Village council prejudice against cyclists

[RickH]

What if the residents of those houses on the main road are elderly or infirm and cannot walk to an alternative parking place?

There will be (or at least should be) provision for such things.

We have had the Ironman UK run near here in July for several years which closes several roads for extended periods. If the road is completely shut, rather than just one way, there is usually limited "with flow" access for residents. We live a good mile off the route & had a leaflet detailing road closures some time back. They must have sent out thousands of those & well in advance.

[Psamathe]

I see the Parish attitude as being fairly typical of the UK today, intolerant and angry with anything "that affects what I want to do when I want to do it". We have become a selfish society where "me" is the only real relevant factor, there being not enough give and take.

A minor inconvenience but what others get out of it is irrelevant.

I suspect the Parish attitude has little to do with cyclists - their gripes would not have had the same impact if they mentioned those cycle tourists that frequent their local cafe (whose business keeps it in business) or the local village shop or just that they are less smelly and not as noisy than had those same people been out and about in SUV's towing caravans. And I bet that most village residents would not have even considered going out had their not been an event.

I think it's that it might impact them marginally that is the cause of their gripe, not that it is cyclists. And it's not just that village or Parish, it's widespread "me, me, me" attitude.

Ian

[thirdcrank]

When I look at the link in the OP, all I see is that the parish council has re-published the organiser's info with some sarcasm about the event. Big deal.

More generally, IME it's quite common for participants in any event to fail to appreciate that for the rest of society, life goes on.

[mjr]

I see the Parish attitude as being fairly typical of the UK today, intolerant and angry with anything "that affects what I want to do when I want to do it".

As you note, it's worse than that - it's objecting to anything that at all reduces the freedom of choice to do something, whether or not you were actually likely to do it then anyway!

I suspect the Parish attitude has little to do with cyclists - their gripes would not have had the same impact if they mentioned those cycle tourists that frequent their local cafe (whose business keeps it in business) or the local village shop or just that they are less smelly and not as noisy than had those same people been out and about in SUV's towing caravans.

Sadly, I think caravans can generate at least as much misdirected rage at parish council meetings, even when maybe half your parish's economy is based on people visiting its caravan sites. The idea that their village probably wouldn't have kept shops, cafe, bar-restaurant, pub, small hotel and never mind that we were actually still adding footways alongside roads without them... without that tourism doesn't seem to occur to some residents who don't seem to have noticed that loads of other villages have become car-dominated centreless twee dormitories for nearby towns and cities. Villages are better if they are positive, try to be economically viable and make the most of business opportunities like visiting events and aren't just sour about every temporary change.</rant>

[Si]

http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/153 ... eeing_to_/

[mjr]

The wording of the piece may be very poor, but they are protesting about closing roads for several hours - that it happens to be for a cycling event makes it worse for us. This event has caused a lot of reaction in local newspapers all around the route.

Are you sure it's not local newspapers stirring up trouble for all they're worth in an attempt to boost their sales? Some like nothing better than attacking an outgroup and many minorities are protected by law now.

[reohn2]

I've never yet needed to close a road when I've gone for a ride on me bike
It doesn't say in the link if it's a race or just an organised ride

[mjr]

I've never yet needed to close a road when I've gone for a ride on me bike

Not needed, but it can be quite fun riding closed roads. Try it some time if you can... I've done it officially at least three times (one Tour of Britain and three London Freecycles) and I think I've freeloaded twice (two Tour of Britains - don't worry - long before the racers arrived...) but opportunities are getting fewer and fewer as organisers charge more money and/or put bike and clothing restrictions on events.

It doesn't say in the link if it's a race or just an organised ride

Velo Birmingham is just another "sportive" ride. Unlike Velothon Wales, Tour of Cambridgeshire and RideLondon, there doesn't seem to be any competitive event on the same closed roads. The previously-mentioned "Bikefest" city-centre casual sightseeing loop seems to have been silently cancelled too.

[Si]

BikeFest was last year...when the sportive was cancelled, and the year before (but only used a very small loop that was already set aside for the RWC in '15). This year it was replaced with CityRide, which was last week to coincide with bike week, and a bit bigger than BikeFest, (and less stressful given it was mostly run by BC rather than BCR).

[reohn2]

Not needed, but it can be quite fun riding closed roads. Try it some time if you can...

Whatever strums yer wires but I'll give it a miss if it's all the same.
I go cycling to get away from large groups of people and don't like crowds like city centres etc . I surely wouldn't like riding in a big group of people I don't know or who I can't rely on knowing how to ride in a group,the very thought makes me feel mildly quesy

[mjr]

BikeFest was last year...when the sportive was cancelled, and the year before (but only used a very small loop that was already set aside for the RWC in '15). This year it was replaced with CityRide, which was last week to coincide with bike week, and a bit bigger than BikeFest, (and less stressful given it was mostly run by BC rather than BCR).

Nevertheless, Velo Birmingham did initially mention there would be a BikeFest alongside - it was mentioned on their website and appears in early coverage like http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/arti ... led-48195/

I just looked up CityRide, which I don't remember seeing - a 3 mile route that seems like most along one line in two directions seems rather poor compared to Freecycle's 8 miles loop (and 2 miles of extra loops) - aren't Birmingham's businesses and casual riders being short-changed by the lack of a sight-seeing ride alongside Velo Birmingham?

I go cycling to get away from large groups of people and don't like crowds like city centres etc . I surely wouldn't like riding in a big group of people I don't know or who I can't rely on knowing how to ride in a group,the very thought makes me feel mildly quesy

Heh, anti-sociable cycling! It's not fast, for sure, and you can pretty much assume that almost no-one there knows how CUK and HSBCUKBC think one should ride in a group, so you must ride so you can stop within what you can see to be clear... even then, you do get some clear stretches where you can move to the middle of the road and push on for a bit, such as much of Birdcage Walk or the wider bits of Holborn Viaduct, which are both after bottlenecks.

[Si]

BikeFest was last year...when the sportive was cancelled, and the year before (but only used a very small loop that was already set aside for the RWC in '15). This year it was replaced with CityRide, which was last week to coincide with bike week, and a bit bigger than BikeFest, (and less stressful given it was mostly run by BC rather than BCR).

Nevertheless, Velo Birmingham did initially mention there would be a BikeFest alongside - it was mentioned on their website and appears in early coverage like http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/arti ... led-48195/

I just looked up CityRide, which I don't remember seeing - a 3 mile route that seems like most along one line in two directions seems rather poor compared to Freecycle's 8 miles loop (and 2 miles of extra loops) - aren't Birmingham's businesses and casual riders being short-changed by the lack of a sight-seeing ride alongside Velo Birmingham?

.

nope. Cityride means that bcr is able to do more stuff. Having cityride in bike week makes a lot more sense....means you get the inspiring event at the start of summer, although would have been better if after ramadan. And it coincides with bc taking over led rides from bbb and the volunteer recruitment drive.. Im sure there will be stuff on around velo but as they are an outside company i dont know what yet.

[landsurfer]

I don't agree with closed road events for none competition cycling events.
What does it say about cycling, thats it's so dangerous that the roads must be closed.
That cyclists are unable to ride safely with other traffic?
I've ridden 15 sportives over the last 2 years the majority (charity events) as a fully paid up participant a couple of commercial events on a piggy back basis, none of them on closed roads.
I know lots of running events in town centres have closed roads and the Sky City rides as well.
But personally i think closed roads for cycling is a negative thing.

[Spinners]

Any sympathy I might have for them is lessened by the unnecessary "lycra lout" jibe.

[reohn2]

Any sympathy I might have for them is lessened by the unnecessary "lycra lout" jibe.

That I agree with.