Surrey councillor calls for regulation of sportive events around Box Hill

I saw this the other weekend when two sportives (Cambridge Big Bike ride and the Flatout in the fens?) were running opposite ways on a B road north of Cambridge; strings of mini-pelotons in both directions is not going to give white-van-man warm and fuzzy feelings. It does make sense to avoid this kind of thing, and it would need a central 'clearing area' to do so.

I find it hard to believe that people are intimidated by cyclists though. Inconvenienced, yes, same as any popular location in summer. I grew up in a tourist area and you knew to avoid certain routes and junctions on summer weekends. This sounds like the same complaints that are raised by locals* in any tourist area against visitors that cause traffic jams, litter, noise etc

*the most vocal 'locals' usually being the most recent immigrants into the area

" ... who feel intimidated driving through large numbers of cyclists ... "

Dear yes, I'm sure their tin shell, crumple zone, SIPS and dual airbags leave them just SO exposed

And that's not counting the chelsea-tractor crowd

pfffff

A pack going past can be intimidating on a country lane, but I don't care that the drivers feel worried about them. It's about time.

Silly, reactionary NIMBY'S. Sadly, if cyclists are shown that they are not allowed to use the road by the dis-respect that they are shown by drivers, then they'll use methods to force themselves back onto the road. Riding in a pack keeps you safe, and drivers have had it their own way for long enough now. It's about time they altered their behaviour for once.

So if cyclists complain about being intimated and having their journey blocked by vehicle traffic on certain routes then someone ib power will make a fuss and will do something about it right?

...Thought as much.

“The pressure on residents is just getting too much, they're feeling imprisoned, they can't get out."

Genuinely hilarious.. I can understand some of the sentiments but talk about over-reaction that undermines the credibility of the point being made..

Do remember the head of transport for Surrey CC is a convicted drunk driver, do not doubt their friendly pro cyclist policies.

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

Maybe you could just drive behind them instead?

Once again the attitude is that roads are for cars, everything else is a nuisance that is just getting in the way.

I doubt there is a major problem, this is just a local councillor pandering to a few local constituents. Make a bit of noise so they vote for him next time around....

Also same old arguements about rich people living in the countryside to get away from the townie oiks - now they even have bikes and can get out into the countryide, how dare they! If they dont want to be part of society then they need to move somewhere remote. Hey, even freeing up those homes for younger, cycling families perhaps? I have a dream.........

In amongst the reactionary comment, there was an important point. There appears to be little or no communication between organisers and local bodies (Human Race and other good professional excepted) because there are no regulations about sportives. Essentially any group of riders using the road is entitled to go where they wish, and this should be the case.
Possibly a voluntary and widely publicised registration system might help, if only for participant safety. Also not treating sportives as a race, which some wanabees can be seen trying to do at times. Then the unpleasant heda on approaches may be much reduced. Otherwise it will only be a matter of time before we get a rider to rider head on and possible very serious injuries. Then any regulation would be a knee-jerk reaction, which is nearly always poorly thought through and detrimental to someone.
All that said, last year near me there were not two sportives head on, but THREE. At one junction, riders came from tjree directions, forests of arrows were up, doubtless some followed the wrong ones, result absolute chaos. Add in the entrance to a horse event with all the attendant 7 ton trucks driven by nervous people.
An accident surely waiting to happen....

Makes a change from the usual. Betwwen Boness and Ambleside the only way to "get out" is on yer bike because of all the cars.

It doesn't particularly need regulation as such, just common courtesy of notifying residents/councils etc that such events are on so that residents can make alternative plans, councils can accommodate it etc.

Problem is that some (certainly not all but a minority) of organisers don't do that because they fear that they might get a "no". It's easier to run the event, make the money and apologise afterwards than to jump through the hoops. That then puts the proper organisers under increased pressure - one bad apple in the cart and everyone looks bad.

And don't be fooled by what you're claiming is the "over-reaction" of locals. I'm an experienced race convoy driver - I've done all sorts right up to Premier Calendar level - and I'm a former racer. Yet I've driven through packs of Sportive riders and even as a cyclist, expecting the unexpected and never overtaking round blind bends or on descents, bloody hell there were some dangerous tossers there, riders thinking they owned the road, riders 8 abreast as they overtook slower people.

Now I understand that, I know that on a climb riders are going to bunch up, fan out to overtake and I can make allowances for that. Nervous old biddy going to church or white van man in a rush isn't going to be quite so accommodating.

They were not moaning when the Olympics 'came to town'.

It isn't obvious when driving a car with groups of cyclists in front how to safely overtake. It isn't practical to stay behind forever - is that what you'd want anyway ? I'm super careful in a car around bicycles but have to say that when trying to overtake groups it's pretty difficult to know how to do it safely - it can often mean pulling into a smallish space between groups, which I don't like to do. Those of you who drive and have found themselves on the road with groups of bikes should speak up because I'm sure you'll admit how difficult it can be to be it right.

This all sounds familiar...
http://road.cc/content/news/48040-police-patrols-deployed-box-hill-frict...

When large groups of cyclists use the road, in groups, it is tricky to navigate around them in a vehicle.

I can well imagine if I lived around Box hill, I would get wound up by multiple events taking place every weekend, plus we all know that a minority of cyclists ride in sportives somewhat dangerously and inconsiderately

Events, particularly in congested areas should be coordinated centrally, for safety purposes if nothing else.

if some organisers are doing it without the requisite permissions, they should be banned from doing so in future.

On a related note, I passed some kind of time trial event taking place on a busy road on Saturday afternoon last weekend -groups of riders milling around the start, the finish line appeared to be at the entrance to a busy garden centre. What a completely inappropriate choice of location and scheduling.

It seems not every event organiser has the common sense required to organise safe events.

Box Hill?

There's so much more to Surrey than that - literally making a mountain out of mole hill...

Every weekday, morning and evening, the roads around Dorking are chock-a-block with cars. The rush hour, which involves 1000's of cars, every weekday, is acceptable. a few weekends a year a few hundred cyclists rock up to take part in a sportive and that's unacceptable. Most weekends a few hundred weekend warriors rock up in lycra or on phat tyres, and I may be one, and the locals go nuts because they can't hussle their wankpanzers down the lanes fast enough. Bonkers.

It's quite interesting to hear someone from the South East of England where it almost impossible to escape the noise, pollution, congestion and conflict of the motorised traffic on the ground and ever present landing and taking off jets in the sky complaining about 'the sheer number of cyclists' spoiling the environment. I suppose psychologists might point to a kind of displaced agression; a person taking out his hostility on something less threatening to that which is actually making him angry. This is quite possibly the root cause of a lot of hostilty to cyclists on the road, and domestic violence in the home. It's a big problem in modern society. Cllr Preedy needs to see someone about his anger.

We do need to be wary, though. Surrey CC changed the road layout to stop the large number of motor cyclists enjoying themselves. Admittedly, they did tend to enjoy themselves rather too quickly! But, the point is that Surrey CC aren't averse to taking it out on a minority community...

Hmm. I have mixed feelings about sportives. As a club rider (and ride leader) I know we're careful about maximum numbers in a group and keeping groups apart. Sportive riders don't always have club discipline (to be polite). The story about the horse being put down that was published earlier in the week is an example.

I find it ridiculous that when organising a time trial that will obstruct precisely nobody, I need to put in a police permission form but sportive organisers can send thousands of riders along an inappropriate route (Cycling Weekly going up Pebble Hill to avoid the Box Hill Tax for instance) without informing anyone.

Recording times an publishing a list of finishers in time order makes a sportive a de-facto race but yet they're subject to none of the regulations.

Share the roads and play nice. And if you want to race, there are plenty of races and TTs.

Having done a sportive up Box Hill, I doubt it's actually the cyclist there are the problem, more the cause of the problem.

All it takes is one slow rider pottling up the hill at 8mph to bring the area to a grind. Drivers forcing their way passed on the wrong side whilst motorbikes zip in and out of gaps that possibly weren't there to start with. Coupled with the hot weather, fuses get short, tempers flare and KABOOM! Locals have to wait forever to get in and out of their properties as everyone attempts to go as fast as possible. Ultimately not able to go as fast as before, perceived or otherwise. Anyway sportives tend to run on weekends....

Role on next year when le Tour comes to Yorkshire, bet you anything those at Box Hill don't complain about the congestion around the route.

A little patience would go a long way, however in this day and age a little patience is all people have.