Author Topic: Rides out during covid  (Read 17222 times)

Rides out during covid
« on: 10 January, 2021, 12:39:08 pm »
Hi all, Has anyone been out on longish rides during the recent lockdown? Had any issues with the police? Would you advise not going for rides?

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #1 on: 10 January, 2021, 12:42:22 pm »
I've been riding, there are plenty of people riding round here (Surrey), I've not had any issues.

Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #2 on: 10 January, 2021, 12:45:50 pm »
Hmm, wasn’t there a thread about this....?
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #3 on: 10 January, 2021, 01:38:14 pm »
Hmm, wasn’t there a thread about this....?

I guess the thread owner decided to delete it (as is their prerogative).

I was going to start a similar thread about the law vs guidance and social responsibility and morals, but I'm not sure I can be bothered. If someone wants to start a thread like that then P&OBI is probably the place to start it.

I knew some cyclists are often funny (peculiar) but I didn't think they'd be quite so many with selfish and sociopathic tendencies on show from those who want to ignore the main tenets of the guidance in order to continue to do whatever they damn well please.

As others have said more eloquently than me, this is a time to think about minimising the things you do, and deciding whether it really is necessary, rather than trying to work out what the maximum you can do within some interpretation of the rules (and squinting to ignore the bits you don't like).

I think it'll all be a bit moot in the upcoming days as I'm guessing the Government are going to either add extra clarification and/or tighten the rules/law.

But that's just my opinion. Others will obviously disagree.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

handcyclist

  • watch for my signal
Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #4 on: 10 January, 2021, 01:47:17 pm »
Well said  :thumbsup:
Doubt is is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.

Chris N

Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #5 on: 10 January, 2021, 02:13:14 pm »
It's the new hot-button topic, like religion or helmets.  Some people just don't know when to quit.

Do what the fuck you like, within the rules as best as you can interpret them.  Don't go on about it online, as there will always be someone who disagrees with you.

Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #6 on: 10 January, 2021, 03:45:34 pm »
Hmm, wasn’t there a thread about this....?

I guess the thread owner decided to delete it (as is their prerogative).



Ah, I thought once a thread had been replied to it couldn’t be deleted, so assumed the mods had. I stand corrected. Or maybe the mods were asked to. Whatever. As you say P&OBI is a better place.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #7 on: 10 January, 2021, 04:25:36 pm »
The thread starter can delete the entire thread.
Rust never sleeps

Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #8 on: 10 January, 2021, 04:57:12 pm »
Still back to the original question,  not had any issues with the police when riding, 60 miles today and only ever 15miles from home, can only remember seeing one police car, there could have been more as i wasn't really looking for them.

Interesting all the best local t spots for walking , mountain biking etc are really busy, car parks overflowing etc so lots of people driving to places to exercise. For information i live on the Hampshire/ Sussex border,.

Chris S

Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #9 on: 10 January, 2021, 05:01:20 pm »
As I just wrote elsewhere - I give it less than a week before we're all under a blanket "Stay Indoors" order.

Davef

Rides out during covid
« Reply #10 on: 10 January, 2021, 06:11:38 pm »
Closing nurseries, places of worship and being stricter on key worker status for children attending schools is probably next.

Regarding exercise, the Welsh model of banning travel to exercise and no accompanying friend from outside your household would remove the transmission at crowded popular places and through ‘social’ exercising. I particularly like the Welsh “Q: Can I ride my horse for exercise. A: only if it lives in your house”

The main thing is stay away from other people when you need to leave home

Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #11 on: 10 January, 2021, 06:37:40 pm »
Closing nurseries, places of worship and being stricter on key worker status for children attending schools is probably next.

Agree on places of worship. Mrs + Mini GB are now attending online despite their local church being open for Sunday mass. It just doesn't seem like the right thing to do despite the number limits, lots of space, masks, no signing, no communion, doors open and everything else they are doing to make it as safe as possible (it's still inside after all).

Nurseries are a problem as I think the Government has realised that enough key workers (teachers included) would be stuffed for childcare if they had to close. Therefore closing nurseries would probably equal closing some/many schools and the knock-on effects that has on staffing problems (especially in the NHS).

Anecdotal but we bumped into an NHS Doctor we know on the way back from our daily exercise and 11yo entertainment outside. She said her kids had managed one day in school this week (as key workers children, their dad is a doctor too) before both were sent home due to cases related to their class bubbles. She and their dad have had to cancel shifts because of it. If the school closes (because of staff shortages) then they'll have to drastically reduce their shifts.

Key worker status is an interesting one. One of the local primary schools went from 25 (first lockdown) to ~70 now which is a ~1/3 attendance. There are schools in other parts of the country with 2/3 or more attending. Some of the people I know who have key worker status do boggle the mind as to why, but to counterbalance that I know a fair number of parents who have legitimate key worker status who don't have to use it.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #12 on: 10 January, 2021, 07:06:42 pm »
As I just wrote elsewhere - I give it less than a week before we're all under a blanket "Stay Indoors" order.

I have heard that from someone who may well be well informed.

Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #13 on: 10 January, 2021, 07:48:07 pm »
As I just wrote elsewhere - I give it less than a week before we're all under a blanket "Stay Indoors" order.

I have heard that from someone who may well be well informed.

Well, if people will continue to put self first we could end up with a system similar to what the French have had.  1km from home and carrying a form to show to police explaining exactly why you are out.

Don't think that it can never happen here.   

Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #14 on: 10 January, 2021, 08:35:11 pm »
I was going to start a similar thread about the law vs guidance and social responsibility and morals,
There are two parallel threads about this, running into several pages on Cycling UK at the moment.

Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #15 on: 10 January, 2021, 08:40:06 pm »
We are expecting petrol stations to be closed very soon around here (Shropshire and West Midlands) except for key and NHS workers only.  The roads around here are no less busy than normal.

Davef

Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #16 on: 10 January, 2021, 08:56:21 pm »
We are expecting petrol stations to be closed very soon around here (Shropshire and West Midlands) except for key and NHS workers only.  The roads around here are no less busy than normal.
I would have thought closing non key business like construction would happen first. People still need to eat and go to the doctors.

Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #17 on: 10 January, 2021, 09:51:16 pm »

Nurseries are a problem as I think the Government has realised that enough key workers (teachers included) would be stuffed for childcare if they had to close. Therefore closing nurseries would probably equal closing some/many schools and the knock-on effects that has on staffing problems (especially in the NHS).

Nurseries should be closed, other than for key workers. That was what happened last spring.
it's crazy that they are open, given what we now know about how this gets transmitted.

bairn again

Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #18 on: 10 January, 2021, 10:24:07 pm »
We went for a long walk to Leith and back today with Mrs Again, 21km all in.

Quite a few shops open that look less than essential and fuck knows where everybody is going by car ("going to somebody else's house illegally" would be top of my list).

The rumour on Friday in Scotland was that click-and-collect,  take aways & non essential construction would be next for the chop.  At this stage it looks very much like a "do something - do anything" strategy.

Greater restrictions will only be effective if they are going to be enforced and there are too many people still flaunting the rules as they think the risk is worth it. 

If we carry on our current trajectory I can see properly draconian measures - a maximum distance from home or suchlike, but bams are gonna bam.     

Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #19 on: 10 January, 2021, 10:28:05 pm »
Someone, I forget who, said on the other thread something like that it might be good to turn this question on it’s head: spend less time looking for gaps in the rules and ways to evade being found out, and ask instead whether your exercise could be nearer to home, shorter duration and involve meeting fewer people while still maintaining fitness. I thought that was a helpful comment.

In my view, now probably isn’t the time to be building the kms, and it isn’t forever. I’m hoping to get away from home later this year and that feels more plausible if we don’t fuck this up any more now.

I’m not going to put numbers to that, but I don’t think that the spirit of caring for those around me and staying local involves me riding into the next town. Mostly I’m running, which naturally keeps me more local.

On the other hand, bear in mind that needing help far from home, having to check in at a cafe or posting public strava traces might all incriminate. It isn’t just police in beauty spot car parks that need could lead to a fine.

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #20 on: 10 January, 2021, 10:51:57 pm »
Someone, I forget who, said on the other thread something like that it might be good to turn this question on it’s head: spend less time looking for gaps in the rules and ways to evade being found out, and ask instead whether your exercise could be nearer to home, shorter duration and involve meeting fewer people while still maintaining fitness. I thought that was a helpful comment.

Oh my. What good advice.

It is simpler than it looks.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #21 on: 11 January, 2021, 12:45:26 am »
ask instead whether your exercise could be nearer to home, shorter duration and involve meeting fewer people

Those could be mutually exclusive for anyone living in a dense urban area.

Rules aside, going where other people aren't is surely a sound principle in terms of reducing transmission, and cycling (assuming you don't insist on doing it in the local park or narrow towpath) makes that relatively straightforward, compared to other forms of exercise.

But ultimately, the vast majority of the population aren't confident road cyclists.  We're an edge case, and the rules are for the more general case - walkers, short-distance runners, park pootlers, etc.  Personally I'm for applying common sense while staying within the letter of the law.  (Assuming you can determine what that happens to be, which is a non-trivial exercise in itself.)

Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #22 on: 11 January, 2021, 12:55:20 am »
We're in for what could be several months of this. Deliberately making yourself more miserable than you have to be doesn't seem like a great plan.

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #23 on: 11 January, 2021, 05:58:27 am »
I’m with Dan on this. As our local hospital is overcrowded - “Hell” to quote a consultant there - and I’ve no which to burden them further or expose myself to COVID, I’ve decided to stick to the turbo for the time being.

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Rides out during covid
« Reply #24 on: 11 January, 2021, 06:33:00 am »
^^ that seems a decent plan to me at the moment, with all the various ways of making it less tedious than it used to be. I might take the odd spin around a 25km loop I use, but really can't see the point of doing much more.

The rumour on Friday in Scotland was that click-and-collect,  take aways & non essential construction would be next for the chop.  At this stage it looks very much like a "do something - do anything"   

Was this in context of just buying general shit or groceries? I can't see it working in the latter case, as the home delivery capacity doesn't seem to be there.
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens