New Forest sportive backlash.

[snailracer]

Is Walton Bridge in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty? No.

Next!

Are all the closed roads in areas of outstanding natural beauty?

 

[smutchin]

I remember the parlous state of the road surface up Box Hill until they resurfaced it last year. I don't think it was cyclists who caused that.

Interesting that it took a cycling event for them to do something about it though.

 

[Frood42]

If "rich, powerful and influential" car owners really do think as you presume, then they deserve to be taken down a notch. These are public roads, they can build their own private roads if they want to reserve it for their exclusive use.

You are right, they are public roads, but there are those motorists who don't think like that, and it is those selfish people who think they "own" the roads because they are driving a car on the road, for which they pay their 'road tax', and because they 'pay' for the road no one else is allowed to use it which cause others so many problems.

There was an interesting debate on Radio 2 (Jeremy Vine I think) during the winter, where car drivers were complaining about pedestrains walking in the road. The pedestrians were doing so due to the pavements being so hazardous. I as a pedestrain, cyclist and driver have no issue with this, I would rather the person got home safely, and yet there were so many selfish people who couldn't give a flip about others safety and could only think of themselves...

 

[swansonj]

My take; 20000 isn't a few cyclists, it's 20000 and the hold ups... significant road closures for the whole day... significant restrictions on the roads linking the closed roads... parking bans... et cetera. Now I HATE car-centric Britain as much as the nest person but as a way of winding-up a group of rich, powerful and influential car owners? Well, holding a closed roads sportive in the Surrey Hills is almost without equal. And when plod, whose policing priorities are set by the good burghers of Surrey (and Surrey County councillors, a number of whom live in that area) say "Enough is enough" it won't be the once a year Prudential London riders that get affected but, more likely, me, my friends and my club mates.

Greg

I actually agree with your basic principle. But I'm not sure the Prudential London is actually a good example. I live in a town on the route, and the sense I have at the moment is that the Olympics Hangover effect is outweighing the B*** Cyclists Closing Our Roads effect. Most of our town seemed dead chuffed to have the Olympic Road race come through, not because it was cycling, but because it was an Event, and I would guess that at the moment people are thinking "ooh good we get to have our Event all over again". Maybe the test will come in a few years time when people have completely forgotten why we have this event on these roads, and realise that for some unaccountable reason Wiggo and Cav, the only two cyclists they've heard of, don't seem to be taking part any more.

 

[Frood42]

For perspective, 30000 motor vehicles cross Walton bridge every day, which runs right next to the Prudential Ride London route.

The problem is perception, people are used to 30000 motor vehicles, cars are a part of the culture much more than they really should be, they are not used to seeing thousands of cyclists, so such events stick in the mind.

 

[HLaB]

Organised, well behaved chaos, for one day in the year, just like plenty of other one off non-cycling events which can cause "traffic chaos".
As this is bound to be a large event with a large sponsor, I suspect it will be quite tightly controlled.

I shall only be going along for the free ride though, looking forward to using a small part of London's roads traffic free (rather than doing the usual dance with black taxis).

Indeed, How many folk do the London Marathon, the Great East Run, etc

 

[Lanzecki]

I haven't read the last two pages, but why is it always the NF? I've not been there in years, but from memory, it's massive. While the organisers should let people know, how far should they go in informing the non-cycling public?

There were over 10,000 cyclists on the ring of Kerry a few weeks ago on open roads (Often narrow with coaches and all sorts of traffic), not to mention some rolling road closures for hours on dangerous sections, and not a mention of any problems (that I could find).

While the NF seems to get it's fair share of organised rides, the Local's really seem annoyed at a legal past time that leave little mess.

 

[DRHysted]

My take; 20000 isn't a few cyclists, it's 20000 and the hold ups... significant road closures for the whole day... significant restrictions on the roads linking the closed roads... parking bans... et cetera.

The Spring Sportive was 3000 riders over two days (yes those two days ended up being months apart due to weather). so thats 1500 per day if everyone turns up. They were released in groups of under twenty with three to five minute gaps in between. The delay to traffic was minimal, in fact there is more delay caused by cars every weekend going through Lyndhurst. The only time that there was a problem with congestion was Blissford hill, where they put on extra marshalls (I saw five there may have been more) who stopped the cyclists when there was a motorised vehicle needing to come through.
The only thing that will make the small (and it is small) groups that are making a fuss happy is if we were banned. Once this code of conduct is agreed it will be proven to not be enough, so more measures will need to be taken. It really is like door to door sales men (persons), you do not let them get a foot in the door.

 

[PK99]

It should be possible to run a sportive without closing roads, if only motorists could be relied upon not to drive dangerously around riders which, unfortunately, they can't.

Eh? Almost all sportives are on open roads! Whenever I have ridden one, I have never had a problem with cars, but I have seen participants causing problems by riding too many abreast and crossing the centre line on corners.

A couple of weeks ago I rode up box hill and along to the t.junction. Sportive coming in the direction from headley, riders sweeping round the corner paying little heed to potential traffic coming from box hill. Took me several minutes to ride out of the junction toward Walton.

 

[PK99]

I remember the parlous state of the road surface up Box Hill until they resurfaced it last year. I don't think it was cyclists who caused that.

Interesting that it took a cycling event for them to do something about it though.

Interestingly it was the advent of cars that led to roads being tarred in the first place. Before that, roads were simply compacted stone layers in a "macadam" structure. The vacuum below motor vehicles pulled up too much dust, to solve the problem tar was sprayed on top of the macadam surface and tarmacadam was born.

 

[smutchin]

Interestingly it was the advent of cars that led to roads being tarred in the first place.

That is not as uncontroversial a statement as you might imagine. It's certainly not the whole story.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Greg

I actually agree with your basic principle. But I'm not sure the Prudential London is actually a good example. I live in a town on the route, and the sense I have at the moment is that the Olympics Hangover effect is outweighing the B*** Cyclists Closing Our Roads effect. Most of our town seemed dead chuffed to have the Olympic Road race come through, not because it was cycling, but because it was an Event, and I would guess that at the moment people are thinking "ooh good we get to have our Event all over again". Maybe the test will come in a few years time when people have completely forgotten why we have this event on these roads, and realise that for some unaccountable reason Wiggo and Cav, the only two cyclists they've heard of, don't seem to be taking part any more.

At least one County Councillor, no doubt under pressure from disgruntled locals, and having already sussed the aforementioned, has already taken up arms "This is not the Olympics" stylee.

 

[Leaway2]

Any group activity causes problems. I live close to Old Trafford, try going shopping round there on every other Saturday, and I believe there is a lesser team that plays on the other side of town on the other alternate weekend.
This event appears to be a small disruption to me.