“ I have absolutely no hesitation to pour buckets of scorn over Surrey County Council and their uselessness ”
SEPTEMBER | THE COMMENTATOR
Cyclists fixed my roads
Martin Fullard on cycling , and squinting
If you live in South West London or Surrey then in July you may have noticed a few road closures . 2018 saw the sixth running of the Ride London cycle race take place and it was , of course , jolly exciting . For most , the event is just something that happens on TV , but if like me you live in the area it passes through , then one ’ s perception can be , shall we say , blurred .
The Ride London event starts at the Olympic Park in the East End before cyclists trickle down through central westwards before turning down towards Richmond , Sunbury and Weybridge . It then penetrates the M25 , out to Ripley , into the Surrey Hills ( which is where I live ), over to Dorking , and back up towards The Mall via Esher , Kingston-upon-Thames and Fulham .
Ahead of this article I wanted to find out what measures it took to arrange such road closures and how much the organisers spent on policing costs , but they weren ’ t able to help me . So , instead , I wondered how much the event actually benefits the areas it passes through .
The event may happen just once each year , but the practicing goes on all year round . Hoards of lycra enthusiasts tear about the Surrey Hills ’ tight winding roads trying to shave 0.3 tenths
of a second off last weeks ’ 60km ride . This is all fine , and we must all learn to share the roads … unfortunately there are some – on both two and four wheels – who let their respective sides down . Some cyclists are downright rude , and some motorists are outright dangerous ( I have been guilty of expletive-ridden rants in the direction of the occasional wiggling , lycra sculpted bottom , I confess ).
But , no matter , because the benefits that this sporting event brings the area are clear to see . For one , the village shop in Peaslake – a quaint , picturesque
“ I have absolutely no hesitation to pour buckets of scorn over Surrey County Council and their uselessness ”
shop straight out of the Sylvanian Families catalogue – appears to make more money than Microsoft . In fact the only other shop in the village is a cycle shop that , as I frequent the pub opposite , is literally always teeming with lyrca and muddyfaces .
The cyclists love stopping off at picturesque villages for cups of tea and to coo at the ducklings , and the result is I can buy artisan local honey for £ 6.50 .
Then there are the roads . I have absolutely no hesitation to pour buckets of scorn over Surrey County Council and their uselessness when it comes to traffic management . They make life as miserable as possible for motorists , and the potholes on some roads lead quite literally to the centre of the earth . But when the cycle race comes to the area , you can ’ t move for temporary traffic lights and hi-vis jackets as they frantically scrabble to patch up all the craters . It ’ s fantastic ; it means that when I ’ m stuck behind a peloton doing 8mph the road is smooth and pleasant .
The race is watched all over the world , and people do actually travel from as far away as the US to cycle the route . The result ? Arkwright ’ s Local Stationary Shop in Dorking High Street is beamed straight into the living room of Hank the American . You can ’ t buy advertising like that …
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