Tour de France and disruption

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Wed 2 Jul 2014 23:39
Tour de France and disruption - galileo

This weekend the Tour de France starts in Yorkshire. First stage Saturday, second on Sunday.

With usual failure to think through the consequences, local authority has declared that no parking will be allowed on any road within 100 yards or so of the route, from 7 pm Friday till 7.30 pm Sunday.

Bear in mind that this applies to built up residential areas, a large percentage of which consists of Victorian properties with no drive or off-road parking, several thousand cars will have to find somewhere other than the road in front of the owner's house.

Car parks are barely adequate in normal times, not to mention the charges (several pounds a day), so chaos will reign across the area, aggravated by the 12 hour road closures.

What twisted logic requires parking to be banned (with the threat of towing away) from Friday to Sunday when the entire procession will pass in maybe an hour on Sunday afternoon?

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Thu 3 Jul 2014 09:53
Tour de France and disruption - Bromptonaut

Which LA and where, more precisely, are the streets involved? I assume from mention of Sunday afternoon it's in the Sheffield area.

Don't underestimate the sheer volume of visitors the event is expected to generate. Not only for the passage of the race itself but on Saturday too when the start in Leeds and stage through to Harrogate will be broadcast on big screens in many places. then No doubt there will be similar provision for the York to Sheffield stage. We will watch on the big screen in Knaresborough before biking out to Ripley to see the riders pass.

The race takes around two hours from the head of the publicity caravan until the last riders/support vehicles and the broomwagon to pass any one point. Maybe a bit less on a road stage where most riders are together longer if limbs spread them out. Given the number of Pennine climbs on Sunday their will likley be leading gropus ahead of the peloton as well as stragglerss behind. Keen watchers will probably camp out overnight to bag the best viewing points.

Ideally there should have been temporary permits for residents but maybe streets need to be kept free for access - the usual stop/go round groups of parked cars simply won't cut the mustard.

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Thu 3 Jul 2014 18:04
Tour de France and disruption - galileo

Which LA and where, more precisely, are the streets involved?

Calderdale and Kirklees.

Every road connecting with the route (all of which are closed 12 hours on the day) are designated 'no parking' for about 100 yards from the route from Friday evening to Sunday evening. There is a list of the hundreds of roads affected on the LA websites.

Residents protests in Sheffield got some road closures reduced to half a day.

There are resident permit schemes but where the street is one of the above, even residents can not park for the entire weekend, which will clearly cause problems.

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Sat 5 Jul 2014 00:14
Tour de France and disruption - focussed

I watched the TDF pass through a small town near to where I live in north-western France in 2011. Spectators cars parked everywhere around the town, on pavements and verges and side streets, thousands of people lining the route, watching from first floor windows and balconies, no restrictions, no control freakery by the local commune.

Real carnival atmosphere, the cavalcade that precedes the tour is something to watch and marvel at, advertisers chucking sweets to the kids from the followers cars,I wonder if the French will take that to the UK, or be allowed to?

There was one municipal policeman on duty in the main square, all smiles, chatting with his mates.

I expect that the UK H &S killjoys will be there, clipboards at the ready.

It's different in France.......!

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Wed 9 Jul 2014 23:15
Tour de France and disruption - daveyjp
Three days later and the world didn't stop spinning. 2.5 million people who saw it can't be wrong.

The only negative report I have seen is from Fox Sports, no surprise there as they think any enjoyment should be banned.
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Wed 9 Jul 2014 23:30
Tour de France and disruption - RobJP

Think it was 2.5 million for the first 2 days. Day 3 in the southeast was another million too.

So, 3.5 million. Lots of business for trades, cafes, hotels, restaurants, campsite owners, etc, etc, in the local economy. Which means they employ people, who spend money in the local economy ... a virtuous circle.

Apart from those who whine and moan about everything, of course. They'd have probably preferred it if TDF had been a disaster, and didn't ever come back.

Edited by RobJP on 09/07/2014 at 23:30

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Fri 3 Oct 2014 18:00
Tour de France and disruption - Don2012

Think it was 2.5 million for the first 2 days. Day 3 in the southeast was another million too.

So, 3.5 million. Lots of business for trades, cafes, hotels, restaurants, campsite owners, etc, etc, in the local economy. Which means they employ people, who spend money in the local economy ... a virtuous circle.

Apart from those who whine and moan about everything, of course. They'd have probably preferred it if TDF had been a disaster, and didn't ever come back.

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Fri 3 Oct 2014 18:03
Tour de France and disruption - Don2012

We did a rally which had to work hard to aviod the tour when leaving Reims in 2014.

Edited by Avant on 03/10/2014 at 22:39

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