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Cambridge (CC licensed by mariosp)Cambridge Tour de France road closures a "nightmare" says councillor
Disruptions to Cambridge’s transport system for the visit of the Tour de France have been announced this week, but have been dubbed a “nightmare” by one unhappy councillor.
This week Cambridge Council announced that no buses will be able to access the city centre on the July 7 race day, adding to the disruption that will be caused by the road closures that were announced in March.
Calling the planned inner-city transport disruption a “nightmare”, councillor Charlie Nightingale told Cambridge News: “I welcome the Tour, but I can’t understand why the roads need to be closed for this long period of time.”
The roads in the vicinity of the Parker’s Piece start line are set to be closed from from 5.30pm on July 6, the day before the race. Some roads will reopen at 3pm, once the race has left the city, but others are expected to stay shut until 6pm. This means some roads will be closed for up to 24 hours.
As well as extensive road closures, the council have announced that the city’s buses will also have no access to the city centre.
Buses coming from the south are set to terminate at the train station, while buses from the north will be halting their service at one of three locations: Caids Causeway, Mitcham’s Corner or Queen’s Road.
Businesses on the route will be affected too. Scotsdales Garden Centre in Great Shelford, four miles south of Cambridge, will be forced to close on the day of the race as staff won’t be able to get to work early enough. This is predicted to cost the business around £50,000.
Travel disruptions are not only set to affect commuters, businesses and tourists, but also schools and hospitals.
Some schools have preempted possible disruption by announcing plans to close on July 7, while Addenbrooke’s Hospital plans to step down its activity on the race day, focusing its efforts on emergency operations only and moving routine procedures to the weekend before.
The council’s transport director, Graham Hughes, emphasised that the road closures were necessary: “We completely understand that some residents and businesses may feel that the race will cause them problems. However, the road closures have to put in early to allow the Tour organisers to prepare the route.
"With such a large scale event, residents, businesses and visitors are being given advanced notification to help get ready, plan and enjoy a unique day in Cambridge’s history.”
While the council’s early warnings about the road closures may not be the most inspirational way of helping the city’s residents to enjoy the Tour de France’s visit, one member of Cambridge Council has called for flexible working on July 7 to help workers enjoy the day.
In November, Councillor Ian Manning wrote on his website: “This is a unique opportunity for the people of Cambridgeshire and it would be a real shame if they were to miss out on witnessing this historic event when flexible working could allow them to attend.
“I hope the county council and other businesses across Cambridgeshire will find ways to allow their staff to enjoy the event and be part of history in the making.”
Latest Comments
- Rendel Harris 15 min 55 sec ago
Yes, that's exactly what it's supposed to be as we were talking about why if you apply mathematical principles to the phrase "That's three times...
- Natrix 21 min 14 sec ago
Looks like the sort of phone that was designed to be smuggled into prison, via a mars bar or where the sun don't shine...........
- Rendel Harris 43 min 48 sec ago
A good saving no doubt, especially if you're working on rrp for the groupset and wheels, but with 105 Di2 available from multiple retailers for ...
- anotherflat 53 min 14 sec ago
So that's an increase in KSI per mile, if falls are 5 and 6% but miles cycled has decreased 7%, increases of 2% and 1% killed / seriously injured....
- brooksby 1 hour 12 min ago
The rhino in the room is that the bus/coach/large-passenger-transporter driver is also supposed to be ready to stop/give way to people crossing the...
- Benthic 1 hour 18 min ago
There's no need for foul language.
- AidanR 1 hour 31 min ago
It is astonishing how cheap you can get bikes for on eBay if you're happy with rim brakes!
- jamesha100 12 hours 3 min ago
I have been in Belfast for work this week and have been shocked by the congestion around the city centre. There are lots of frustrated drivers...
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49 comments
The contributors here have done well today.
As narrow a minded bunch as I have ever seen.
I'll be watching 2 days in Yorkshire but many people won't and it will screw things for a lots of people. Its totally wrong to slag off those who object. It is wrong to say that the locality benefits. Some of it will, indeed some of it will have a windfall but some will suffer. They have every right to complain, indeed they should be compensated as should anyone else who looses out through some one else's recreation.
It amazes me that many here only see one point of view.
But saying that tens of thousands of people (not to mention millions globally watching tv) shouldn't enjoy an event because of disruption to you, for one day, is completely open-minded?
Sorry, no. The world would be a poorer place for not holding events like this. Disruption is to be expected. It's not like they haven't had years of warning.
well said.
its a bit like a seaside tourist attraction town.
you know the summer is coming,the roads will get busy, the car parks full, and the beach - well you cant see the sand for the people!
so some locals decide to go away for holidays etc elsewhere, and avoid the town centre like the plague. they have lots of warning.
so, anyone who doesnt want to watch the cycling can go away for th weekend, or stay in for a day. or WALK / CYCLE to their destination.....
So does that mean that businesses which benefit should have to pay a levy or is it just private losses that are socialized but private windfalls remain in private hands.
Decisions are made all the time that affect potential income for businesses. Parking restrictions, parking charges, loading restrictions, new bus routes, roadworks, town bypasses, planning permission, out of town retail parks. All these decisions are permanent. They are not compensated for.
There is also a good deal of doubt in this case whether sales are permanently lost or merely displaced.
And that's without getting into the fact that a business in a town benefits enormously from being in that town from the town's infrastructure and from the destination that other businesses collectively provide and which they all benefit from. It is rather hubristic for a business to bemoan that a town or city which provides it with a thriving living the entire year takes a day off off from filling its coffers.
Why? I live near a football ground, and have to deal with the traffic that brings upwards of 30 times a year. Should I, and everyone else in my neighbourhood, get compensation?
It's entirely likely that more people will turn out to watch the race go by than would go to said garden centre on that day, so what makes the garden centre's wants more important?
It's one day of the year. Unless they're suggesting that every single person who would have gone there on that Monday would only have ever gone there on that day, the number bandied the money they would 'lose' is nonsense (and is certainly nowhere near £50k).
Scotsdales is a huge, expensive garden centre, so £50k might be right.
They can moan all they like, f**k em!
We had the same misery guts here in Glasgow last year when we hosted the national champ road race. Most of the city was closed to traffic for the whole weekend and it was great. I'm sure they'll make themselves heard again as the commonwealth games draws ever closer.
Does anybody really care about the opinions of these narrow minded tossers? They wont know what's hit them when the TdF caravan rolls through town!!!
£50000 for a garden centre on a Monday .... sounds a bit high but I'm no expert. They do know they're not being robbed and don't have to get the story straight for the insurance company don't they.
Did strike me as odd, my limited experience of garden centres is that business is done at the weekend, unless this is a huge destination store with concessions, which is possible, i find it unbelievably high.
What a misery guts!
But they might be having a sale on begonias!
Yep, you'd think people might actually want to go and watch the Tour pass through their city? It's not like it's obligatory to own a piece of clothing made of lycra to have an interest in cycling when it's on such a massive scale as this.
Heaven forbid people might not be able to use a garden centre for one day of the year...
Probably lots do. And some won't want to. What's the problem there? Of course it will inconvenience people...they're absolutely within their rights to be pissed off.
They can be pissed off if they want, but I don't think they have any right to be listened to. Whether I want to attend a particular event or not, I have no problem with public space being used for public events. It doesn't happen that often. It's good for the community.
He isn't a Cambridge councillor, by the way. He's a parish councillor for Little Shelford, a village to the south of Cambridge which the TdF will go through.
By 'he' (could be she?) I mean Nightingale. Manning is a county councillor in Cambridge.
This is all a bit depressing, what with that story about someone in Harrogate moaning as well.
Presumably these people think we shouldn't put on any sort of special events anywhere, ever, in case someone might get inconvenienced by them, eh? That would be much better all round wouldn't it?
What is the fuss about...? Cambridge hosts the largest sporting event in the world, and moans about a few road closures...
Largest annual sporting event in the world comes to your city and all you can do is moan, must be nice being you Charlie Nightingale.
Oh BTW it's Maid's Causeway - not Caid's Causeway
It does seem an excessively long road closure but they're probably worried about people parking on the course - with good reason I suspect. Saw the ToB come through Dorking last year and the roads were closed for about 20 minutes. Seamless operation. Granted the ToB doesn't have quite the race caravan that the TdF does ...
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