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I totally agree to be honest but I don't think it is just a bike issue, I think it is the fact that children are just given a bit of freedom and not reminded that they are sharing the space with lots of other people...btw not against kids as we go away with our own aged 8 and 10.

The only issues we had when away at Easter was myself and daughter (8) having to jump off the road because we had 3 kids on bikes hurtling towards us and having to speak to (older) kids at the playground who were being territorial about the play equipment and wouldn't let other kids play.

Generally speaking though the children we saw when away we well behaved and there seemed to be a lot of parent - child interaction, which is what we think holidays are all about.

Helen

Whilst there's no excuse for drivers speeding on site, that doesnt absolve parents of their responsibility for their children. As a single parent I know how tempting it is to let your child run off to make friends on a campsite and sit back for a little R&R without a care in the world, but children need rules on holiday just like at home, they might be slightly different is all.

My daughter is taught to treat the 'roads' on campsites exactly the same as those anywhere else, as well as basic other etiquette such as not crossing other people's pitches, not being excessively noisy after an hour when smaller children may be sleeping and so on. The fact that cars are required to go so slowly is certainly not an excuse for parents to allow their children to run riot. At clumber park last summer some children on bikes were treating the site literally as a race track, timing their lap speeds etc. Their parents must have seen them, because the circuit used all the 'roads'.

Despite my main concern, obviously, being my child, I am also aware that we all have a responsibility to keep places safe for everyone. My biggest dilemma is always whether or not to speak to other people's children, or go and seek out their parents, when they are putting themselves and others at risk.

  We were on a CC site in Kent last year where, several times a day, a large group of youngsters would racing round the site roads and then veer off between the vans. Speaking to them about the dangers didn't seem to work and eventually the warden had to threaten to ban all cycling on site.

                           Pete.

Its also quite scarey just how young some of these children are, we have seen many who are not more than babies of 2 or 3 yrs old racing around on bikes with stabilizers on, trying to keep up with the rest of the tribe, i doubt they even know what their brakes are for,or even if they have any on that type of bike, and often rely on just slamming their feet down on the ground to stop. The same bikes are often fitted with a rear 'parent handle' designed for parents to push their babes along, and are more suitable to an enclosed nursery yard or being used as a type of short haul pushchair than being let loose on a public pavement or road unaccompained by an adult.

The thing that does concern me most is the lack of safety kit these kids have, whilst it might be seen by them and their peers as being 'uncool' to wear a full helmet and knee and elbow pads, they are real life savers to anyone who comes off a bike at speed, and just as motorbike leathers protect flesh from becoming meatpaste when its dragged along a roadsurface, likewise pushbikers should also take heed and make sure theres always a decently thick layer of fabric beween their flesh and the road, if an accident should occur. 

Julia

Even if there were no cars moving around on site as is the case with those sites who request all cars must be parked in a main carpark away from the pitches except for towing onto and off pitches there are still other obsticles and dangers for children to look out for, either for their own sake or that of pedestrians whilst travelling at speed around a campsite.

If we remove drivers out of the equasion, what about the elderly grandparent or not so mobile person who are staying with family on the site, and have to run the gauntlet of these children who are often in fairly large groups as they whiz past them at speed on whatever type of wheels they choose to fit to themselves,  Try and take a stroll down to the shower block using the paths provided and you will be sure to suffer either verbal abuse from these whizz kids or worse still they will bump into you and knock you off your feet. I totally agree that children often learn by the example of their parents rather than being told what to do, or what not to do, but they will always take 'dares' from other children no matter how much their parents tell them not to.

To get anything vaguely like an ideal situation, and to make a campsite more pleasent for all concerned, if you or your children want to bike ride or scoot/rollerskate then pick a place with nearby cycle tracks and cycle as a family, that way everyone is happy, and parents are on hand to teach their children the rights and wrongs of road safety whilst they are on their bikes or other forms of wheels.

I have stayed on family sites where all wheeled activity including adult bike riding was banned whilst on the park, even for adults, but as a very good cycle track along the high peak trail was within a few yards of the sites gates, no one minded at all pushing their bike to the entrance and enjoying their ride on this purpose made track, whilst cars where parked in the main carpark adjacent to the shop and reception. This also had the advantage of stopping anyone who had been drinking from using their car for the purposes of nipping across the site in an area where children were around their pitches.

Before anyone jumps on me for these comments, im no way anti-children, i have bought five girls up of my own and have 7 grandchildren, all of whom have been campers and caravanners throughout their lives.

Julia  

I agree with Romany girl that bikes should be banned on sites, not just because of potential accidents on the roads but collisions with caravans and tents.

A lot of campsites don't have smoothly tarmaced roads and do have bumpy grass and it's very easy for a child or adult to hit a bump or hummock & veer into someones unit.

We were away over Easter and there were loads of kids on bikes riding between their pitches & the play area over bumpy, grass covered ground & several of them lost control, swerving all over the place & had to put their feet down to stop them falling off.

We all no someone who has had their car or caravan damaged by someone on a bike. As I child, I was run over by a cyclist on the pavement. I really don't have any patience with cyclists who think they are above the law. They should treat other road users with the same respect they expect to receive.

What really gets my goat is when they choose not to use a purpose built cycle lanes that have been built for them but rather weave about in the road stopping motorists from getting past, or use the pavement, forcing pedestrians into the road.

   I dont know if sites are not as sticked now adays but as a kid there would be a large family group ususly 4 caravans go away togethere so there were at least 10 cousin with bikes on campsites. I know were ever we camped the site warden would alway tell us the site rules about not going fast and treeting the site rds as we would normail rds. hand signal, and staying on the left hand side, keeping speed down and never even to over take cars ect. i remeber a cousin being a bit cheeky one year and going flat out. within 5 minets he was brought back to the caravan mum and dad told with a warning that if he did it again the hole family would have to leave the site by the site warden.

  even though my kids are past the bike stage now I think kids on bikes is part of a camp site but rules need to be layed down for perants aswell as the kids to undrestand and if they cant behave then they leave.

  I spent may hours niping to the site shop or chippy  for my mum and dad on my chopper. Its part of the fun but it need to be safe for everyone