Cyclists "strongly advised" not to go on bike ride next Monday

[sunnydaytoday0]

Ok they've now U-turned on their advice (not the first organisation to do so after the inevitable backlash) but why on earth would British Cycling think this was a good idea?

"British Cycling strongly recommends that anybody out riding their bike on the day of the state funeral does so outside of the timings of the funeral service and associated processions, which will be confirmed later this week"

www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/sep/13/worthy-of-the-stasi-british-cycling-in-queens-funeral-u-turn-after-ridicule

Bloody ridiculous the whole world can't stop

I've extended my weekend away and will drive back home when the funeral is on. Hopefully petrol stations will still be open 🤣 and hopefully the roads will be quiet.

Dictating what people do/ don't do in their leisure time is wrong, and as this isn't a direct or enforcable order it's pointless virtue signalling. There are definitely tones of the "one hour exercise" "don't sit on a bench" going on from some.

Some people will want to watch the funeral. Some people won't. Some businesses/ services will be affected for logistical reasons. Some non-essential services will choose to close due to lack of trade or to facilitate staff who wish to watch. I have no issue with that (I'm not impressed with cancelling much delayed hospital services/ funerals though)

"Respect" policing is tedious and can be pretty offensive to people with deeply held reasons to not want to engage which may well include their own personal grief.

Are you sure 🤔
I shall be going out for a 100 miler in her honour

Well I'll be out on the bike or out for a hike. I won't be joining British cycling in a hurry.....

I noticed MoneySavingExpert's weekly money tips email has been shortened this week because "the nation is officially in mourning". So fewer tips and offers highlighted this week. Thank goodness we're not in the middle of a cost of living crisis or anything! 😂

Everyone paying full price is what she would've wanted.

Could it not be because a substantial number of Police / ambulance / fire service are likely to be redistributed to London to cater for the increase in people there so perhaps there won't be services available if accidents occurred and services are thin enough as it is.

Of course in that case everyone in a car should also be recommended to not drive as driving accidents are probably more likely.

I definitely taking advantage of the quiet roads and will cycle in honour of the dear lady.

Well, its a not a normal BH, many as you say will be staying in, roads will be quiet so far less chance of being run down by a dickhead motorist too impatient to care about their or anyone else's safety.

Or they can run their business /support exactly how they like and tough luck to anyone who feels differently

DS and I will be going for a bike ride, since there’s bugger all else to do.

This is getting ridiculous now. Why not just go the whole hog and shut everything, ban everything, shutdown stream services and force all terrestrial channels to show the funeral only. Anyone seen outside will be named and shamed on their neighbourhood Facebook group. Maybe they could even bring back Covid laws for the day to make it illegal to leave the house?

And what's worse is that this might set the tone; Charlie is getting on a bit and we could end up doing all this shite again in just a few year's time!

BC have issued a statement saying "sorry, we got it wrong" now.
That's something at least, though obviously it would have been better if they'd given it a bit more thought before they published the original guidance.

No, it was don't ride your bikes. Full stop.

Anyway, what's wrong with a big bank holiday celebratory ride. Why do we all have to stay at home, what's wrong with people coming together?

Oh good, then I can claim asylum in the EU.

Going off in unnecessary MAMIL related trips with a risk of significant injury / a crash etc is foolish when the emergency services are already overstretched and response times are appalling, let alone when there are even fewer of them available than usual on predictable days

Most people don't live in London or Windsor so it won't be any busier than it normally is on a bank holiday (and potentially much quieter as we are in funeral lockdown with everything closed).

Screaming vampires [haha]

So true.

@gatehouseoffleet the 10,000 extra coppers are being drawn in from every force in the country. All forces will be short handed for a few days.

Exactly. They are all terrified of doing something wrong & being 'cancelled'. There's a terror of not being seen as suitably grieving for the monarch & so now everyone is out performing everyone else

But nobody is going to care. OK so they get a few angry tweets. Maybe more than a few. And after a couple of days it's all forgotten. As I said last week on another discussion, if the likes of Legoland were open on funeral day, nobody would boycott them next year.

I think they had made an area pedestrian-only, I saw a map somewhere.

It isn't a reason to stop people cycling. If that was actually a reason then you would ask people not to drive unless essential. Drivers cause more and more serious accidents than cyclists do. Blimey, it really does sound more and more like lockdown.

It has nothing to do with that and everything to do with virtue signalling - oh how can you go out on a bike ride and have fun when the Queen has died.

Because having a full email of tips, rather than half an email is soooo disrespectful.

Oh come on.

I'm not a MAMIL and I think their statement was appalling. If they had said that in some areas, like Central London, might not be a good idea due to logistics etc that would have been sensible but phrased the way it was invited all the ridicule it has received.