Greg66

Not sure where else to put this thread. The volume of BA flights from LHR probably makes this the least worst place.

We have narrowly dodged this bullet, in that (HAL strike permitting) we are due to fly on 5 Aug. But if one had to travel west to be at LHR before about 1pm on Sunday, then the road and bridge closures make that look tricky (details here: https://www.prudentialridelondon.co....road-closures/ and pages linked off that page).

Plan ahead!

rcspeirs

xtra1

Had a really awful time with this event about 3 years ago. I live roughly in-between Kings Rd and Fulham Rd. Trying to get LHR .The car spent about 1 hours in traffic , but still could not get out of the area. (We were literally trapped in the area.) Had to finally give-up and was dropped-off at the Earls Court Tube station. Just managed to get onto my flight, all stressed-up and sweaty.
This minority sports event is so disruptive ; wonder why it ever got the go-ahead?!

daftboy

Thanks for the heads up - I arrive into LHR on Sunday and have the long trek to SE London ahead - but we don't get back until 10pm so hopefully any closed roads will have opened by then.

thebigben

I had a bit of a scare! My parents are due to fly out of LHR on the 4th. Luckily I'm far west enough to avoid it all...

Greg66

Foltan

A number of pampered folk in here wringing their hands about the idea that their taxis and cars will be delayed

There's actually a system of underground tunnels in London that allow you to travel around without being bothered by these sorts of events, they're worth checking out!

Foltan

70,000 people ride the free-cycle and 25,000 people in the Sunday race - that's well over twice the size of the London marathon, and it (obviously) covers over twice the distance - so I don't think it's particularly "minority"

thebigben

As a central line commuter I respectfully disagree Any day I don't have to use the deep tube is a good day.

Deltus

In which case the HEx, TfL Rail or the Piccadilly line offer you plenty of options to have a good day!

Greg66

CrazyJ82

Add me to the list of people astonished that they get permission to do this. With all due respect to a poster above, the extent of the road closures and the duration are substantially more disruptive than the marathon. And quite aside from access to LHR/LCY (which is not easily solved for many people simply by saying "well you oughta take the Tube," especially if they're not based within a short walk of a station), this seems like it poses a particular burden on people with mobility challenges who might rely on road transport simply for their normal weekend activities. Returning to some semblance of a BA focus, one wonders if/how they provide for travelers caught out by this transport fiasco who end up missing their flights.

konagirl2

People have to cope with football matches, concert events, the marathon etc. Yes I can understand it is not great for those with mobility issues, but there are public transport alternatives. I think the analogy with the marathon is very fair given it is a *far* larger event (actually 7 events over the weekend) and the *only* ongoing closed-road event in the whole of the UK, so it attracts many people from the UK and abroad. It is certainly not a 'minority' event. I think it is worth pointing out that it has been extended to the Saturday as well as the Sunday to tie in the family FreeCycle event which happens across the country. Many cities proactively choose to close central roads to allow family traffic-free cycling and I think it is a great initiative to get people thinking about their transport choices, air pollution and and general health and wellbeing.

lhrsfo

What is a particular disgrace about this is that they have not bothered to warn local residents. My street is a one way street leading to a closed road. The organisers have not bothered to inform me, either by leaflet or by local signage. I literally had no idea until I saw this thread. Now I have to cancel various weekend plans because I am trapped.

lhrsfo

Agreed. It should be incumbent on the organisers to build temporary bridges for the cycles to allow people and traffic to cross. They should never give permission for this sort of event unless the organisers are required to mitigate. And the analogy with football matches is absurd. Living near Stamford Bridge, yes there are road closures but a) the closures are very short, not all day, b) the closures are very limited, not creating trapped islands, and c) football matches are well publicised. This is a complete surprise, with no notification or signage.