Stop Surrey Being Turned in to a Cycle Track petition reaches over 1,100 signatures - effect on small businesses to be investigated

2200 now.

Too many events in Surrey, the Tour of Britain could be the straw that breaks the camel's back

Thank you phax for your highly intelligent contribution!!

Do you not have a stone to crawl under?

Hateful Tory filth, yes I am summising, BUT YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT ...

last time i checked a government signature must reach 100,000 signatures to be debated in parliament.... if it gets to 10,000 then they will write a response to it, but that is all.
so why, with 1,000 signatures is this hailed as a "success".
1,000 people is nothing compared to 80,000!!!!!

Gazedo

The picture is of Abinger Hammer.

On a slightly different note, does anyone know where in Surrey the article (main) top picture is from?

The whole 'effect on small businesses' is a complete fallacy. I expect the cafes, shops and restaurants in the various localities along the route were delighted with the crowds who turned out to watch - or are we expected to believe that they are actually busier on a normal Sunday than they were during Ride London?

The majority of that 1,100 will not be small business owners; simply people who don't like cyclists on 'their' roads.

Though I do agree Ian Huggins does have a point here, I think it is fairly minor. The tone he uses as well as some of the arguments just seem pure NIMBYism.

Do not forget Mr Huggins only lives about 600metres into Surrey and diectly on one of the roads which was closed for both Ride London and the olympics. I really struggle to see how we could cause him more disturbance than the cars going past his house gievn it's a pretty potholed A road.

Quote:

“It has only been a week and people are only just getting back to work but we have had people saying they have lost business because they had to close down.”

....so the Federation of Small Businesses has had a limited response from its members because they've all been shut down on holiday? The glorious irony of that remark.

We are a nation of moaners. Everyone has something to complain about. See the positive if at all possible. The folk of Surrey whom I encountered on the ride were perfectly nice. Don't believe he hype.

My wife and myself were out and about round Kingston upon Thames during the event. Kingston and all the cafes etc were packed! There were also loads of couples, family's all out on bikes taking advantage of not having roads full of poor drivers threatening to knock you off your bike!

So, why don't we have a petition of all the shops, cafes, family's and people who had a thoroughly good time on the day to put against this tool of a guy who can't put up with a slight inconvenience for one day of his life!

I am a motorist as I suspect many cyclists are. It is funny how being a cyclist increases your appreciation when driving, of other cyclists and their safety. My experience on a bike tells me that cyclists do not have a monopoly of bad road manners. I have rarely been out on my bike without at least one example of thoughtless and even downright dangerous driving. How laughable is the complaint that cyclists are noisy. Of course motor cars are silent. I hardly think that attitudes like this exist in France or other European countries that respect the rights of cyclists.

But this will restrict him to only working 27 days in the year no wonder he is upset. I'm sure the local council will allow a Saturday shoot once a year or is that the real reason he is complaining .

I can see the points of both sides of the argument although Mr Huggins needs to state facts rather than his feelings that everone is annoyed. Currently the event ruffled the feathers of 1164 people - of which I'd really like to know how many were directly affected by the route and how many had a bad day and blamed it on the event.

Equally the event promotes Surrey as a good place to cycle and cyclists spend money on lodgings, coffee and cake among other things, which is good for the local economy and something the national trust is embracing. Again, it's be good to see whether the area benefited from the even, I agree that while a Clay Pigeon venue may lose out this may be offset by a pub or cafe having a bumper day.

I'm sure even the London Marathon has it's haters so it's inevitable a cycling event that covers a much greater distance has a few as well.

What the greater society conveniently ignores is that events like these attract so many as its a rare opportunity to get out on your bike with the rarer sense of comfort that you won't be killed by a 'more important road user in a car' (let's be honest and adopt government perspective).

No wonder so many have signed up as its a taste of how things could be if the maniacs out there (of all types) were actually held accountable for their conduct.

Two thoughts struck me:

1: 80000 signatures in 27 days yet The Times Cycle Campaign has barely hit that in 11 months - where are these other people who haven't signed up to this campaign?

2: How about we call off such events on condition that those opposing provide financial recompense and accept full legal culpability for any cyclist in that area injured or killed by one of their much put upon motoring chums.

See if they're quite so keen to oppose when it's them who become the face of all things heavy and motorised?

Where I live (in Surrey) one day a year we can't get out or go about our business because the roads are all snarled up with traffic for a horse race (bloody horses - don't pay road tax, no insurance etc.). We just live with it.

Saying that, the route ought to be sympathetic and not in the same place every year. Granted that they can't use the really small roads because of safety and the pro race. Also to make it inclusive I can't see them sending people up Toys/Whitedown/Yorks.

If being 'pestered and annoyed' by cyclists is all these 1,164 people have got to worry about then they should probably consider themselves very lucky indeed.

Anyone who lives in a city with one or more big football teams knows that every (other) Saturday, certain areas are impassable by car and public transport gets snarled up. That doesn't seem to engender complaint?

I dunno. Even though it's just one day a year I suppose it's a change and many folk will simply react negatively to that; rational arguments are neither here nor there. But are people really unable to leave their house all day? That sounds crackers to me.

I'll just carrying on riding where I want, when I want and not having to pay to do so. Sure, I won't be surrounded by 72,000 people on their new boardmans but i can live with that.

I see both sides of the story, winners, losers, just like any event.

Don't get me wrong, I do almost all my riding in Surrey and it's a great area for it (apart from the recent pitiful resurfacing jobs) but I think the residents of Surrey and South West London have the right to complain.

The main issue here I think is that there was little attempt at giving people who had to get somewhere on race day any alternative. In Wimbledon we were completely cut off from all sides, which I'm sure they could have organised better somehow.

best approximation i can give is Cheltenham Festival.

If you are in hospitality you make alot of money, if your in retail or just trying to get by it is a pain in the arse.

An event such as this will p*** people off but it will also benefit plenty of others. I guess the question is who matters more?

I do wonder that if the organisers of a large cycling event committed to facilitating the repair of all the potholes on a sportive route in advance of the event, whether we would be looked on more favourably...indeed we might be invited to ride certain routes !

Consider it our own version of "road tax"

"residents of Surrey are pestered and annoyed by cyclists ( practising months in advance of the event ) who ride the route in very large numbers"

Every time I go out on my bike I am pestered and annoyed but motorists, driving on my route in very large numbers. Their vehicles are loud, obnoxious and smelly. Maybe I should start a petition with similarly inflametry language.

Seriously though, the haters might have a point, however poorly it's being made. Road closures do inconvenience people, sometimes significantly and their concerns should be taken seriously. That said, without road closures there would be no such thing as road racing, not just in the cycling world but also in running and motorsport.

The National Trust cafe at the top of Box Hill is currently advertising for another full-time member of staff. That's +1 job directly due to cycling in the area. Can this NIMBY idiot please provide documentary proof of -1 job created by the inconvenience, 1 day of the year on a weekend, of the Ride London event?

Perhaps next year's route could go out to Kent avoiding Surrey completely. Then Mr Huggins could afterwards ask the Fedaration of Small [Minded] Businesses to conduct another poll to see if their members still felt the same.

Wonder how many of those 80,000 are local though?
It is ridiculous to expect everyone to be happy with any event of this size. Not everyone like tourism, it isn't all good and it doesn't always bring money to the local economy. Round me many of the so called local business are run by outsiders who have moved in, in many case, not actually living on site so to speak. As much money doesn't reach the local economy, or it doesn't directly, there is no reason for people to support such an event. It is only negative and they have a right to their say.

Can't say I agree with them though.

Big cycling events are just anti social full stop. The sooner we stop saying they are not, the sooner we sort things out. We need to create positives for those who dislike them not bury heads in the sand. Local charities benefiting helps. National ones don't register on some people radar. They don't for me. Finance a local mini bus maybe not the BHF, type of thing? If only it was as low profile as your average Audax .
I am not defending the anti's so much as using their complaints as an illustration of how these events can improve. Things will never be perfect as they are commercial events run by those who care for money not those not involved.