Epetition: organised cycling sportives

ChristmasChaos said:
Just to clarify - getting 100,000 signatures (the requisite number for any possible results) doesn't force a debate in parliament. It means the petition's subject becomes eligible for debate in parliament and will be considered for such.
Click to expand...

Good point, but if we can hit the magic number and it does not get through, it should not be too difficult to get an interested MP to use it as evidence and raise it on behalf of their constituents. There is an election looming in 2015 and regular riders represent 6% of the UK population!
 
You are proposing pointless regulation which would have no safety benefit and just waste the time of everyone involved. Licensing by local authority highway agencies would be them charging to issue a piece of paper. Last time I checked pieces of paper do not prevent accidents.

Enforceable code of conduct. What does that even mean? Clamping cyclists? Kicking them out mid ride? Recording their number plates (sorry bikes don't have them)?

Consulting with parish councils? To what end? They have no remit over traffic.

Consulting with other road users. This is my favourite and had me laughing out loud. How do you propose to inform every car, van, lorry driver, horse rider, etc along a 100 mile route who might possibly be on the roads on the day?

Pointless bureaucracy would just drive cycling groups to organise events outside the rules and these would have fewer signs and marshals than they have today. Ie. regulation would lead to the opposite effect - the law of unintended consequences.
 
Its also setting the horse world up for similar regulation.

Heres a link to what cyclists think of it, to provide a bit of a broader perspective. Seems there is a lot of NMBYISM, anti-social behaviour by complainants (carpet tacks on the road) and potential loss of revenue to local businesses about.

I must say the cyclists come across as a bit more rational and dare I say better educated than some on this thread, who seem to have remarkably few posts to their names and possibly to have joined to further their own personal obsession.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/do-all-sportives-get-this-kind-of-hammering-by-the-locals
 
Mithras said:
Its also setting the horse world up for similar regulation.

Heres a link to what cyclists think of it, to provide a bit of a broader perspective. Seems there is a lot of NMBYISM, anti-social behaviour by complainants (carpet tacks on the road) and potential loss of revenue to local businesses about.

I must say the cyclists come across as a bit more rational and dare I say better educated than some on this thread, who seem to have remarkably few posts to their names and possibly to have joined to further their own personal obsession.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/do-all-sportives-get-this-kind-of-hammering-by-the-locals
Click to expand...

Strangely, it was feedback from the cyclists themselves that set me off on this one. Some of might not be educated beyond Masters level, but we do research cycling sites as well; it is appalling that people put others' lives in danger through the use of yacks, mud, rolling road blocks etc. Debate rather than invective is much more effective as a means of resolving problems, but I doubt that you want to hear that.
 
tescoexpress said:
Enforceable code of conduct. What does that even mean? Clamping cyclists? Kicking them out mid ride?
Click to expand...

What a good idea tescoexpress, clamping or kicking - i like it. If not I may take to beating the inconsiderate ones with spare tree branches! (im joking dont sue me tesco and mithras)

Clearly the OP is trying to make things more enjoyable and safer for everyone - if you don't want that you are clearly mad.

Also, just a general musing but I have always found motorcyclist to be extremely considerate and understanding whilst I'm out riding. I wonder if they have more of an understanding of being vulnerable on the road maybe?
 
RaynerK said:
What a good idea tescoexpress, clamping or kicking - i like it. If not I may take to beating the inconsiderate ones with spare tree branches! (im joking dont sue me tesco and mithras)

Clearly the OP is trying to make things more enjoyable and safer for everyone - if you don't want that you are clearly mad.

Also, just a general musing but I have always found motorcyclist to be extremely considerate and understanding whilst I'm out riding. I wonder if they have more of an understanding of being vulnerable on the road maybe?
Click to expand...

I would not sue you as that is for civil law. Criminal acts are dealt with by the police and CPS.

These ideas will make the roads less safe not more safe. They will lead to underground sportives with no signs, no marshals, no medical support and cyclists will die. In the 50s and 60s road time trials were banned on safety grounds. So, to avoid the police, races were held before daylight, without lights and riders wore black clothing.

If laws and regulations worked prisons would be empty, nobody would ever speed, overtake dangerously, tailgate, etc.
 
tescoexpress said:
Consulting with other road users. This is my favourite and had me laughing out loud. How do you propose to inform every car, van, lorry driver, horse rider, etc along a 100 mile route who might possibly be on the roads on the day?
Click to expand...

Signage, warning road users in advance that a sportive would be taking place. I think this has a dual benefit of safety (as motorists would not be suprised to see a large number of cyclists, and hopefully drive more safely) and clearer roads for the cyclists as other road users (such as horse riders, pleasure cyclists etc might avoid the route that day).

This is already enforced for other events such as foot races, and I think it makes these events much safer/more enjoyable for those involved. I don't see why you are against such an idea?

Ultimately, sportives do cause inconvenience for other road users, and cyclists do often come across as very arrogant. It might be more in your interests to think about your own safety and be courteous to others as a vulnerable road user.
 
The organisers of the Jodrell Bank sportive in the summer collected a nice fat start fee off each entrant (600 starters), then funnelled them along a wholly unsuitable stretch of narrow A road, on a busy Saturday lunchtime with no signage or marshalls. They were lambs to the slaughter.

I nearly had a head on with an oncoming car overtaking a dozen bunched up cyclists on a blind bend on a double white line on this stretch that day, god only knows how the other car avoided both the cyclists and me.

This petition is for the protection of the cyclists as well as other road users.
 
Just to add to my previous post, that the stretch of A road where I nearly had my head on collision during the Jodrell Bank Sportive, is officially 7th in the list of Britain's top 10 Most Dangerous A Roads.

I wouldn't cycle along it if you paid me, let alone pay someone else for the privilege of sending me along it on what should be a pleasant day out.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top