More seriously: I live here, I drive, and I ride (but not on the roads it’s too bloody dangerous).

Drivers get to storm around Surrey in vast numbers for 363 days a year, choking up our lovely county with square metal boxes, to the point where cyclists are intimidated off the roads. I am anyway.

If they can’t let cyclists have a bit of a run 2 days a year, **** ’em.

Even as a road and MTB cyclist, I can appreciate their point. The Surrey Hills have become an obvious honeypot and at weekends centres such as Peaslake and Shere have obvious congestion issues involving all kinds of road users.

There are bad drivers out there, bad cyclists, bad runners, bad pedestrian, bad horse riders and their good equivalents – but there is little denying that the place has become overrun at weekends. I avoid it at these times and am lucky that I am able to ride their during the week when it is often deserted.

But the bottom line, is that the area is suffering congestion at weekends. Cyclists are a part of that and some of us could behave better and make less of a negative impact.

I have friends who live between Gomshall and Peaslake and they did describe the feeling of cycle races trapping them in their houses (ok, not that often) and of being overrun at weekends. IMO, they have a point.

There is nothing new in needing to balance things in a sustainable way. We can rant at them and at drivers etc, but the thing that we can contol is our own behaviour. That starts with being sensitive to the feelings of the residents of the areas that we choose to visit.

‘Trapped in their houses’? Jesus Christ!!! its like Syria! Far be it from me to accuse them of being laughably melodramatic, but…..

😆

Well please don’t 😉 the situation needs calming not flaming.

Well they may be right or they may be wrong but the fact is that’s how they feel and if they whine to the council they will be listened to, that’s how democracy works.

I suppose its preferable to chemical weapons.

Is Surrey the world epicentre of whining? Or is it more liberally distributed throughout the South East? 😀

Personally I’m sick to the back teeth of the roads around me being used by car drivers every single day of the year. Speeding, jumping red lights and generally being dicks. Every single day. Not sure what these whinging Surrey folk are moaning about. I’d welcome closed road events round my way every weekend if it were possible.

I have friends who live between Gomshall and Peaslake and they did describe the feeling of cycle races trapping them in their houses (ok, not that often) and of being overrun at weekends. IMO, they have a point.

Oh for heaven’s sake. Trapped??? Has someone barred the door? I’m sorry, but your friends need to have a long hard look at themselves. What exactly is it is trapping them in their houses?

the situation needs calming not flaming.

No, people who come out with crap like that need to be told that they’re being fannies.

people who come out with crap like that need to be told that they’re being fannies.

Well said that man.

More of this at the United Nations and the world would be a considerably better place!

I commented on the (BBC article linked) petition and was then lucky enough to receive an email from the author of the petition. After a quick look on his FaceAche page it is obvious that he is quite anti-cycling. He wasn’t interested in discussing the issue and preferred to call me stupid (he may have a point!!). If you read the comments on the petition then you will see that many of them don’t even mention the road closures or events.

Chakaping, I bow to your superior negotiating skills.

When they do the hillclimbs up my road they not only close the road, they make me move my car. Well when I say ‘make’, it’s more ‘ask’ with a polite letter. But still… Its the principle of the thing. It’s for nearly the whole afternoon. I’m trapped in my home!

I’m thinking of petitioning the European Court of Human Rights. Or writing a letter to the Daily Telegraph in green ink

I live in the heart of the Surrey Hills and I flippin love the amount of cycling taking place. It feels like I died and woke up in Cycling Mecca.

I cant believe people are whinging about, what?, 2 road closures within a year?..

During the Surrey 100 I met and chatted with loads of my neighbours, all of our kids played together on the green and we generally had a right hoot. We had ample time to prepare for the closure (months worth of signage and leaflets) and all I witnessed was thousands of people having a good time.

I may be a cycling biased fan but I only see good coming out of such events.

I used to live next to Twickenham Stadium where there were GENUINE WEEKLY closures, and we soon got used to that too. Its par for the course, accept it fools!

I love cycling me.

Somebody set up a rival petition, asking for close-roads every other Sunday?

I lived for a year in a crappy freezing house 200m from Leicester City football ground (the old one) and every home game the road was closed for pretty much the whole day, and if you didn’t move you car they moved it for you!

It really wasn’t that big a deal.

The only place you felt trapped was in the queue for the chip shop on Welford Road if you went in there after the match. We used to try and guess the score from our back garden by listening to the noise/chants of the fans. And the faces of the away fans going back to coaches parked in our street.

I would like to hypothesise a rule where the tolerance of sporting or community events outside one’s home is inversely proportional to the value of the property. 😉

http://www.change.org/en-GB/users/58120525

he’s obviously very proud of his car!

is it possible to comment without signing?

It’s Surrey, what else would you expect?

The same debates happen in Cumbria with balancing different views and interests in the Lakes, in Debyshire etc. What is unique about Surrey?

That starts with being sensitive to the feelings of the residents of the areas that we choose to visit.

True, there’s 2 sides to that tho, give and take. I think residents of beautiful places need to remember why they moved there or choose to remain there and respect visitor’s wishes also. Realise why it’s busy, look around where you live, be happy for what you have and don’t sweat the small stuff. I live in a place that’s crowded on sunny weekends, my favourite trails are full of toddlers and dogs on extenda-tripwires and who cares, I’m grateful that I live somewhere people want to visit. On the flip side, I’ve lived in places that almost everyone avoids and the residents want to leave, it’s not good.

One of the things you like about your little town is the lovely Tesco. An excellent supply of luncheon meat and a great view of the car park from the cafe. It’s right next to sheltered housing accommodation so there’s few old folk around but you get on well – always have a chat with old Jim at the deli counter and you’ve given Doris a lift home a couple of times when the wheel fell off her shopping trolley. You are a polite young man and brought up well so you always are very patient when they totter up the isle 2 abreast as there are only a few of them and they have a perfect right to be there…..

Your Tesco appears on Richard and Judy because of its lovely view of the car park from the cafe and excellent tinned meats. Saga magazine picks up the story and makes a pull out guide to the Tesco. Numbers of purple rinses goes up and its now a bit tricky to get around your local Tesco at the pace you’d like but they are lovely folk so you are pretty forgiving……

A local bloke works out there is an opportunity for an annual coach trip to the Tesco. He puts it on with funds going to charity that attracts oldies to ‘your’ excellent store from 60 miles around. It’s a bit of a nause on the day as they meander down the aisles oblivious to your needs to quickly grab a pint of milk. But its all for a good cause and only one day a year so you just vow to avoid going there that day next year. No harm done.

Then a bloke from the other end of the country clocks a business opportunity and organises coach trips every other week. It’s now getting a bit unfunny. You hadn’t before noticed how much the old men smelt of wee and for some reason the women’s beards really annoy you. You now have an urge to barge them out of your way to get down the isle of ‘your’ bloody super market. You start having pathological dreams about old people drowning in a giant mug of ovaltine. You feel terminally conflicted because you love the old boy next door and your grandma was an old person but you have now developed an illogical dislike of groups of wrinklies and flinch when you see a wurther’s original.

I reckon that’s what it’s like to live in the Surrey Hills 😀

Fed up with having roads where I live closed for people who don’t live here….. End of story really

Fed up with having roads where I live closed for people who don’t live here….. End of story really

You live in that London, give over.

Fed up with having roads where I live dominated by people in cars who don’t live here…time for that to stop?

It’s not unique to Surrey. But generally, in this country, You have to have a certain level of affluence for anyone to even listen to your endless whining*. If not, they just tell you to shut it, and stop being chippy, then ignore you!

* and there is most definitely a correlation between levels of affluence, and sheer volume of whining, the pettier and more trivial the better

Chakaping, I bow to your superior negotiating skills.

I’m not negotiating, It’s not a debate. Don’t let the berk turn it into one.

This is a non story about a non problem and is being given undue airtime by the BBC because imagined controversy is cheap and easy “news”.

Truth be told 99.9 percent of people I meet who find out I ride bikes say I’d love to ride a bit more and then give a reason why they don’t. People like bikes, what people don’t like is arseholes on bikes. There is no need for pelotons of 25 people 5 abreast on Whitedown Road but conversely there’s no need to complain about being delayed in your car for 30 seconds until you can overtake either, as bad as each other.

My attempt at highlighting the absurdity of the situation by quoting one of the petition comments has failed like the absurdity of this petition will

It’s just bored, retired people with **** all better to do. They whine and bitch about everything.

Fed up with having roads where I live closed for people who don’t live here

To be upset by roads being used buy people who don’t live somewhere is to fundimentally be upset by roads. Pretty much the principle purpose of a road is to provide a route to allow people to travel from where the do live to places where they don’t live.

SCC’s consultation survey is here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Individual-Consulation

Locals, please fill it in.

It includes specific questions on events.

The overall consultation page is here: http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/roads-and-transport-policies-plans-and-consultations/roads-and-transport-consultations/roads-and-transport-consultations-in-surrey/surrey-cycling-strategy-consultation

Well I’ve filled it in. I’m not a local but I have friends down that way so I’ve put down the answers any civilised human being would ie let’s have loads more closed road events.