Cycling Related

I had a quick look on google maps. It is on a single road through a small village, and with a small car park. I would like to know the nature of the complaints. If the problem is loads of blokes turning up in cars at 8am on a Sunday, parking right through the village, banging doors and shouting at each other as the testosterone rises then they have a point, if it is just busy during its normal opening hours then they should just get a life. It looks like the building used to be a pub, did they complain about the noise late at night when it was serving beer?

Well he can go swivel then.

If the council send out such notices on one complaint then somebody should complain about all the noise and disturbance cause by Windsor Castle being open to the public....

I haven't read up on this story beyond the headlines. What is the legal basis on which a council can decide to ban a cycling group from stopping at a cafe?

JohnToo wrote: ↑

4 years ago

I haven't read up on this story beyond the headlines. What is the legal basis on which a council can decide to ban a cycling group from stopping at a cafe?

I don't think there is a legal basis. Catching up to today, they have withdrawn action against the cycle clubs. There was much rejoicing.

Then

Cycling UK was informed a few hours ago that the Council had informed Mr Goodwin today that, notwithstanding their statement that no action would be taken against clubs attending Velolife, Mr Goodwin still needed to ensure that clubs did not use the café as a stop before, during or after organised rides, and that to do so would breach the terms of the draft injunction the Council has sought.

An injunction has to be signed off by a judge. So that will be when the legality will be tested.

Still, how is the owner to prevent this? It's insane.

I've cycled through Warren Row before the cafe opened. It's a lovely place to cycle, and the area was pretty bereft of cafes, as I recall.

I think the Fridays stopped there once?

We did, on Titus' Reading to Reading ride.

LowlifeDes wrote: ↑

4 years ago

We did, on Titus' Reading to Reading ride.

I'm open minded, but Reading to Reading might be the least appealing ride invitation it is possible to achieve in three words.

The Real Ravenhurst wrote: ↑

4 years ago

I'm open minded, but Reading to Reading might be the least appealing ride invitation it is possible to achieve in three words.

"Staines to Erith".

There's a lot of decent countryside and pretty towns and villages near Reading.

The Real Ravenhurst wrote: ↑

4 years ago

I'm open minded, but Reading to Reading might be the least appealing ride invitation it is possible to achieve in three words.

You have to look at the positive. You start and leave Reading, which is a good thing. You finish and there is a wide range of train destinations on offer, which is also a good thing.
Obviously, in the specific context of it being run as a FNRttC, the lack of coast is an issue.

My recollection is that the ride was enjoyable but the cafe wasn't up to much.

LowlifeDes wrote: ↑

4 years ago

You have to look at the positive. You start and leave Reading, which is a good thing. You finish and there is a wide range of train destinations on offer, which is also a good thing.
Obviously, in the specific context of it being run as a FNRttC, the lack of coast is an issue.

The mitigations are essentially about getting away from Reading. As endorsements go...

Though I must admit, I will never be convinced by the merits of "Friday night ride to random town in southern England."

Cycling Weekly helps make it clearer.

The dispute between Velolife and the council dates back to 2017, when the local authority opposed the site, formerly The Snooty Fox pub, being converted into a café, shop, bike repair workshop and a cyclist meeting place.

A government planning inspector was called in to handle the dispute last year, ruling that Velolife could continue as a café and cycle repair shop but that organised meetings of cyclists must not start or finish at the café.

I can see that planning regs might stop the cafe running events, but I don't see how they even thought they could hold the cyclists responsible. They would have to get call it an illegal gathering and involve the police. And to sanction the cafe for the behaviour of cyclists outside their control? Crazy.