Should Boris Johnson be fined for not staying local to exercise?

[MyBossIsATwat]

www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/boris-johnson-cycle-7-miles-downing-street-olympic-park-b827961.html

Didn’t those women in Derbyshire only travel 5 miles?

“Local” is not defined precisely anywhere.

He shouldn’t be fined.
He also shouldn’t be surprised plenty of other people were also out exercising.

Just read that his father has already had both doses of the vaccine too.

No. It is local if you live in London.

My DH likes to cycle. We don’t live in London (used to) and that sort of distance could easily be him popping out for some exercise, starting from our door.

@Em777

Just read that his father has already had both doses of the vaccine too.

Presumably because he is in the right age group for it. I know of others who have had two doses. It isn’t unprecedented.

I think Boris is an absolutely buffoon and I can’t stand him. He has handled the pandemic horribly.
Let’s criticise him for things that are proper reasons for criticism.

Err it's really hard to stay super local when you're cycling, especially if you're reasonably fit. I can cover the distance people do for their daily walk on my bike in 5-10 mins. It's kinda why I like cycling, covers ground fast.

What's my local area? My ward? My postcode? (Couldn't take my daughter to nursery and would have to go further to go to a supermarket) My "town"? (I live in london awkwardly between towns)? My city?

To me, in zone 3 south london, quite a lot of london is my local area. I could cycle to Boris' door step in 40 mins but it 8 miles away.

No of course not. And neither should anyone else.

Not a single person should be fined or shamed for cycling 7 miles away from home.

Of course he shouldn't be fined for that. Even if he cycled from home and back and went round the park a few times, 15-20 miles on relatively flat ground barely counts as 'exercise' when cycling.

Plus outside activity is reasonably low risk unless you stand around coughing in each other's faces. It's not this sort of thing that's spreading the virus. For that you need to look at people who are using multiple 'bubbles' to carry on as normal with their friends and family and people being made to go into an office to do work that could be done at home.

No why should he? Do you expect people just to run/cycle round in circles at the bottom of their drive? Some of these comments show people have a zero understanding of exercise. I am a distance runner and 7-10 miles is an average run for for me I’m not going to spend the next few months doing laps of my street!

@borageforager

Didn’t those women in Derbyshire only travel 5 miles?

They drove 5 miles. He didn't.

Of course he should be prosecuted for going on a bike ride from his front door

Oh FGS, I am no fan of the PM but don't be ridiculous OP. Cycling 7 miles 🤦‍♂️

The guidelines say you should stay “in the part of the city in which you live”.

Open to interpretation.

I think he’s fine to do this. What isn’t fine is if mere mortals are fined for doing the same thing or less.

@borageforager

Didn’t those women in Derbyshire only travel 5 miles?

It's not the same though. Boris covered a distance of 7 miles whilst doing his exercise.

Those women drove 5 miles to 'exercise'

No. 7 miles is not remotely excessive to ride (or even run). I think we possibly need to have a definition of local for purposes of the pandemic though, if only to stop a stupid thread like this.

@Katie517

No why should he? Do you expect people just to run/cycle round in circles at the bottom of their drive? Some of these comments show people have a zero understanding of exercise. I am a distance runner and 7-10 miles is an average run for for me I’m not going to spend the next few months doing laps of my street!

Yes they do. They see things like the French 1km limit and want it here too. For some reason.

For context, the German limit (and only in high risk areas) is 15km. More than 7 miles.

Those women drove 5 miles to 'exercise'

Which is not prohibited. They were walking. Does that not count as exercise?

@PurpleDaisies

Those women drove 5 miles to 'exercise'

Which is not prohibited. They were walking. Does that not count as exercise?

Yes walking is exercise, but nobody needs to drive 5 miles to start doing it.

Unless he shoved his bike in the boot of his car and drove 5 miles to meet up with a mate, got a takeaway coffee and then they both pushed their bikes round whilst chatting I'd say not.

7 miles isn't that far if you're cycling is it?

It doesn’t say anywhere in there that he cycled to the park, it says that he cycled round the park.

If he cycled to it, he’s a bit of an idiot for being surprised that there were other people there.

If he got there by other means and cycled once there, then it’s further evidence of him being a shambolic, arrogant, selfish dickhead who has no business holding any form of public office.

I hope the two women from Derbyshire challenge the police in court. They should have never been fined in the first place even if the guidance “exercise should be local” had been the actual law.

However, the fact that the Derbyshire police comes across as entirely unprofessional and appears on a mission to antagonise the local population doesn’t mean that we should be following the similar non-sensical approach in other situations.

Yes walking is exercise, but nobody needs to drive 5 miles to start doing it.

Oh rubbish! And the point of the outcry is that the police response was so bafflingly over the top, when there are actual bloody crimes to be tackled.

No, Within London. Duh

@HesterShaw1

Yes walking is exercise, but nobody needs to drive 5 miles to start doing it.

Oh rubbish! And the point of the outcry is that the police response was so bafflingly over the top, when there are actual bloody crimes to be tackled.

You are so right! Anybody should be allowed to drive to a beauty spot with their mates, any time they feel like it!

I am so happy Boris encourage people to exercise. Well done Boris!!!!