act allows cycling on most land unlessaccess is controlled by or under another enactment. This means that land reform access rightsdo not normally apply to roads or footways as their use is restricted under various statutes.

However, the 2003 Act does allow cycling on any path where access has not been restricted bya Traffic Regulation Order or through other legal means. In practice, this allows cyclists to usemost paths in urban parks and rural areas.To further complicate matters, Section 7(1) of the 2003 Act states that the restriction on accessrights described above does not apply where land has been designated as a “core path” underthe provisions of the 2003 Act1.

This means that cyclists may be able to cycle on a footpath, oreven a footway, designated as a core path without committing an offence. However, it isimportant to remember that access rights must be exercised responsibly and cyclists shouldconsider cycling on the carriageway (i.e. road) even if the associated footway has beendesignated as a core path.

[dx100uk]

if you were on the river towpath itself..you can and it's nothing to do with any council rules.