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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think this event should never have happened.

651 replies

DaisiesAreOurSilver · 13/05/2019 15:41

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mare-newborn-foal-die-because-15637103

Big cycle race of 100 miles in our area yesterday. Road closures from 5.30 am till 12.30 pm. Some streets were totally cut off for the whole time.

Residents were just told they should have parked outside the area the night before. For some that would mean a walk of a mile, given how many roads were closed. One family escorted through because they had a flight to catch but had to wait 25 minutes for an escort.

Carers were unable to visit the housebound clients, meals on wheels couldn't get through and the stewards didn't give a stuff. For some people it wasn't a question of finding a way around there were areas that were totally cut off for the duration.

But worst of all the stewards wouldn't let a emergency vet through and a mare and her foal died. The foal would have been worth a lot of money as was the mare. I hope the owner sues for every penny she can.

Residents are very angry and cannot understand why permission was granted for this to happen. If they try it again vigilantes have said they'll force the roads open if they try to close them. Feelings running very high.

OP posts:
RichYorks · 14/05/2019 11:16

Just be glad you don't live near a football station, I work for ambulance service and we're routinely delayed getting to serious emergencies within cordoned off areas. Just a month ago I was trying to attend a suspected cardiac arrest a short distance from the stadium. At the end of the road two attendants refused to move from our path saying the players coach was about to leave so no one allowed through, even after we explained what we were going to they wouldn't move. I'd estimate that they delayed us about 3 minutes by the time we got them out of the road.

Fortunately it turned out not to be a cardiac arrest but that was only determined when we were on scene. But for residents living within the cordon you're routinely restricted from emergency care before and after a game. This is felt to be acceptable.....

RichYorks · 14/05/2019 11:17

Football stadium!!!

longestlurkerever · 14/05/2019 11:18

For a few people it was an enormous deal. It sounds poorly run wrt the exceptions, I agree.

Raspberry88 · 14/05/2019 11:18

Take heart in the fact it's one day when cars were prevented from adding so much to your local air pollution and let it go.

Extraordinary...are you really incapable of seeing why people can't do that? I presume it's alright for you that you can afford to lose a days wages...or that you don't have caring responsibilities for anyone so can't see why it was so difficult for people. What an incredible lack of empathy you have.

RosaWaiting · 14/05/2019 11:24

I'm genuinely baffled by posters thinking it's fine for emergency staff, carers, nurses etc to have no way to access where they need to go.

tbh it's bad enough that anyone gets completely cut off for an event, I don't get why anyone thinks it's fine.

longestlurkerever · 14/05/2019 11:25

I don't have a lack of empathy, I just refuse to get into such a state about not being able to use my car. I have already said that there are people for whom exceptions should have been made but the complaints have been much more wide ranging than that, and it scares me to be honest, because we are going to need people to be much more receptive than this to restrictions on cars.

Sindragosan · 14/05/2019 11:26

1500 people driving hours up and down the country to take part in an event isn't a good thing for the environment.

Yes, more people cycling to and more the shops would help, but that isn't what is happening here. Any good from preventing locals from driving would be more than wiped out from the pollution from everyone attending the event.

Cycle more - very sensible.
Be happy about being trapped at home - ridiculous.

Ellybellyboo · 14/05/2019 11:27

I don’t live in this area, but have a lot of events round here which result in road closures and stupid diversions

It’s not “just one day”. One day it might be a cycle race, then a whole weekend for a music festival, then another cycle race, then maybe a scooter rally with another cycle race 2 weeks later.

I need to go to work, plus I have horses to care for twice a day. I can’t walk, it’s too far along unsuitable roads, I can’t use public transport or cycle because the bloody roads have been closed (again). I can’t just leave the horses for the day/weekend and why should I have to use up annual leave/a days pay/pay someone to care for my horses (who may not be able to get there due to road closures anyway) (again) to facilitate someone else’s hobby and benefit someone’s private business venture

In general, I don’t have a problem with cyclists at all, I cycle myself and the events causing havoc round here aren’t all cycling events anyway, but I am sick of the aggressive Lycra lout behaviour.

My daughter hasn’t been able to ride on our local bridleways at weekends for weeks due to huge packs of cyclists using them as race tracks. It amazes me that 1 vulnerable road user would behave so badly towards another - especially one that is sitting on half a ton of unpredictable animal

UrsulaPandress · 14/05/2019 11:38

I used to love meeting angry cyclists on the bridlepaths with my large warmblood. Or my skittish thoroughbred.

Eliza9919 · 14/05/2019 11:42

What if there was a fire in a block of flats on the route and there had to be an evacuation and loads of fire engines?

This is why such big events are not suitable for residential areas. An event so big should only be allowed to take place on trails where it wont affect anyone imo.

The London Marathon doesn't close off all access and roads for so long, they are shut for a few hours in the morning and don't cut off entire areas.

This is so, so wrong imo.

DontTreadOnMe · 14/05/2019 11:44

we are going to need people to be much more receptive than this to restrictions on cars. the car is king, get used to it.

Prequelle · 14/05/2019 11:48

longest are you not reading properly? You're ignoring so many points made. Public transport can't be used if the bus routes have been stopped. What do you suggest people do who have actual obligations that require travelling to and from the home multiple times?

AngeloMysterioso · 14/05/2019 11:52

God I need to stop reading this thread and other cyclist threads. Full of such miserable hysterical NIMBY women who are outraged that they have been mildly inconvenienced for one day

I wouldn’t call the death of a much loved and highly valuable mare and newborn foal a “mild inconvenience”.

Which probably would have died anyway, given the vet was given a police escort and allowed through....

After being held up by the stewards who wouldn’t let the vet through for an hour. Which makes quite a lot of difference in a life-or-death situation where you have a newborn foal whose lungs are being squeezed because it can’t get out, and a mare whose internal organs are being kicked like a football by the foal’s back legs as it struggles.

longestlurkerever · 14/05/2019 11:53

It's other people who are not reading properly. I am not saying some people don't have a legitimate grievance, or that lots more people were not inconvenienced. I am saying the strength of feeling is disproportionate. Take a step back. You couldn't use your car for a day. That's all.

RosaWaiting · 14/05/2019 11:56

longest you are still not reading.

I agree with a pp re fire engines etc. I suspect that if this happened, we would quickly find out there was no effective plan in place at all.

justarandomtricycle · 14/05/2019 11:56

I need to stop reading this thread and other cyclist threads. Full of such miserable hysterical NIMBY women who are outrgaged that they have been mildly inconvenienced for one day

That's an interesting and specific tone of contempt you have going on there. Hmm

by your obsession with driving your damn cars .

It must be nice to have a life where other people only drive cars because they love it so much, and nobody HAS to.

Just makes it seem like you don't have much insight into the real lives of people living and working in rural Britain, really.

IvanaPee · 14/05/2019 11:57

You couldn't use your car for a day. That's all.

That is literally not all, as several posters have said repeatedly.

Are you on a wind up? Because nobody this thick could know how to type coherently.

AngeloMysterioso · 14/05/2019 11:58

I don’t drive a car and it still pisses me off. People who are reliant on buses were just as stuck because the roads were closed.

Prequelle · 14/05/2019 12:01

longest I don't know how detached from society you are but for a LOT of people cars are vital. I don't even drive so I have no side to take here, but you're really ignorant as to how society functions if you think not being able to access a car and or a taxi isn't a big deal. My neighbour has to drop her first child off at school, then drive across the town to drop her kid off at nursery. She then comes home. She then has to go out 4 hours later and gets the kid from nursery and comes home. She then has to go back and get the kid from school. Come home. She then later has to drive to work as she works nights. In the morning she returns, before public transport even starts. Lots of people lead lives that rely heavily on cars.

lisalocketlostherpocket · 14/05/2019 12:02

we are going to need people to be much more receptive than this to restrictions on cars

This.

The air quality in London improves by something like 88% when the London marathon or Ride London are taking place. I'd have more of these events, not fewer.

Carers and emergency services can easily have special arrangements made. Everyone else knows the event is happening and can plan accordingly. When my local half marathon is on people moan and it never occurs to them to park their car 5 mins walk from their house so it is away from the route and easy to drive away.

I don't like the annual carnival in my town so I always make a point of being out of town that day. I don't say it shouldn't happen.

justarandomtricycle · 14/05/2019 12:03

Has anyone ever noticed that people who use the term NIMBY are always talking about something they don't give a shit about because it's not in their back yard?

"Hi I'd like the inconvenience to be where you live because I don't give a shit about where you live."
"I'm not happy about that"

FaFoutis · 14/05/2019 12:03

I don't have a car and road closures due to cycling pisses me off too. Fucking bikes.
It happens in my town too.

Prequelle · 14/05/2019 12:08

Everyone else knows the event is happening and can plan accordingly.

How when buses were stopped.

justarandomtricycle · 14/05/2019 12:09

The air quality in London improves by something like 88% when the London marathon or Ride London are taking place. I'd have more of these events, not fewer.

and it's fair to say most of London could live, get to work, visit sick relatives, catch flights, etc without cars.

Not the case in a lot of rural parts, and often there are other considerations like farms etc.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 14/05/2019 12:10

The predictable blather about "saving the environment" sounds like our City Council, who've fetishized cyclists to the point where they can do exactly as they please. Unfortunately, unless they all cycled to the event, it rather ignores the alleged damage resulting from how they travelled there in the first place

The recent chaos isn't the cyclists' personal fault though - it's more a case of a company, aided by the council, helping themselves to everyone else's facilities in order to make more money

Personally I'd love to know what kind of backhanders persuaded them to ignore all the usual risk assessment issues, but I don't imagine we'll ever find out ...