Bike rides

[whenskiesaregrey]

So, if someone goes on a 30, 40, 50+ bike ride, what explicit reasons can I give for why they can't do it?

Just for clarity, I don't think it should happen. But when challenged, people say there is no contact, routes are quiet etc. Just wondering how to respond to this.

Jogging close to home is clearly much more antisocial than cycling 50 miles on what are likely to be quiet roads (only masochistic nutters cycle on dual carriageways etc.)

@greenlynx OP wanted reasons to tell someone they aren't allowed to do something. For that, only the rules matter.

OP stop worrying about what everyone else is doing if it's hard for your mental health. The rules are quite clear (imo) with enough room for them to be applied to individual circumstances and requirements but it's not your job to police them.

@aut0replenish you can drive 5mins to the woods, you can't drive out of your local area. Police in some areas have been forced to clarify that after initially being over zealous.

5 / 10 mins isn’t really your immediate local area though is it and 50 miles def isn’t.

That's you opinion aut0replenish and you're entitled to it when making your own decisions. You're not entitled to use it to dictate to others. 5 mins at 30mph is 2.5 miles. Yes, that is local.

50 miles isn't but if you left home on a bike it is exercise and allowed. You might think it's unwise and again, that's your decision to make for yourself, not for others.

But they wouldn’t be happy if we walked 2 and a half miles from the house. They’ve made that clear.

I am all for exercising and even was in favour in favour of driving short distances to do it but they’ve made it clear now they don’t want that. Actually I don’t want sweaty cyclists cycling 50 miles to my town bringing whatever germs they have from other areas.. Cycling is travelling but worse than in a car. It’s more dangerous for the cyclist and others.

This very much favours richer folk. When hard up families are stuck in cramped flats with no green spaces to get to by car it sticks in the throat that others who can afford bikes are exploiting the cycling loophole.

You need to find something better to do with your time than police other people's behaviour

When have they made it clear you can't walk 2.5 miles from the house? That's only 40 min.

A 50 mile ride for me is a day out with a lunch stop, so I won't be doing that. For people used to doing it as their daily commute, a short walk really isn't going to fulfil their need for exercise.

It's not helpful for anyone to be making rules up. They are deliberately flexible so that people can get what they need. The "standards" were set knowing that people would interpret them differently. Also that there wouldn't be full compliance. It's all part of the plan, people winding themselves up over what others are doing are only harming themselves.

It's not a loophole though? It's the allowed exercise? And why do you keep mentioning how sweaty people are? Have there been cases of people catching the virus from sweat on the road?

I don’t police other people’s behaviour as I’m indoors all day bar a quick walk. I just think it’s unfair that the poor struggling mother I saw on BBC news is stuck in a cramped airless flat with her son and no green spaces she can walk to quickly. She isn’t able to go to those further afield as the walk was too far and it involved driving but cyclists can do and go wherever they like because they can afford bikes for their family.

It’s not policing it’s noticing unfairness and exploitation of rules.

you don't have to go 50m from home to do a 50m bike ride. This can easily be done within 10-15m of home. I actually don't see the difference in risk of a cyclist doing 10m from home or 50m from home. If you have an accident it could happen within 1m or 10m from home the risk is the same. If a cyclist is not giving enough space that is a different issue and apples to both runners and walkers as well. Why pick on cyclists. If a cyclist is in a group that is not just household members that is also not OK but again apples to walkers and runners. There is nothing in the rules to limit exercise to 1 hour although this is probably sensible for most people the rules are vague to allow people to apply common sense.
Common sense to me implies that if you are used to cycling long distances and can safely cycle 50m without going too far from home or needing to drive from home or on fast roads then as long as you follow social distancing rules it's fine.

That's aut0replenish because she's listening to people like you and assuming she can't drive a short distance to an open space when she can. As I said, it's not helpful.

People who cycle a lot will be super fit so a 1 hour, local bike ride won't touch them. If they are cycling routes where there are no people, why does it matter?

OP focus on your own life rather. Obsessing over correcting other people's behaviour won't help you.

Where does it say you can’t walk 2.5 miles from home?

@aut0replenish. Unfortunately there are lots of things in life which are unfair and we live in a society were access to financial resources is different for everyone. We can't change that and it would be a nightmare to have different rules for different groups of people. I think if people use common sense and apply it to their own situation with an appropriate consideration of the rules and use social distancing then it's fine.

My Dh used to cycle 11 miles to work uphill and then 11 miles back. He’s managing. Matt Haig ran several k up and down his decking yesterday.

“when people post their Strava on Facebook, I find it hard to ignore”

Snooze updates on Facebook is really useful. Then you can only ignore it! Problem solved.

That's his choice and probably a wise one but there is absolutely nothing in the rules to prevent him continuing to do his 22m per day if he wants to. He will be less fit at the end of it and again that's his choice.

I actually think all cycling should be banned at the moment or an acceptance that you won’t get emergency care if you come off. People are clearly taking the piss. We had people cycling inches from us along our lane who had come so far they didn’t know the name of our big town. Cyclists and joggers don’t stop when space gets too tight, they go past too close.One of the reasons my Dh isn’t doing it is because he doesn’t want to risk an accident. He has come off a couple of times and is very proficient.

I know some people can't afford bikes, which is crap. But likewise some people can't afford a tablet or laptop or broadband or paper. Poorer families are missing out on all sorts of things in this crisis. It still doesn't give anyone the right to tell people who are more fortunate what to do.
Having a laptop to access school work or a bike to go cycling is lucky but it's not a loophole.

My DP Comes into more contract having a 30 minute walk near our home than he does cycling 30 miles around country lanes in our local area 🤷‍♀️

But cycling 50 miles and close to pedestrians in clumps you are risking others. If cyclists can cycle 50 miles others should be allowed to drive 50 miles. Cycling is transport.

@aut0replenish my neighbours daughter fell off a kerb just up the road from home last weekend. She was on a walk. She has broken her ankle. All relative isn't it.

FGS aut0replenish you're not making the rules so it doesn't matter what you think. By trying to insist you (and people like you) know better, you end up with situations like the one you are apparently so concerned about, with young families stuck in a flat unnecessarily.

Do what you think is right but stop trying to dictate to others, especially when they are acting within the current rules.

If she’d fallen off her bike at speed it would have been worse. The likelihood of an accident whilst walking is smaller than whilst cycling and less likely to be serious.