[Closed] Nimbyism at it's finest

In their defence, the number of sportives is getting ridiculous. I'd be peeved off too if I lived in Surrey Hills or the Chilterns. The northern ones don't seem too bad, less of them and more space to hold them.

There was a 'fun run' near my parents hosue a few weeks back, it's not just cyclits capable of retarded group behaviour, loads of runners trying to run up the wrong side of the road believeing that an event T-shirt gave them some kind of protecive forcefield against oncoming trafic. Or running in groups accross the width of one way roads so car's got entrained in the 'race', then abused by the runners 'because couldn't they see there was a race on?'.

I don't see that as NIMBY'sm.

Here where we live we get alot of events (footie/concerts/cricket/running). Its part of where we live. If more events were added though I'd get a wee bit annoyed too.

Exactly how many of these closed roads events are they complaining about? RideLondon, Tour of Britain, are there any others?

who ride the route in very large numbers from very early in the morning shouting at each other."

I think the roads of Surrey (and a lot of the home counties) should be left empty so that the young lads can get going in their drift cars. 🙂

"Surrey County Council: Stop Surrey being turned into a cycle track"

Well there you go.

As spoon says there is some strange stuff going on in "Events", Ruthin a couple of weeks back just as we were finishing on the out skirts of the town, on someones front lawn there was a tube and a air cannistor.
Really, was your position in this non race that important that you didn't have the time to stash a tube?
Me being a pikey/opportunist, i had the tube away. its now in one of that lads bikes.

If I lived in Surrey I'd start a petition for MORE closed-road cycling events.

I bet it'd get more support, judging by the numbers of people who turn out to enjoy watching them.

on someones front lawn there was a tube and a air cannistor.

I lived there and I'd left those out for a sec while I went to get my tyre levers from inside.

👿

What they're complaining about is the public highway being used for something they have no interest in.

Rolling road blocks would make sense for point to point events but not for all day events and a lesser extent for 'circuit' events. Having no crossing points is a serious oversight though.

Its nice that, as a resident and business owner in Surrey, there is a single voice representing me and all of us - Hannah Nicholson.

I think the roads of Surrey (and a lot of the home counties) should be left empty so that the young lads can get going in their drift cars.

Or perhaps be closed so that ramblers can enjoy and savour for extended periods of time the views of the areas from the centre of the roads. Something they are currently denied which is clearly a breach of their human rights.

If only people would complain about the roads being used by [b]cars[/b], and being constantly pestered by [b]cars[/b]. It's not nimbyism, its unreasonable tosserishness. (althoguh they do need to sort out crossing points, or include zebra/pelicans as part of the race...

ill be surprised if there is no crossing points..... how ever it probably isnt on the exact road they want to use.

also tinas - i run into oncoming traffic also ....same place i would walk.

Well I grew up in Cranleigh, and now live 10 miles down the road, the parents still live there. It's essentially nimbyism.

There are a slightly tiresome number of sportives admittedly, however for closed road events there's the London Surrey 100 thingy (which didn't go through Craneligh), the ToB (rolling road closures) and there was a triathlon in July, also with rolling road closures. So that's ermmm... one event where roads were closed all day, although the person complaining:

Fed up with having roads where I live closed for people who don't live here and have no respect for the car drivers, workers and families who do

Was actually not affected by it.

If only people would complain about the roads being used by cars, and being constantly pestered by cars. It's not nimbyism, its unreasonable tosserishness. (althoguh they do need to sort out crossing points, or include zebra/pelicans as part of the race...

I don't think you understand the issues being talked about. Yes there are loads of cars on the road and yes there are loads of cyclists. It's the enforced road closures that are the problem.

I dread to think what would happen if there was a fire/emergency at my house during these closures. the fact remains that in moderation everyone can deal with almost anything but closures week in and week out during the summer months does have an impact on a local community. The roads around Headley are being re-surfaced, again, which has meant chaos in rush hour. The re-surfacing is solely to provide a better surface for cycle events. It was never done in the 5 years previous to the Olympics. Then, once re-surfaced, we may get the opportunity to view a giant painting of a cock and balls on the commute to work.

Boxhill resident who rides bikes.

These people must live in a state of constant, seething rage. I wouldn't have the stamina. 🙂

The reference to people "practising" suggests they are irritated by club runs as well.

we may get the opportunity to view a giant painting of a cock and balls on the commute to work.

This was a bonus that hadn't occurred to me. Presumably it also says "Wiggo" quite a lot. 😀

I dread to think what would happen if there was a fire/emergency at my house during these closures.

Exactly the same as if there was a fire while the road had works on it, or there was an accident blocking part of the highway or a car boot sale or...or... ?

There are contingency plans in place, emergency services situated at satellite points rather than having to come from a home base and the whole thing gets planned months in advance and tested. They actually build these scenarios into emergency services training, plans of what to do/where to go if the fire station is put out of action (for example).

Chances are the response time would actually have been quicker!

The petition, which has been signed by about 1,200 people, states: "Apart from the obvious dangers to cyclists, Surrey roads are not suitable.

Surely with the roads closed to motorized traffic the most "Obvious danger to cyclists" is removed, and in what way are surreys roads "not suitable"? have hey been mined or something?

[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-23538570 ]another article on the poor beleaguered residents of surrey[/url]

my favourite quote:

"Sport is very good, but why do others have to pay the price by being inconvenienced?"

Speaks volumes IMO, yes they'll put up with the olympics because of that nice Sir Bradley Hoy fella but sweet Jesus, lets not get carried away with people doing sport more than once every four years...

TBF it sounds like road closures and provisions to allow residents to go about their business, are sometimes a bit lacking, and could be improved,

But it looks like the main push is from people who just don't like cycling...

Prime DM fodder no doubt.

Sounds to me like the residents of Surrey have very few real problems to worry about

Will someone please think about the children!

Its 100% nimbyism.

I used to live in Surrey, theres far more traffic problems and hold ups due to accidents on the M25 that redirect traffic into Guildford and so on than there is due to cyclists.

Most of the comments are just general anti-cyclist rants (two abreast, no road tax, no insurance, "they're arrogant" etc..)

closures week in and week out during the summer months

Precisely how many closures due to cyclists were there?

I think i know what the real problem is...
http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/guildford-roads-among-most-congested-4815154

[i]"In Guildford in 2011, 20% of the 205km of main roads that were researched were found to regularly have traffic jams."[/i]

They're actually closing my road in 2 weeks, so some ****s on bikes can ride up it.

I was going to invite my friends around to watch it, but now suitably emboldened by the freedom fighting residents of Surrey, I shall be starting a petition to get it stopped

mk1fan - Member

Will someone please think about the children!

also tinas - i run into oncoming traffic also ....same place i would walk.

I think you missed the point, not one solitary runner running in the gutter/verge or a column in single file. Groups of runners, filling the entire (right hand) lane, like the Marathon, but smaller, with less fancy dress, and no closed roads.

funny how these things go a full circle. For nearly 70 years road racing in Britain was banned, bizarrely this position was endorsed by the main cycling body, National Cyclists' Union. Hence the reason that TT became so popular and is very much a traditional British pursuit.

Perhaps they were ahead of the times after all....

For all those that are saying they "used to live in Surrey"... I take it you don't live in Surrey any more and therefore have no real idea of what is like now 🙂

Nimbyism is a term that appears to be used by people who

a) Are not inconvenienced and so not bothered and can't see what the fuss is about

b) someone who always takes it personally when someone has an opinion about a hobby they are involved in

It's crazy really the aggression that accompanies some of these threads.

I am not a fan of the number of cyclists that use the roads around where I live.
I have not signed the petition because as someone has state, it's not really a problem that warrants time spent on it. At least not from my perspective as I have more important things to get worked up about.

but

Some people do get upset by it and some people feel strongly about it. Why should their concerns not be listened to and considered and why should it be implied they are 'tossers' for making themselves heard?

You have to feel sorry for us in Yorkshire putting up with around 200 lycra clad famine victims pumped to the eyeballs on who knows what, with no respect for other road users (or even each other - have you seen the crashes), riding around like they owned the roads. Every year someone gets injured as a result of this so called sporting event.

(The tour's passing a friends house so we'll be camping out the night before of course.)

For all those that are saying they "used to live in Surrey"... I take it you don't live in Surrey any more and therefore have no real idea of what is like now

Nimbyism is a term that appears to be used by people who

a) Are not inconvenienced and so not bothered and can't see what the fuss is about

b) someone who always takes it personally when someone has an opinion about a hobby they are involved in

It's crazy really the aggression that accompanies some of these threads.

As I said, I live just down the road from Cranleigh, and very regularly ride these roads, my parents still live in Cranleigh, most of my friends (cycling and non) live in the Cranleigh/Guildford/Dorking area. Do you know how many have moaned about the 'constant' road closures (like I said, one all day closure)?

None. Not a single person.

Some people do get upset by it and some people feel strongly about it. Why should their concerns not be listened to and considered and why should it be implied they are 'tossers' for making themselves heard?

Problem is that a lot of the "concerns" are actually just rabid anti-cyclist nonsense ("road tax", insurance, two abreast etc) rather than legitimate concerns like "I HAVE to get from A to B at this time and your plan does not allow that".

I'm all for listening to concerns and accommodating them, what I'm not going to do is listen to some bigoted pillock going on about "road tax" or "lycra louts". The problem with that petition is that it's been hijacked by the extremist minority - in fact they probably don't even know they're being extremist. As a result, any intelligent person is simply going to dismiss them (and by association, the petition) as being a bunch of tossers/NIMBYs.

If it was put sensibly and rationally it might actually be worth listening to but it hasn't, it's come straight from the pages of the Daily Wail, signed by approx 0.1 percent of the Surrey population and as such is meaningless.

The surrey police have created "Marc the Surrey Cyclist" to try and encourage everyone to get along.

Still attracts a fair few nonsense comments...

Pah, these Surrey folk are proper noobs at nimbyism. Ours were/are much better/worse (blue graded mountain bike trail in local woods). The Surrey nimbys would do well to borrow from the Plymouth ones the following points:

-Upsurge in campfires and barbeques, as well as empty cans and bottle of cider.
-Will scare off the peregrine falcons nesting nearby.
-Residents will be forces to park on their drives and not the road in front of each others' houses.
-Cycling is inherently dangerous and cyclists or innocent bystanders will DIE.
-Cycling isn't healthy really: you just get oversize thighs and no real cardio fitness.

NB these are a small selection of what we had, but 100% from the mouths of locals! 😀

They're seriously getting in a tizzy about Sunday road closures for a bike race?

They have it too easy those Surrey folk if thats the height of their worries 🙄

Nowhere in the OP's linked BBC News article does it have any mention of road tax, anti cyclist-ism etc etc etc.

That's my point. If they were closing the roads regularly to allow toads to cross or for Morris Dancers to skip merrily down them, they would be complaining about that but this time is cyclists, which for these people, rightly or wrongly, are a concern/inconvenience.

Again though, as soon as bikes are mentioned, the 'moaners' are pigeon-holed as nimbyist, anti-cycling fun police who clearly have nothing better to do.

The cyclists who react in this way, as evidenced on this thread and numerous others, are part of the problem. I have no doubt that everyone on the planet, including these very same people, would get antsy about someone imposing a situation upon them that they did not agree with or consent to.

Cycling isn't healthy really: you just get oversize thighs and no real cardio fitness.

My new favourite cycling fact.

A whole 1,200 signatures eh?
[url= http://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/News/Newsroom/Registration_closed_for_2014_Prudential_RideLondon-Surrey_100_s1_p17056.htm ]
In other news, 80,000 people have effectively signed the petition asking for the Surrey 100 to take place again next year. [/url]

Nowhere in the OP's linked BBC News article does it have any mention of road tax, anti cyclist-ism etc etc etc.

Here is the actual petition, plenty of nonsense in there... They aren't closing the roads regularly, the petition is about an event that happens once a year.

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/surrey-county-council-stop-surrey-being-turned-into-a-cycle-track

Feel sorry for the locals of Harrogate. for the Tour, apparently, (according to a cabbie, so must be true.) they are going to switch off all the traffic lights in the town centre for the whole weekend.... 🙄

That and all the evil greedy hotel owners have the cheek to put their prices up for that weekend too! Imagine that!

It's not all bad news though, the council is starting to repair all the roads on the route now, so as they'll be ready ahead of time. I'm sure we wont have a bad winter.....

Jeff: yes I was referring to the original petition (linked to at bottom of page 1) which prompted all the comments and there's the same on the "share the roads" campaign that Surrey have running on FB:

Read the comments on there.

Yes, I understand full well that some cyclists are anti-social morons with no road sense, I'm not for one second condoning their ignorant behaviour any more than I'd condone ANY idiot on the roads (of which there are unfortunately far too many).

I understand that not all Surrey residents affected by this one event a year can simply jump in a car, drive off on holiday and get awa from it. But I also think that sometimes, you need to look beyond one person (or one community's) view on things and see the wider picture.

There's an event here which annoys the hell out of me, the funfair comes and sets up on the nice quiet fields right in front of my house, blaring out music, lots of congestion, screaming kids etc. Really annoying. But I can see the benefit it brings to the wider area so I can't really complain about it. One person (well, one row of houses) affected vs hundreds of people enjoying it, travelling to the area, spending money etc.

My Dad lives right on the route of the London Marathon so has exactly the same issues that you and other residents have with the cycling - one weekend a year he can't drive in or out, can't access the shops etc.

You live in a very congested part of the country, realistically whatever anyone does there is going to adversely affect someone else to some degree, be it a minor issue like residential parking or a major one like a road closure for a weekend. The council are under no obligation whatsoever to consult you on it, they can over-ride the opinion of the residents in favour of "the greater good".

I don't necessarily agree with it but I don't necessarily agree with the anti- brigade either. I can see both points of view though.

I live on the Isle of Wight. We have closed-road sportifs and two big festivals that close areas for days.

Annoyingly it's a price you pay when you live in a beautiful part of the world that others like to visit (this is before getting into the benefits to local economy).

My sympathy for Surrey-dwellers is limited.

They have it too easy those Surrey folk if thats the height of their worries

That ain't the half of it, Waitrose Dorking has been knocked down for rebuilding and we haven't been told when it'll reopen.

They also knocked down Waterstone's next door to make the plot bigger.

Then the library moved from a grand old house to a 'shop' in the town centre (this turned out to be a good thing), it was just opposite a second hand bookshop which lots of people valued but nobody spent any money at.

Then Waterstone's moved next door to the library. I thought that was genius - get all the bibliophile footfall in one place. But then the guy opposite who sold second hand books for 50p shut down.

Then Millets shut down on Pump Corner and now Waterstone's has moved into there, but what about the second hand guy?

We have a lot to worry about down here.

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. [u]That starts[/u] 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.