Temporary road closure appeal

[MelonsOnSaleAgain]

Not sure where to put his…but…

We have received a letter from a local sporting club advising they have applied for a road closure for the road our house is on for a day later this year.

some very nice words about not wanting to inconvenience etc etc. Except, we are very rural, and closing the road is effectively tying us to our homes that day as it’s one road that goes past our home. There are no alternative entrances and exits on the route and there’s nowhere for us to walk to. There was no consultation, no offer of contact for the day for emergencies or similar.

Does anyone know if it’s possible to appeal a council decision to close a road. I’m confident other suitable roads are available, without residential property on them. Our council website is being useless on this, just tells me how to apply.

This used to happen to me every year in the previous house I lived in. Bloody bike races!

It’s one day, and they have given you loads of notice. It would be really selfish to object.

I would contact your local Counsellor and ask them to intervene on your behalf.

Happens round by us as well. Rural area and it seems every cyclist and his mother is now in the business of setting up cycle events. They are every week in the summer. Worst part is, they all use a long straight stretch of A road that is the main route across the county. There's a fairly new cycle path alongside most of it that they won't use.

Why can't you just park your car outside of the closure area before it begins and then if you want to go off anywhere you can do so. There must be a reason why your road was selected. I can't believe that the organisation hasn't stated why they have sought the permission. Have you recently moved to the property? You will look a bit silly if it turns out this is a regular event and permission has always been granted in the past.

How on earth did you guess it was cycling 🤣🤣

and No. Not recent. I’d be parking quite a way out of my way if I parked out of the zone! None of the neighbours who have been here longer have ever had one either.

TBH I’d mind less if the tone of the letter was nicer and less obnoxious and they’d offered a plan or maybe time period in the morning and PM but not a global closure.

@TheFlis12345 perhaps. And maybe I won’t go that far. But they’ve done zilch to do anything to put the handful of us impacted in favour. Not even a contact number for the day in case of emergency.

How far would you have to walk to your car if you parked outside the area being closed? I feel "confined to our house for the day" is a tad dramatic?

It's always bloody cycling. We had 11 days of this nonsense recently and regularly have roads shut for other cycling events. You have my sincere sympathies.

I thought the closure notice had to clearly state a start and finish time. I'm sure they would have had to submit such detail to the approving authority. The police and other emergency services will have to be notified of the closure and signs put up of alternative routes. I think a Google of the details of the sports organisers should enable you make contact with someone to establish these facts and then you can go from there.

Well a mile in one direction, more in the other. That’s if I’m looking for a safe place to leave my car! If I want to abandon it illegally in a farm gate on a country lane just outside the end of the closure I could but I think that would be selfish!

It’s 8am-4pm alternative routes once you’re off our bit of road aren’t a problem. The issue is they are closing our only route on and off as we’re slap bang in the middle of their chosen stretch for their time trials!

edited for typos

We have a car free Sunday every year and no cars are allowed anywhere unless you apply for a special dispensation. It's not really an issue knowing about it in advance.

First you say their tone was really nice, then you say it was obnoxious. I think you are getting yourself a bit wound up.

Here's how I feel: if someone in the countryside where hardly anything ever happens asked me to give up the use of my drive for something for a day that I know benefits local families or residents, I would say yes.

If it's something I knew they wanted once a month, I would tell them to bugger off.

I don't think 8 hours once a year is worth upsetting locals for.

I like the idea of something benefitting a local community.

I endure all manner of tedious, annoying shit to live rurally. Unfortunately, it's part and parcel of it.

Someone in our local group complained about pre-warned of birthday fireworks being immature and upsetting animals unnecessarily last week. They got a virtual lynch mobbing from most of the village.

Try not to be that person if you can!

Try not to be that person if you can!

They were right. Fireworks are bloody awful, dangerous, terrible for the environment and many pets, farm animals and wildlife suffer because of them.

You said that they have applied for a closure - not that it has been granted.
You need to speak to your local highways department - probably County Council if you're rural - and ask what the consultation process is. Your local district/county councillor should be able to help if necessary.

Perhaps I didn't make my point very well. When others go against what's 'accepted' in villages, it doesn't work out well for the objectors.

What @KievLoverTwo said.

I mean, a mile is hardly out of most people's ability if you really feel you need to go out that day. <Waits for drip feed about disability>
Or what about approaching the owners of the nearest field outside the closure to ask if they could open it up for people to park on ? Or a driveway or some such.
"Tying us to our home" sounds a tad over dramatic.
If you need to be somewhere, you could perhaps go out early ? Or just have a quiet day at home? Or even go out to watch the event ?

As said, it this were monthly I would be responding differently from what it is - one day a year.

God, it's 8 to 4, op. Not a full 24 hours. If you're so desperate to go out just leave early 🤷🏻‍♀️

some very nice words about not wanting to inconvenience etc etc

TBH I’d mind less if the tone of the letter was nicer and less obnoxious

🤔

Do you never have days where you’d stay home anyway? Do you need to get to work?

Unless you’re living in a dangerous house I really don’t see the issue for a few hours.

I would contact them and ask what their current contingencies are for emergencies. It happens regularly near us and one year there was an incident when a vet wasn’t allowed through the closure as they ‘weren’t emergency services’ and foaling mare died.

Yeah I explained badly. I’m irritable tonight.

The words were overall were nice in the sense that they tried, but the overall tone was high handed. A hit and a miss!

i think those of you suggesting I should chill out a bit are probably right. I’ll get an emergency contact then the day before get a load of fun food to cook and make sure we’re stocked on fire wood etc and make a cosy day of it.

I'm having a weird week and I have clearly overreacted. Thanks for the sanity check!

It's not always cycling

Marathons also close roads

Road closures for sporting events tend not to be done under highways legislation, which is correct as the road isn’t being closed for highway purposes, maintenance for example.

Closure for events tend to be via the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, so I would suggest contacting your local council’s office events team or similar rather than highways. I work in highways and we are consulted about closures for events but do not give permission.

What reasons would you give to appeal the closure exactly that wouldn’t make you sound like a total prick?

I am irritable 95% of the time, don't worry about it.

I would contact them and say that's fine, happy to help, and are they aware of anyone local who can help you out with parking.

All local committees are snotty. Since time immemorial.