The advice couldn't be clearer - STAY LOCAL. What part of that is so hard to understand?
Either you or bbc or you are taking it out of context. I think it is probably a good idea as do British cycling but it is not as far as I can see govt advice. The only mention of the words “stay local” as far as I can see is
I'm certainly not taking it out of context - quoted in full from the BBC. I don't think they're misquoting either.
Some (i.e. bludger) are saying that unless there is a specific law or regulation that prohibits certain activities (i.e. cycling long distances away from home) then he will continue doing it. That fails to understand:
1) If there was an individual "law" to cover every single possible outdoor activity determining time, distance, etc there would be piles of legalese.
2) There is the letter of the law, the "spirit" of the law and then guidance (i.e. Gove's stuff). Despite there not being a specific regulation banning long-distance cycling, the "spirit" of the law is pretty damn clear. Looking for loopholes is fairly pathetic in a national/global crisis IMO.
Could the guidance be clearer? Possibly, but as it stands the enforcement authorities are being allowed discretion (which has backfired with a few over-zealous plods) which in my opinion is the best way to go about things, certainly initially. See how people are behaving and adjust accordingly.
All we are really being asked to do is seriously consider limiting our daily rides and keeping them local for a few weeks so we can help to avoid a total lockdown as those in Spain and Paris are having to endure. Is that such a hardship?