Car stranded -- Prudential RideLondon 2013

[swamp]

Our car has been stranded a couple of miles away from our house after the wife nipped out to buy some nappies. Without any warning the roads have all been shut for some cycle race, and the stewards wouldn't let us back to our house.

Anyone else caught out by this? I couldn't even see any cyclists. Apparently they started at 6am and they won't reopen the roads until 5:30pm.

Very angry.

[iva cosworth]

The signs have been up for a couple of weeks in affected roads....

I decided to stay in rather than potentially have trouble around Dorking,

which is basically closed.

[jke11y]

Live in west ken and also had to leave the car and walk back (as they wouldn't let marshals direct traffic across the a4 even though there were zero bikes passing in the 20mins I waiting). Now need to go to the office on kings road and that's shut until 730.

[soad]

Cycling/Marathon events happen in the summertime.
Signs are always up (well in advance) to tell you so.
Bad luck having been caught up.

There's a Gay Pride event on locally.

[Dog Star]

Anyone who isn't a copper who thinks I'm not going back to my house is in for some very short shrift indeed.

I'm pretty sure I can make a perfectly good risk assessment re crossing a road myself.

[dm46]

swamp said:

Our car has been stranded a couple of miles away from our house after the wife nipped out to buy some nappies. Without any warning the roads have all been shut for some cycle race, and the stewards wouldn't let us back to our house.

Anyone else caught out by this? I couldn't even see any cyclists. Apparently they started at 6am and they won't reopen the roads until 5:30pm.

Very angry.

So your wife is stupid and hasn't seen the signs that have been out for weeks already?! Mmmmmmm

[LondonSW7]

I've been caught out by this too. I'd seen the signs, they were up for weeks. I was hoping the tomtom would route me around it. I realised too late its traffic connection wasn't working. I was delayed 40mins (in a 3.5hr. trip), could have been worse.

[sandman77]

Dog Star said:

Anyone who isn't a copper who thinks I'm not going back to my house is in for some very short shrift indeed.

I'm pretty sure I can make a perfectly good risk assessment re crossing a road myself.

Good luck with that!

[tomtom]

"Without any warning", ha! There have been signs everywhere for weeks.

[Steve_F]

Dog Star said:

Anyone who isn't a copper who thinks I'm not going back to my house is in for some very short shrift indeed.

I'm pretty sure I can make a perfectly good risk assessment re crossing a road myself.

Having been standing chatting to a Marshall on the corner of a closed road and seeing this attitude I can assure you they won't just take down the barriers and let you go. For a bike race the time they'll arrive will depend how fast the early race has been. That can vary massively so they have a timing window when the road is closed. The reason they can't just let you nip along the road is the bikes, outriders/cars can be coming along at 40+ mph so you nipping along (and possibly having to get barriers removed to get out) can be a serious safety issue, especially if the race is coming towards you with no one expecting a car there.

The marshals should have radios to event organisers, for something like that event they'll have police on course, when I saw it happen they were getting on the radio to get the police there before the guy turned round.

And signs will have been up for a long time or they wouldn't get the road closure approved.

[iva cosworth]

Dog Star said:

Anyone who isn't a copper who thinks I'm not going back to my house is in for some very short shrift indeed.

I'm pretty sure I can make a perfectly good risk assessment re crossing a road myself.

You will be allowed on foot,it's cars that are barred.....

[okgo]

tomtom said:

"Without any warning", ha! There have been signs everywhere for weeks.

Not to mention a widespread tv campaign, adverts in the press, etc etc. if you live in the area and have not heard about it you've been living under a stone.

[Riley Blue]

I'd read and heard about it and I'm over 100 miles away.

[Skellen]

Total chaos round here.

Next weekend we will have the Lycra clad wannabes riding 7 a breast along the main road and wondering what they are doing wrong

[Sargeant Orange]

We were Walking back down to Chelsea harbour this morning and saw a guy having a ruck with one of the stewards just off kings Road by the gas works. He was shouting something about an emergency at first and moving cones, as the stewards came over to stop him he started shouting something in another language. Next thing you know he jumps back in the car and drives through the cones while the stewards looked on in amazement.

We ended up having to go down the A3 to head back west (we hadn't heard about the event) and the tfl site wasn't the clearest for a non londoner

[muley]

Well, I couldn't take my bike on the train.. ..so I didn't join in with the cycle ride.

Stupid, if you ask me. Was I supposed to drive in with the bike? Most odd.

[IroningMan]

Apparently they're thinking of having a marathon in London in April - you might want to plan your journeys now...

[iva cosworth]

IroningMan said:

Apparently they're thinking of having a marathon in London in April - you might want to plan your journeys now...

What a silly idea.

It'll never catch on.....

They could start it on Blackheath i suppose....

[Dog Star]

iva cosworth said:

You will be allowed on foot,it's cars that are barred.....

To clarify - my original point meant on foot, so that's ok.

(I had visions of people not jus in hi-viz, but perhaps with the ultimate symbol of authority, A HAT, preventing me from (sensibly) getting home. )

[y2blade]

Oh dear.