Anti-cycle lane campaigners, angered by changes to a Somerset town’s seafront road markings, yesterday staged a parking “flash mob”, blocking the new promenade bike lane with their vehicles.
The protests in Clevedon are over North Somerset Council’s new seafront layout, with a two-way bike lane installed and parking spaces moved to run parallel to the sea, rather than looking out to it, as well as eye-catching wavy white lines and stretches of beige tarmac.
Displeased by the changes, branded a “yellow brick road” by locals, the BBC reports that some have said it is not in keeping with the Victorian seafront.
Back in January, campaigners from ‘Save Our Seafront’ organised a seafront conga to protest the “Mickey Mouse” road layout which they say has turned the town into “Balamory from hell”.
> Anti-cycle lane campaigners conga along seafront to protest new “Mickey Mouse” road layout
Speaking to BBC West, campaign group member Chris Berry said dozens of drivers had parked in the cycle lane in protest at the “monstrosity” as a “peaceful parking flash mob”.
Today’s protest against the unworkable new road/parking scheme at Clevedon sea front pic.twitter.com/rKmVjO8H5x
— Justine Willington (@Just1ne_Marie) April 2, 2023
“I can see about 40 cars all enjoying the view of the sea,” he said.
“These aren’t people who are accustomed to civil disobedience; these are people who feel incredibly strongly about what’s happened to their sea front. If you reduce the number of cars, you reduce the number of visitors and reduce the amount of money coming into the town.
“Businesses unfortunately are struggling — the reduction in parking is going to have a significant impact on them.”
While the campaign suggests the council wants to reduce driving visits, the council says the scheme will “encourage more walking and cycling in the town” as part of a “commitment to promoting healthier lifestyles and tackling the climate emergency”.
Additional car parking has been created at the eastern entrance of Hill Road to replace those spaces removed due to the installation of four new pedestrian crossings as well as loading bays to service local businesses.
A public consultation found that 50 per cent of locals supported the plans, compared to 42 per cent who opposed the scheme. Since the initiative was announced the ‘Save Our Seafront’ petition has attracted over 6,000 signatures and the campaign received support from Conservative MP Liam Fox who joined a protest last year, calling it “the most crackpot idea yet to come out of North Somerset’s ‘rainbow coalition’ council”.
A North Somerset Council spokesperson urged residents against participating in the protest as it “compromises safety of other road users and will block the cycle lane”.
“Wherever people choose to park their vehicles in North Somerset we ask them to park legally and to consider the needs of other road users,” they said. “The new Clevedon seafront scheme has been designed to ensure a safe and welcoming space for everyone to enjoy.”
The council, which is controlled by an alliance of independent, Liberal Democrat, Labour and Green councillors, received £473,750 under Tranche 2 of the scheme, on top of the £106,140 it had received in Tranche 1.
One local cyclist told the BBC the town had become “very anti-cyclist” due to the row. Another said the campaigners were “disproportionately vocal” and the protest is “completely misplaced because people can’t see what the future could be”.
“It’s the car lobby that is ruling the roost and I think that’s wrong,” Howard Parker said. “[The campaigners] have to recognise that if they want parking they’re going to have to park round the corner and that’s not such a big imposition.”
55 thoughts on “Anti-cycle lane protesters stage parking “flash mob” to block bike lane with cars”
Dear Justine Willington – it
Dear Justine Willington – it’s only unworkable because some selfish so-and-sos have parked their cars in it!
“Calling Danny MacAskill:
“Calling Danny MacAskill: Danny MacAskill to Clevedon seafront, please!”
And Peter Sagan:
And Peter Sagan:
https://youtu.be/yQ6s3KW-Ycc?t=25
And finally: I’d lay money
And finally: I’d lay money that most people who park on the seafront are not going into Clevedon to go the shops. They are driving to the seafront, parking there, walking along the seafront, maybe grabbing a coffee or an ice cream, and then driving back out of Clevedon.
It does seem logical that a
It does seem logical that a driver concerned that their car is facing the sea is probably not spending much time out of their car.
You stay in your car to enjoy
You stay in your car to enjoy the sea view because it’s not so nice outside due to all the other cars driving around!
Armed with a flask of coffee
Armed with a flask of coffee and some home made cheese and ham sandwiches you can remain safely cocooned in your metal safety blanket.
Come off it. They’ll sit for
Come off it. They’ll sit for hours on the seafront eating chips, further exacerbating their health concerns. Griping about other people, including cyclists. And then walk 100 paces to their devil machines so that they can sit and have an ice cream for another hour. It’s sooo 1970’s. Not Victorian.
Get an e bike. Live. A little bit.
And finally, finally:
And finally, finally:
They want to be careful –
They want to be careful – those cars love a dip…
brooksby wrote:
And that is what their protest is really about: they won’t be able to park in the sea view spot they’ve used for the past fifty years because it’s being used by bloody cyclists!
“the BBC(link is external)
“the BBC(link is external) reports that some have said it is not in keeping with the Victorian seafront”
And cars are?
Gus T wrote:
We had the same with the cycle racks outside the council house in Bristol: they didn’t fit with Historic England’s view of the place, constructed in the 1950’s, but parked cars were fine.
Interesting how the new
Interesting how the new layout is not compatible with the victorian seafront but 21st century motor cars apparently are.
Beat me to it! Utter tripe
Beat me to it! Utter tripe for an argument.
What would they do if someone
What would they do if someone had an altercation with a cyclist on the road?
“You should be in the cycle lane!” Well, I would be but you f***ers blocked it you morons.
Quote:
just drivers being drivers and storing their property on any available piece of land, hard to tell whether it was an orchestrated “flash mob”
Most likely one inconsiderate
Most likely one inconsiderate self entitled twunt attracts another equally inconsiderate self entitled twunt, then after that they accumulate. Like flies on a dog turd.
How can you tell when its a
How can you tell when its a flash mob protest vs when its just people being incosiderate assholes? Is there a sign for them to put up?
Load of idle deadbeat hyper
Load of idle deadbeat hyper-junk press reading drivers fight to retain their special privileges to park and idle where they like, to the detriment of Active Travellers. So what?
They’re welcome to park in
They’re welcome to park in the bike lane. I’ll continue to cycle in the middle of the road where I’m legally entitled to do so.
It’s all about you is it?
It’s all about you is it?
“These aren’t people who are
“These aren’t people who are accustomed to civil disobedience; these are people who feel incredibly strongly about what’s happened to their sea front.”
Well, if they feel incredibly strongly about something as relatively trivial as that, I’d say that they were gullible fools who are incapable of working out that things change and what is important. Wait until they hear about climate change and their beloved sea front being underwater, at least partly due to their staggering selfishness in continuing to drive everywhere and even to make pointless trips like that one.
“….and the campaign received support from Conservative MP Liam Fox who joined a protest last year, calling it “the most crackpot idea yet to come out of North Somerset’s ‘rainbow coalition’ council”.
Compared to most of the stuff coming from the, checks notes, conservative government at the moment, it’s much more sensible and less crackpot than them; like opening a new coal mine for instance, wrecking the economy and cutting funding for Active Travel.
EDIT: and as I’ve just discovered, opening a new oilfield in the North Sea.
Clevedon circa 1900. Not
Clevedon circa 1900. Not many cars.
That needed a ‘flashmob’ of
That needed a ‘flashmob’ of YPLAC sticker bomb to go off all over those cars.
Real question is where is the local parking warden, easy tickets!
glp wrote:
My folks moved back there 20 odd years ago and interestingly (for me anyway) currently live opposite the house they were both born in as my Grandma was the local midwife.
They say they have never seen a parking warden and locals just park wherever they like.
looks like UK Grim.
looks like UK Grim.
BIRMINGHAMisaDUMP wrote:
I’ve always loved Clevedon but then I live in Birmingham so the bar is set quite low. It helps to pretend the muddy Severn Estuary/Bristol Channel is actually the beautiful ocean, as the people in the parked cars seem to be doing.
NOtotheEU wrote:
I’m confused. Did your grandma work from home?
quiff wrote:
Yes, I think they called them maternity homes or something similar.
My Aunt (Dads sister) and my Mum were born there at the same time and when my 4 year old Dad was taken to visit his new sister he saw my Mum for the first time too. As they grew up she thought he was an idiot but they’ve been married for over 50 years so I guess she warmed to him eventually ?
glp wrote:
Needs a flashmob of eMTB with big fat wheels and some trials skills to use the cycle lane Over any vehicles parked on it…
Someone in Bristol seems to
Someone in Bristol seems to have made some pretty nifty paint stencils.
I hope that council (or
I hope that council (or police) were on hand to issue parking fines for obstruction of the highway – would be an easy day at the office and much coinage in the coffers, and checking all vehicles were suitably taxed and mot’d – of the ones I’ve clocked parking on pavements / cycle lanes around my way I’d estimate around 60% are usually untaxed and/or not mot’d.
dee4life2005 wrote:
It’s not on the road, I’ve filled out a sorn.
So part of the car parking
So part of the car parking nobbers whinge is the new layout is somehow unsafe. So they parked on the cycle lane which meant cyclists had to go on either a really busy pavement, or the wrong way on a one way road…
I did wonder up and down and have a chat with a few car occupants. Some merrily sitting in their cars with a cup of coffee doing sweet FA, rather than taking a short walk in the Sunday sunshine. Weird people.
Oh and the pub that’s losing
Oh and the pub that’s losing trade, its because the staff are fecking miserable, the decor is from the 80s and a pint costs £6.10. Bugger all to do with the changed road layout
Displeased by the changes,
Displeased by the changes, branded a “yellow brick road” by locals, the BBC(link is external) reports that some have said it is not in keeping with the Victorian seafront.’
the place looks like a dump. How do parked cars enhance the aspect? Surely less cars would improve the grimness of the place.
So did they put up signs to
So did they put up signs to notify people it was a protest and not just the normal way a lot of cycle lanes look?
I thought that flash mobs are
I thought that flash mobs are successful when many people show up, not cars.
I hope the Police have seen
I hope the Police have seen the wellington woman’s twitter profile, and get ready to breathalyser her on her way to the cake shop clearly a daily run!
Having spent my formative
Having spent my formative years in Wellington I can confirm that these views & behaviours are far from unusual
Where are the extinguishers
Where are the extinguishers when you need them.
40 cars;
40 cars;
So likely ~44-50 people;
A group that wouldn’t even be noticed as a flash mob in a tourist town if they weren’t bringing a couple of tons of stuff each…
qwerty360 wrote:
However it’s described, Clevedon is not really that much of a ‘tourist town’.
brooksby wrote:
Dormitory town for Bristol mostly.
eburtthebike wrote:
Retirement village, surely?
ShutTheFrontDawes wrote:
Dormitory town for Bristol mostly.
— eburtthebike Retirement village, surely?— brooksbyNot the newer bits.
Come on Suella, you want to
Come on Suella, you want to crack down on protesting, how about flying this lot off to Rwanda?
ubercurmudgeon wrote:
If they were XR blocking the highway, they’d already be in prison
hawkinspeter wrote:
Or on one of Cruella’s prison hulks.
Organised crime. Call the
Organised crime. Call the feds.
They’ll be coming to
They’ll be coming to Colchester soon
https://twitter.com/CampaignCycling/status/1643707823551918080
https://twitter.com/CampaignCycling/status/1644307108995670016
Is that motor-vehicle
Is that motor-vehicle-collision-assisted Twister?
I’ve discovered that the
I’ve discovered that the local croquet club is on a recruitment drive and this is a subtle way to promote it.
Disguised potholes.
Disguised potholes.