Petition launched to cancel Velo Birmingham

Oh dear, and I was thinking about doing this as an altenative to Ride London for a change. Guess all the cycling is cancelled, for good this time, thanks Lewis.

No problem whatsoever. Cancel it, that's fine.

I'll just get a petition up that bans anyone living within those councils from running in the London Marathon or taking part in any other closed road event in the country.

After all, whats good for the goose...

Lewis mate, just to give you fair warning, the Commonwealth Games are going to be in your neck of the woods in 2022, and I've heard that none of the competitors are even raising money for charity! Better get petitioning so you can submit it in good time.

Is the old "I'm not against cyclists, I'm one myself" the new "I'm not racist as my best friend is black"?

Not all, but most certainly the vast majority and almost always the 'appointed' spokesperson. How many drugs are really administered on the weekends? How many people are actually affected in a medical capacity? 1, 2, 10,000? There is ways of contacting the organisers to address the issues rather than one NIMBY guessing at a problem and over-reacting just because he can't be arsed to drive the half mile to his local to get smashed and drive home!

Furthermore, all of these elderly people will have benefited in some way from the charities represented. Perhaps if all charity events that inconvenienced a single NIMBY were to be cancelled then there would be less elderly people affected as they'd already be dead!

Also need to bear in mind that some care workers are not paid for travel time between patients (utterly evil but it happens). Closed roads for sportives are a lovely thing to have and in the aggregate seem quite a small imposition, but I can see that for some it comes with a higher cost. As an outgroup we probably ought not to assume that objectors are all red-faced nimbies who won't be able to get the Rover out to go for a Sunday roast at a Harvester, even if some may be.

He could organise a street party in the cul de sac, games for the local children.

But then they might like the freedom from the tyranny of the motor vehicle a bit too much...

Also where did he get the from 11pm road closures from?

This link, although 5 months early, was still pretty valid on times and his specific area was 07:15 to 14:45.

Lewis Edwards is obviously scared that if he is stuck in all day he will be forced to embark upon binge masterbation.

  Nothing worse than friction burns on your column and I feel very sorry for him.

But vermonter, they are evil cyclists, scourge of our streets.

At the risk of sounding slightly elitist, I will never understand why people would not want a group of people who are willing to spend thousands of Pounds on a bicycle(s), riding through the area and spending money in their shops, hotels, restaurants, bars, etc. They have disposable income and have come to your part of the world! 

Eeeeh - the things middle-aged men will say in their campaign to get elected to Meriden Parish Council.  Anything to hide the fact that their waistband measurement is somewhat larger than their IQ measure.

Ach - I'm getting cynical in my old age

apparently they come around the night before, strip the house of any food and leave the home owners trussed up in the living room for 24hours. its very barbaric. 

"many home visits to drop off medication, food and hydration could not take place or were seriously delayed,"

I didn't realise the event meant that the mains water was stopped?

Road closed for a fun run for only an hour. Really how many competitors are doing it then? 10? 50? 100? How much is raised for charity by that small fun run being it is a real charity event and not like the Velo which apparently isn't. (Also the OVO raises how much for charity?)

I do actually have sympathy for people on the routes and when riding along with the crowds I thank them regularly along the route due to inconvenience. But the reasons for the long notice on these road closures is for residents to discuss needs and / or plan to be as least disrupted as possible. 

I'm pretty sure that affected residents are asked about special needs, visits etc and these are accommodated on the day. (Although someone mentioned about a home nurse being delayed recently but it did sound like she wanted to literally park outside the patients house rather then elsewhere and walk). 

Anyway, another 9 months of this to come again I'm sure. 

Of course "being a cyclist myself", why doesn't he get his bike out of starage & take part?

I'm a cyclist too! (staring at BSO stored lovingly in shed under bags of peat moss and gardening tools - last used prior to the invention of CDs)

I'm all for these charity events (provided they inconvenience other people and not me)

But they leave me as a prisoner in my own home (because I haven't used my legs to walk anywhere further than 100 yards away since I was in short trousers - what do you think I am, some car-less oik?)

That about cover it?