AIBU to be fucked off at road marathons?

[JesusOnAYamaha]

Once a year in London is one thing but they're bloody everywhere now and it's not like the organisers put diversions in so you can get to where you're going. We had one in our town a couple of months ago and I couldn't leave my (no through) street because they blocked it off so people could spend a day running past it. I mean I couldn't even cross the road at the end of my street, on foot. Now I've just found out that I can't get to where I need to be for a family event later this month because another load of joggers are closing down a bunch of roads into/in this other place.

AIBU to think they could just run round a park? Or a field? Or a racecourse? Or a hill? Or somewhere where they're not in the way of residents and other people who just want to go about their business.

I know I probably am BU. It's probably nice that people get to run around if they like running. They probably enjoy spending a day running past my street and I should be happy for them. But, I am a bit fucked off with it all.

Cheshire plain here - nice and flat so lots of bike events. Generally well organised with lots of Marshalls and signs. We have quite narrow lanes though so trying to get past a cyclist every 15 feet does require some patience!

It's such a snarky thing to use 'joggers' instead of 'runners'. Do you belittle other sports in a similar way? Says a lot more about you than the people getting off their backsides and being active.

I'd imagine not seeing as she genuinely thought mass participation road marathons could be held on an athletics track. 🤣

It's traffic every day of the week where I am. People are so very lazy. Walking and biking doesn't fuck up our lungs or cause premature death to others. A bit of inconvenience is good to make people think about doing things differently (not that all will!)

They would be harder to overtake if they were in single file, as you need to give one cyclist same space as a car anyway.

Drivers are the cause of the traffic fumes, fewer cars would help with that problem rather thsn asking people to exercise indoors

There are several rows mostly riding three or four abreast. So like a stream of several lorries driving bumper to bumper.

I don't mind once or twice a year with advance notice - I can plan to not need the car, or to park it elsewhere. But more than this gets tedious. The worst events are the ones where pedestrians can't cross the road. The last cycle event we had, we were trapped in our cul de sac on a weekday for pretty much the whole morning and couldn't get off our block by foot either as couldn't cross the road. And since our road wasn't "technically" being closed for the race, we didn't have notice before the barriers were put out ready the night before.

@DinosaurMunch

I was scrolling the thread with just one eye opened and read the beginning of your post as “I would be in favour of cat free day”

it woke me up straight away, you won’t be able to enforce this round here.
sorry for derailing the topic a bit

I just can't take drivers complaining about exercisers seriously. Prioritise the people getting off their arses to be healthy and not polluting the environment any day, in my opinion.

It's all me me me these days isn't it? A once a year thing and you can't cope with it? Get some perspective. Please.

What's wrong with saying joggers? It always looks like a jog to me.

I don't know why you assume I'm not active just because I don't jog. There's other activities in existence.

Here's the thing, with the exception of motorways, roads are for everyone. Driver or not we all pay for them. So may be give us non car owners a go sometimes.

One in 6 deaths in the uk is related to physical inactivity. If more people kept fit, we could save the nhs millions. We should be happy that people look after their own health as they are freeing up resources for those that need it.

So everyone should pay road tax then, not just car users.

Not just marathons ...

They had a massive day long "Velo" in the West Midlands 2 years running, just before lockdown. Our little cul de sac was cut off for 12 hours - bad luck if you wanted to go anywhere.

Despite the protests (which the assorted councils ignored, claiming it was a "big success") they ran it a second year. This time a lot of affected residents put tacks and glass down and it really **ed up the event.

Then the organisers went bust.

The whole thing was shady from start to finish and despite a mountain of FOI requests, I have yet to see what benefit residents had for their sacrifice. Although I imagine a few councillors had some nice holidays.

Its a vehicle tax, not a road tax, drivers don't pay for the roads, they're for everyone

You wouldn't call Mo Farrah a jogger, would you?
People who race competitively prefer to be regarded as runners rather than joggers. There is nothing wrong with jogging, but it is different to running and racing.
Jog = run at a steady gentle pace.

So you couldn't walk or cycle out of your cul de sac? And people were vandaliing vehicles? Thats terrible

*vandalising

Most are at weekends, especially Sundays.

Unlike badly planned roadworks, most allegedly essential ones in March so the budget is spent, where work is only done between 8 and 4. The real war on the motorist along with parking payment, not the phoney one the friends of Jeremy Clarkson claim.

@Hoplolly road tax klaxon! Roads are paid for out of general taxation, which I can assure you many of us non car owners do pay rather a lot of.

Not vehicles. Putting tacks down for the bikes.

Not something I would have done.

And yes for 12 hours you couldn't leave our close. The race went past the end so it was blocked off to cars. If you wanted to walk you needed to be escorted by a marshal. If you were unable to walk, in a wheelchair, you got to watch the race for the day. Which was nice.

Yep, we have one every year that falls on a day I have another event. I have to get there an very early and wait, or I can get there an hour early, park far off, and walk.

They always say there will be opportunities to cross certain streets but it's not really workable at all.

My mum lives right on the route and can't leave her house in the car, and even just walking is difficult. They usually leave the city for the day if they can, but it's not always easy to do as they are getting on and don't like to go too far.

Everyone I know hates the day, it shuts down the whole half of the city but people are still expected to live there and work etc. So some people can "do a run".

@VeloHostage Sounds like a badly organised and run event. They happen. Complain to the council and the organisers.