Surrey resident launches campaign against closed-road cycle events

Even after the most extensive consultation imaginable, there will still be some people who are unhappy (whether or not justifiably) about any decision.

Consultation =/= consensus

maybe he is having a dig that if the council planners won't let him shoot then no one gets to use surrey, this was in 2007. So perhaps it's taken him this long to find something to pick on

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/clay-pigeon-shoot-refusal-spa...

It sounds like the event organisers aren't doing their jobs well enough to me.

“A lot of them, particularly in Box Hill, are older people who feel intimidated driving through large numbers of cyclists.”

1. They should be driving around cyclists.
2. If they are complaining about closed road events why are they driving on CLOSED roads ?

I can see both sides of the argument - his clay pigeon business is loosing out when these events are on and I doubt many cyclists stop to pump money into the local economy when there are feed stations on route.(I'll just retire to put my flack jacket on)

Love the usual comment about cyclists riding three and four abreast...

Can't really see the point though - since it would be a pretty inefficient method of drafting.

Quote:

Having your road sealed off and your business shut down in the middle of summer must be a real pain in the arse, and people taking part in closed-road events should remember that their fun causes a lot of inconvenience for some other people.

Up and down the country more or less every day of the week (certainly every weekend) there's an event or occasion that closes roads or causes disruption/annoyance to residents. It's human nature, whatever someone does, somewhere there will be someone else complaining about it.

My Dad lives right on the route of the London Marathon. Every year for one weekend he cannot access his car, can't get across the road to the shops... So he does this strange thing called "planning ahead". Sometimes he stays, stocks up on food, drink etc and watches the event, sometimes he goes away for the weekend.

A mate used to run a shop in Notting Hill which had to be closed for a week every year due to the Notting Hill Carnival. Again, he planned ahead, notified his customers, boarded the shop up and the staff had a holiday.

It's perfectly reasonable, the residents have known about this event for 8 MONTHS. Frankly there is no excuse, there are always alternative arrangements, even in the wild depths of darkest Surrey.

He runs a clay pigeon shooting business and he is complaining about people making noise?

Why are the residents trapped in their homes? Have their arms and legs been cut off?

I always tend to respect people more when they demostrate complete and utter ignorance by using factually incorrect terms like "lycra louts".

I always thought cars where noisier, and there was more of them

Yeah, not like your shooting business makes any noise at all..right?!?!

Quote:

The closed road ride is a hook to hang his rant upon - he just doesn't like freeloading cyclists riding on the roads he has paid for.

Unfortunately I've seen groups of cyclist who don't do the cause any favours by not assisting the traffic and, one might say, even going out of their way to be obstructive and even abusive to car drivers.
Let's learn a bit of tolerance on both sides and share the roads like the adults that most of us are.

A one day road closure is unacceptable yet it's OK for most of Surrey roads to be nose-to-tail with 4x4s, lorries and vans 364 days a year.

All hail the motor vehicle, every rider must remember to worship as it passes.

"....and it is only a matter of time before there is a major accident with the possibility of the loss of life. It will of course be the motorists fault."

Quite

If you look at the GetSurrey site:

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/clay-pigeon-shoot-refusal-spa...

you'll find Mr Huggins wanted to use his land for clay shooting "28 Saturdays a year, 52 Wednesdays a year and 28 other days a year"

And he complains about one day's cycling a year? Nimby.

Looney, its cruel to kill virtual birds anyway.

Hmm, Box Hill eh? Wonder how he feels about all the motorbikes riding past his house? Been that way on my old Ducati many times in the past and with its race cans, it was anything but quiet.

Quote:

No rider is under any obligation to "assist the "traffic" ", if people want to drive on roads with riders on then that's their choice, no one is forcing them too, they choose to drive.

I don't have to say "please" or "thank-you". I don't have to hold "doors" open for "other people". I don't have to use my "indicators" when driving. I don't have to use "hand signals" when riding. But I do. It makes life easier for everyone, please re-read what I wrote and try to understand it.

LOL, how patronising it seems, please actually read what i wrote and understand it, go ahead and assist the traffic but when it all goes wrong, the drivers and others will probably try and blame you.

I love it when I look at an article and the comments have already descended into nonsense.

Hi, another attempt, it's stayed on topic and relevant unlike your post xxx

LOL, this reads like bike radar threads, or worse, YouTube comments, when it descends into personal attacks

Calm down people. Someone has an opinion that doesn't chime exactly with yours. By all means educate reasonably and gently - otherwise deal with it.

@Oscarzero: great idea. I live in the Chilterns and there's great riding round here too.

I lived on a closed off street in London for the Olympics and while it was a nuisance for drivers to think differently I did not see much impact on businesses. Starbucks, Tescos, laundry, restaurants etc were full, cars went around the back streets, lots of community and country pride for the events.

I also wasn't consulted on the road closure, woke up one day to see outside the window that people had been busy setting up barriers. Yes, initially I felt I had been 'trapped' in my own home. Then I went out and figured how to cross the road as needed, enjoyed the reduced traffic noise, and liked going out on the balcony to watch the races.

I think the real complaint here is that some people aren't able to adapt and hate change.

I wonder if Mr Huggins has a bee in his bonnet about the Council, after they turned down planning permission to expand his clay pigeon shooting?

You Cannot be Serious! Stupid is as stupid does. This guy is self centered, egotistical; and looking to make a name for himself for all the wrong reasons. MUGGINS is playing a game of come and join my gang.. A trouble maker!

Not for the first time I rather sadly find myself admiring the French and wishing we Brits were a bit more like them. Not only do they have excellent roads but their attitude towards cycling, cyclists and races is to be envied. How sad that a whining OAP in England can't embrace what our neighbours just a few miles over the Channel practically live for. He should be ashamed. Oh, and learn how to use English grammar properly.

If the good people of Surrey cannot see the major benefits of such events being hosted in their area and give just one day in the year I am sorry for them.
I went out to watch with many of the the local residents in my area - Horsley - and all I spoke to were enthusiastic.
Despite being inside the loop as it were it was still possible to get away if you had to.
Well done the organisers and I've got my name in the hat for next year
Can we have a petition to stop stupid petitions from self centred, selfish individuals

"noisy cyclists"? is that a joke, im pretty sure if you give me a decibel meter to take a sound measurement the flow of motorised trafic engines would far outway any noise from cyclists...
even if they were shouting to eachother and their volume was equal too or high than cars and lorries, surely the amount of time they cause noise is far lass than the amount of time that noise is heard from other traffic?!