I've just (today) found that the bloody London SkyRide (Sunday week) will have fully closed roads, and that all cars parked on those roads will be removed.
Seeing as I live on one of those roads, and have had no consultation at all I'm feeling very annoyed. The TROs were apparently submitted "months ago", with no consultation, no easily searchable public record of these orders being granted and no notification (except via the BRitish Cycling website) that we will have road access suspended for that day.
I've spoken to British Cycling, who very quickly hot potated me to RPM (the PR agency) who very quickly handed me across to the GLA liaison (who to be honest was the only peron who was of any help).
I've woken up my neighbours who also are unaware of what's happening and will be raising a shitstorm.
Why is it that these things are organised by people who clearly have no regard for anything or anybody apart from their own very tiny concerns (and no doubt fees)?

I suspect that the answer's in the question here and that most of these things have to be railroaded through to minimise the objections. Why not just enjoy a day when most people probably don't have anything important to do and thousands of people will be enjoying a sport that you (presumably) like doing yourself?

Hmm. And if the residents didn't do anything, do they have the power to take cars away? I can see that being a significant backfire in the name of this ride.

hmmm…so let's get this right.

You are a cyclist on a cycling forum and you are complaining that roads in central London are being closed on the sabbath day for the benefit of cyclists.

And you are actively campaigning against it with your non-cycling (presumably) neighbours.

I have attended the previous two events when they were known as the London Freewheel and they were fantastic days out for tens of thousands of riders from hardened verterns of cycling to those who only cycle one day a year.

It takes all kinds I suppose…

And if the residents didn't do anything, do they have the power to take cars away?

Yes, generally they have the power, it will be under traffic laws i would think. Even if they dont it certainly didnt stop them removing 4 or 5 near us when the Tour of Britain cam through

I think the gist of the OP complaint is that they weren't told about it.

I think the gist of the OP complaint is that they weren't told about it.

I still think it's strange that a keen cyclist (presumably, as they post on here) has a major cycling event that he/she can participate in passing literally by their front door and their reaction is one of annoyance…

to be fair, i love cycling but if my car got removed from its space outside our flat for a reason that i hadn't been told about i would be disappointed!

true, but it hasn't actually been removed yet has it? (unless they are living in a parallel universe where it is actually sunday already).

this is a good point. no mention is made at the start of how aP found out. my perspective hinges on this information.

you dont need a car in london anyway.

you don't need to live in london anyway.

My complaint is
1) there has been no consultation for closing a lot of roads and stopping several thousand people from either leaving their cars where they were or using them, or even being able to use the bus (as one of the roads is a major bus route)
2) I live and work and cycle daily in west London (not central London) and I have to live with the thousands of upset locals who will hate cyclists with a vengeance immediately following this event, mostly because there has been zero consultation or publicity for the road closures.

I'd be pretty narked off tbh.

1) I am a mountain biker. This is a mountain biking forum. True, there are no mountains around here, but I certainly enjoy riding terrain more challenging than the streets of London. Despite what rudeboy may claim, they are boring.

2) Parking in London isn't exactly easy or cheap to do. If you are unfortunate enough to live in one of those streets then you may end up paying through the nose for the privilege of parking miles from your front door. If you have young children for instance that can be quite unsuitable.

And all so a load of people who ride bikes one day per year can jump on their high horses about the environmental good of cycling? Without consultation?

I found out via the British Cycling website, after a remark from my club president who has already had a conversation about HIS surprise on finding out about the less than two week notification to Ian Drake and Peter Cookson about it.

you don't need to live in london anyway.

How else are you to get to the decent trails on a sunday without spending half your life waiting for a train and/or trying to get your bike onto a bus because of engineering works?

show your annoyance by throwing some tacks in the road

How else are you to get to the decent trails on a sunday without spending half your life waiting for a train and/or trying to get your bike onto a bus because of engineering works?

When the petrol runs out in a few years' time, or is £5 a gallon, I will point at people like you and laugh.

show your annoyance by throwing some tacks in the road

That's a very funny and clever link to a previous thread Jo. And even more funny is that if you check out that thread you see a certain posting as follows:

aP – Member
I'd have to seriously consider taking part in that event if there's people prepared to do that kind of thing up there. I assume that Paul Bright is quite happy that I'll spend the £500 or more that it would cost somewhere else instead.

So aP would be prepared to spend £500 and travel to Scotland to defend the rights of cyclists/p-off those who don't like cycling but is a bit of a NIMBY when it comes to having to park his car round the next corner for a local event.

As i said earlier, very strange

How else are you to get to the decent trails on a sunday without spending half your life waiting for a train and/or trying to get your bike onto a bus because of engineering works?

When the petrol runs out in a few years' time, or is £5 a gallon, I will point at people like you and laugh.

Because I use a car to get to the trails? 🙄

Of course you'd probably be even more annoyed if one or two of the thousands of cyclists expected to attend the event were to fall off (or suffer some similar mishap) that caused their bike to career down the side of your car and ruin all the paintwork.

No, what I'm annoyed about is due process not be carried out. I have to live there and suffer the consequences of all the thousands of people who are going to be really quite inconvenienced – most particularly because no one actually knows what is going to happen. If we had been consulted with months ago then it wouldn't be a problem, however when people wake up in 10 days and find their cars being removed and their roads being closed with no notice for "a bike ride" they're going to be livid.
Yes, the scottish ride thread is amusing – however, there was significant public consultation regarding that ride which hasnt happened for this one. Even the local church only found out about it last Sunday.

Depends what "due process" is. There's a bit about the statutory requirements for a TRO here:

http://www.devon.gov.uk/traffic-orders.htm

I suppose if you really felt that strongly about it you could make an application for a Judicial Review, spend loads of your money, then get told by a High Court Judge not to waste everyone's time.

It wouldn't be that difficult to leaflet drop the residents involved, would it? AT least then people can plan ahead. If the only news of this closure is on the BC website loads of people aren't going to find out until it is too late.

Sorry, I'm with aP on this, I'd be pretty p*ssed to find out something like that at short notice. No wonder cyclists aren't universally loved. Local people will be inconvienced at short (or no) notice so that a load of cyclists can go on a leisure ride (at least that's how it will be perceived). Flip it on it's head, I'm sure most people on here would be a bit put out to find roads closed to cyclists and pedestrains so a load of boy racers can tear around the streets for the day.

I'm all for upping the profile of cycling but doing so at the expense of others normal freedoms is going to backfire.

Surely it won't hurt to park your car round the corner? You've got two weeks notice nearly right? I mean I live in West London, probably within a mile of you I think, and I regularly park my car on a different road because there is non in my road.

On the site it says if your car is parked in contravention to signs it will be towed away. I presume they will add signs to lamp posts in the coming days, which IMHO is enough notice.

I'm with the MTFU brigade on this.

Tw or three times a year my road is closed for running races and similar, there are only about 8 parking spaces anyway within 100m of my door ( not that I need one) for 20 flats.

Minor inconvenience. These sort of events bring in good money to the cities concerned.

You've got two weeks notice nearly right?

That's his point. If he wasn't a cyclist it's possible he wouldn't have any notice.

I regularly park my car on a different road because there is non in my road.

That's fine, but if lots of roads are closed (I have no idea of the scale of this event) then parking is going to be difficult. That problem WILL be exacerbated because of the lack of information, mainly because lots of people who would have chosen to be somewhere else won't have done so. It's just poor organisation.

I agree with the event completely, most places are utterly dominated by the car. Be nice to see the other side for once.

I'm saying that a couple of days notice is going to be enough for most people, so if the signs go up next week, then whats the problem?

I'm all for upping the profile of cycling but doing so at the expense of others normal freedoms is going to backfire.

I think most people are sensible enough to tell the difference between an annual event that takes up part of a Sunday and a serious inconvenience. In the past couple of years I've had minor travel hassles caused by, amongst other things, a Sikh religious festival, a carnival, and the Special Olympics. Maybe I don't value my civil liberties enough but I never felt any outrage at any of the participants.

Re the consultation, this will already have been done, extensively, with people like the local council and the emergency services. If they went door to door or held NIMBY-magnet meetings I doubt that any of these types of events would ever go ahead.

I think legally a min. 6 weeks notice is required for a TTRO (not TRO) and as part of would have had to advertise in the local press. Under the Traffic management Act the road sapce will have been booked at least 13 weeks ago (unless a fine was paid), but I reckon participant have know for ages.

I reckon MTFU too. Its for a good reason and its a special event, not the water board coming in for weeks.

How much notice do you need to park round the corner?

If you're actually a cyclist, I fail to see what your problem is. Yeah, sometimes life sucks, but at least the trouble suffered is for you great love, right?!

I'm saying that a couple of days notice is going to be enough for most people, so if the signs go up next week, then whats the problem?

What if, for example, you're on holiday, yet have left your car outside the house. Pretty common I'd have thought, especially at this time of year. Of course most people won't have a problem. But those who do will have a right to be annoyed. Simple really, just give proper notice.

Maybe also write to the Daily Mail?

Now I've been properly flamed (thanks guys) I've had a good exchange with the director of transportation at the LB and have been assured (not that you'll care) that further notification will take place.

So how did it turn out? Looked like some nice pleasant family riding going on. DId you raise your shitstorm with the neighbours?

yep saw loads of families and ton of small kids comming back from there today, looked great fun!