Residents complain of "excessive" cycling events on Surrey's iconic Box Hill

Will the change in number of cycling events really impact the residents much? In my experience, majority of (always a huge number) riders at box hill are individuals, groups, clubs riding outside of events. Capping events won't change this much. In guessing the residents either can't differentiate event riders from casuals, or just want to cap what they can.
As for reducing total number of riders, there's 2 ways:
1. Stop promoting Box hill everywhere as a cycling destination, and block big coverage events (London Surrey classic) from it.
2. Put a toll booth at the 2nd switchback charging riders going up/down.

Once both these reduce cycling, quintuple the council taxes for residents to make up for revenue shortfall at cafe and other places around Dorking.

Accusations but no evidence - are they making it all up?
To me it seems like creative anti cycling by a few militant trouble makers.

I'm surprised they can get it together to complain most of them seem to spend their time drinking according to the local off licence 

I live in Ashtead and cycle on Box Hill every weekend, mainly road but also MTB, which is actually far better use of the area's natural gifts - the trails that lie within the Headley road loop are great. I also do some of the events.

Honestly, I have seen antisocial behaviour from both cyclists and drivers from time to time, and I do feel a bit sorry for the local residents. The hill will always be busy - with walkers and sightseers as well as cyclists, but if there really are 19 organised events in 6 months that's too many. The Ballbuster Duathlon is one of my favourite regular events but I thought it was fair enough when that was cut from twice a year to once. Organisers should be more imaginative and use other hills.

Residents might also want to consider that whilst they just saw a cyclist peeing inappropriately, there was probably a reason other than spite or indifference: it could have been a cyclist with prostate or kidney problems on a charity ride for all we know, mortified at their own desperate need to go.

In terms of behaviour, we can only change ourselves; be friendly to residents, be considerate to motorists, don't rise to provocation, and let fellow cyclists know that they're wrong if they're wrong.

I lived close to Box Hill until about 5-years ago - at that time the car park at the bottom of the hill (and Rykas Cafe) was stuffed with motorbikes, including mine. Never saw anything remotely anti-social from visitors or residents.

I'd imagine the majority of 'the more picky locals' would consider the more recent cycling invasion to be progress of sorts, bringing a quieter shorter peak season.

It is one of life's mysteries that you can follow the trail of a hundred ramblers and never find a single item of litter but the route of a bike ride will be festooned with gel wrappers and inner tubes.
We are not blameless, although we are a few rungs up the evolutionary ladder from the average driver, obviously.

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I would imagine cyclists peeing in garden's is a lie frankly.

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weeing in the garden, i really find this difficult to believe

Afraid not. Not been to Box Hill myself, but on last years London Brighton there was someone doing just this at the end of someones driveway. Someone fully kitted up with a fairly pricey bike as well, so someone who cycles regularly, not someone doing the event as a 'one off'.

Now you might read 'in someones garden' as standing in the middle of their lawn, which this clearly wasn't, but it's still out of order. Especially when the other side of the road was a perfectly good hedge backing on to a field.

Why didn't I say something at the time? Well by the time I had thought about it I had already gone past so ... maybe I should have.

Then some other dumb-f**k decided to empty his pockets of his gel or flapjack wrappers into the road, the c**t. And I think that was the same dickhead who in Brighton caught everyone up waiting at a red light and decided that wasn't for him and just sailed through (to plenty of boos from everyone waiting).

So you know, we aren't all angels

any cyclist who chucks their gel wrapper away needs to be slapped. weeing in the garden, i really find this difficult to believe. perhaps it was someone peeing by the side of a road not realizing it was part of someones vast estate.

generally I find driving abuse is a lot higher in surrey than my hampshire (except the new forest, they hate us even more), maybe its just a volume thing. more cyclists, more cars, more cyclists riding like idiots, more aggressive drivers?

I'm local, and concur with a lot of what the other locals say. It's pretty and one of the better ways up onto the top of the Downs. The fact that it's pretty is why it's popular with everyone and why it's National Trust.

One of the more overtly hostile local opinions comes, of all places, from the church-goers on Sunday morning. Apparently, cyclists are really annoying when you're trying to hurry down the lanes to get to church in time. That one really does need thinking about.

The local club also does litter-picks around Box Hill ad Headley from time to time in the interests of good relationships with the NT. Unsurprisingly the bulk of the litter would appear to be car-generated although there are far too many gel packets

> "There are certain things that we can tackle: the verbal abuse, the threats of physical violence"

It's a shame this officer's sense of duty doesn't extend to his colleagues, who routinely ignore the same behaviour from motorists.

There may have been some issues towards the end of 2014 as Pebble Hill Road was closed for replacing a water main for about 3 months. For people going by car from (say) Dorking to Sutton, that meant either heading further along the A25 and taking the A217 or heading up the A24 to Epsom. Or trying to short-cut via Box Hill. This definitely increased the motor traffic up there.

From a cycling point of view, it's the only sensible route. Riding up the A24 from Dorking to Leatherhead is unpleasant and dangerous, when Pebble Hill is open then it has narrow sections with steep sides that make it dodgy for cyclists. I've ridden up the A217 from Reigate a couple of times - always wondering about half-way up why on earth I thought that was a good idea. You could take Wray Lane from Reigate - which is a nice climb but still dumps you out onto the M25 J8 rbt. Lodgebottom Road (aka Little Switzerland) has cars and bikes coming down it at speed and it's very narrow.

For a cyclist going from the Leith Hill area back to South London, Box Hill is definitely the safest and most sensible approach.

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It's grim up North, long may it continue

Indeed; anyone can wee in my garden; it's the price I pay for living in paradise.

It's grim up North, long may it continue

just out and out Nimby's, I would imagine cyclists peeing in garden's is a lie frankly.

Tough these are open roads, 19 is not a lot and most events finish by midday in the Sunday, by then they would have finished reading the Sunday Torygraph.

Times are moving on, they are stuck in the 50's, tough.

I wonder if there is anything being done about the tacks on the road in the area every second weekend.

Personally I avoid Box Hill as a general rule. I have a choice to head north or south from the Gatwick area and find that south has quieter roads, more tolerant drivers, and - importantly - great cafes for cake stops.

The view form Box Hill IS nice though ... almost as nice as the top of Kidd's Hill (almost)

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Is it just me or is the whole peeing in front gardens thing a bit weird? Does it really happen?

I was thinking that too.

Is it just me or is the whole peeing in front gardens thing a bit weird? Does it really happen?

I cycle in the area a lot. I've never seen anyone pissing in a front garden.

One of the attractions of the area are the quiet lanes and woods everywhere. Occasionally I've needed a pee, and I can't see why you can't pull off the road and step behind a tree in some woodland. It's frankly bizarre to suggest that anyone would choose a garden over a quiet lane, particularly when the ratio of garden frontage to woods & fields must be 1000's to 1.

We get so much grief and sentiment similar to Box here in the New Forest. Locals moaning about cyclists, the amount of cyclists and on and on it goes, but take the cyclists out of the equation on a weekend and watch so many of the coffee shops lose a fair bit of cash from us annoying and loutish cyclists.

We're not all that bad and help local economies a fair bit in my opinion. Im sure the same could be said for Box Hill.
Its a shame some of the locals dont see this really.

I know it's got really busy over the last couple of years but my brother came down from oop north a while back and was blown away by the sheer number of people, many of them cyclists just being smiley and chatty at the café. There's nothing like it where he cycles and he so wished there was. I suspect a lot of money is moving around the Surrey economy because of this cycling destination.

it's not surprising really, every time i've been there it's very very busy with riders, coming down as well as going up. the hill consists of switch backs too and cars are regularly blocked. yes we can moan about cars being fools on our commutes and things, but the volume of riders here have made the area into a kind of cycle race track. It's nothing special in term of hills, but it does has olympic status, which obviously draws the crowds in. There are other ways up for cars and residents however, but they do involve a long drive round so not ideal. I reckon the anti-social behaviour is an isolated incident, perhaps during an event, but riders shouting at cars is not uncommon and could go either way; silly car or obnoxious rider claiming the road for himself. Best avoided as it's simply heaving all the time. Just visit the cafe at the bottom of the hill (Rykers) and have their triple fully loaded burger, it's outstanding. Ride the hills around leith hill instead. If I were a resident there and events were constantly closing the road, i would be also annoyed and I hope all organisers follow the rules so we can all live in harmony. I ride both mtb and road, a lot so i'm not a bike basher before anyone jumps.

I am currently in Dorking at work and amongst 160 odd residents of the area. I haven't heard a single one of them mention anything about it. April to november is 8 months. That's roughly 32 weeks. So 64 weekend days. For 17 events.

I get the feeling these particular people would moan if there was only one event a year.

I dont think it is though - cycling pals tell me there are nicer hills in the area - but I guess this is THE olympic hill.

Good to hear from Alg that he's not witnessed any antisocial behaviour - but I guess you only need to have one cyclist wee in your garden to be put off them for life. Who wouldn't ?

I dont think it is though - cycling pals tell me there are nicer hills in the area - but I guess this is THE olympic hill.

Good to hear from Alg that he's not witnessed any antisocial behaviour - but I guess you only need to have one cyclist wee in your garden to be put off them for life. Who wouldn't ?