diggle ranges Sunday 6th July

[Moose243]

due to Tour de France , is it still possible to get to diggle or do we need helicopters due to road closures ??

[firedoc]

You can always tag onto the back of the peloton! And then turn off for Diggle!

[Laurie]

Junction 24 on the M62 is closed - that is through traffic is OK, but you can't join or leave the motorway at that point - otherwise there is no effect in the immediate Diggle area coming from your side. Those travelling to / from South Yorkshire may be affected as Stage 2 hits the edge of the Holmfirth area and the stage is York to Sheffield via Holme Moss, so M1/M62 may be wise for some.

 

What I can't get is any information on is how many people will be moving around using the roads in North / South / West Yorks. There are lots of useless messages on the A1(M) matrix signs saying 'queues and congestion' on Sun 6th, and the A64 east-west road is festooned with old fashioned printed sit on the verge notices saying words to the effect of 'stay on the A64 on the 6th, don't try to visit York!'

 

Will there be massive traffic jams on the M62 / M1 / A1(M) / A64 before / after the race goes through the area? Who knows! There's lots of information in my area (York) about road and street closures for the actual TDF route, but no other advice, and as of yesterday, I still hadn't seen any direction signs locally (I live a mile from the Knavesmire where Stage 2 starts) about parking for TDF visitors / spectators. I'm assuming peple will be directed to the Park & Ride carparks and told to bus in - but with the huge numbers predicted to arrive, they'll be full by 08.00 on Sunday morning methinks!

 

All in all a typical GB organisational cock-up in the making, I suspect.

 

Here's the route - it passes fairly close to Diggle - Ripponden a few miles north east of J22 on the M62, but then veers away from the Diggle area to Huddersfield.

 

http://letour.yorkshire.com/stage-2/map

[Reecy]

Heres a really stupid question:--(or maybe not)

 

How the furk is the tour de france being held in Oldham--its not the right postcode

 

can someone explain

 

Thanks

 

Reecy

[Laurie]

I take it you mean as in "I didn't think Oldham was in France"? (Actually, the race doesn't penetrate Lancashire, hence no mention of it on Kirklees or Oldham's websites.)

 

Some idiot persuaded the 2-wheel racing Frogs to start the TDF in London a few years back, and then after a couple of stages, to take 'Le Ferry' (or maybe L'Eurostar?) to where its name says it should be run. They call this extra-France bit 'Le Grand Depart'.

 

Last year, the even bigger idiot who heads up 'Visit Yorkshire' persuaded the organisers of what's described as 'the world's largest sporting event' to come and clog up our roads in God's Own Country. Lots of people seem to think this is a huge coup - I think it's a sodding disaster, but then as my wife regularly tells me, 60 odd years on this planet has turned me into a grumpy old git! North Yorkshire County Council alone has spent its next five years minor roads repair budget on ensuring the sweaty lycra clad musclemen don't fall into potholes and bend their precious wheels like the rest of us who actually live here!

[Chris]

I take it you mean as in "I didn't think Oldham was in France"? (Actually, the race doesn't penetrate Lancashire, hence no mention of it on Kirklees or Oldham's websites.)

 

Some idiot persuaded the 2-wheel racing Frogs to start the TDF in London a few years back, and then after a couple of stages, to take 'Le Ferry' (or maybe L'Eurostar?) to where its name says it should be run. They call this extra-France bit 'Le Grand Depart'.

 

Last year, the even bigger idiot who heads up 'Visit Yorkshire' persuaded the organisers of what's described as 'the world's largest sporting event' to come and clog up our roads in God's Own Country. Lots of people seem to think this is a huge coup - I think it's a sodding disaster, but then as my wife regularly tells me, 60 odd years on this planet has turned me into a grumpy old git! North Yorkshire County Council alone has spent its next five years minor roads repair budget on ensuring the sweaty lycra clad musclemen don't fall into potholes and bend their precious wheels like the rest of us who actually live here!

It does go into Rochdale Council territory for 600 yards if that counts as Lancashire!

 

I think it's fantastic it's so close and will be watching it fly past me in Sheffield on Sunday.

[Redshift]

I take it you mean as in "I didn't think Oldham was in France"? (Actually, the race doesn't penetrate Lancashire, hence no mention of it on Kirklees or Oldham's websites.)

 

Some idiot persuaded the 2-wheel racing Frogs to start the TDF in London a few years back, and then after a couple of stages, to take 'Le Ferry' (or maybe L'Eurostar?) to where its name says it should be run. They call this extra-France bit 'Le Grand Depart'.

 

Last year, the even bigger idiot who heads up 'Visit Yorkshire' persuaded the organisers of what's described as 'the world's largest sporting event' to come and clog up our roads in God's Own Country. Lots of people seem to think this is a huge coup - I think it's a sodding disaster, but then as my wife regularly tells me, 60 odd years on this planet has turned me into a grumpy old git! North Yorkshire County Council alone has spent its next five years minor roads repair budget on ensuring the sweaty lycra clad musclemen don't fall into potholes and bend their precious wheels like the rest of us who actually live here!

I will presume that was written in jest, the TDF comes to essex on Monday , some of the roads are being blocked meaning I would struggle to get to work/ get home, so I have taken the day off, I will go and have a look, I'm not a cyclist but the chance to see the greatest cycle race in the world is for me a one off thing and not to be missed . This is 1 day of the year, that's all, why moan about it! Embrace it, this is a sport we are actually good at ( as we are at all sitting down sports) as for the roads, yup same here, loads of repairs have been done, personally it don't mind, any road with less potholes is good news to me, it means less chance of getting thrown off when I'm doing my best Jano Saarinen impressions ( one for the kids there). So what if your local council has spent its budget for five years all at once, you should be more worried that 25% of your poll tax bill goes to their pension pot!!

I feel mrs holland could well be correct!!

I would like to correct you on one item of your rant, you do not live in " gods own country" ( if you believe in that kind of thing) you can tell by the fact his/ her HQ is built somewhere else.

 

Redshift

[jcampbellsmith]

Even more oddly, Edinburgh bid to host the start of the Tour de France too and they say they are going to bid again. Regards JCS

[bradders]

I will presume that was written in jest, the TDF comes to essex on Monday , some of the roads are being blocked meaning I would struggle to get to work/ get home, so I have taken the day off, I will go and have a look, I'm not a cyclist but the chance to see the greatest cycle race in the world is for me a one off thing and not to be missed . This is 1 day of the year, that's all, why moan about it! Embrace it, this is a sport we are actually good at ( as we are at all sitting down sports) as for the roads, yup same here, loads of repairs have been done, personally it don't mind, any road with less potholes is good news to me, it means less chance of getting thrown off when I'm doing my best Jano Saarinen impressions ( one for the kids there). So what if your local council has spent its budget for five years all at once, you should be more worried that 25% of your poll tax bill goes to their pension pot!!

I feel mrs holland could well be correct!!

I would like to correct you on one item of your rant, you do not live in " gods own country" ( if you believe in that kind of thing) you can tell by the fact his/ her HQ is built somewhere else.

Redshift

Thanks for the heads up, I now see that is comes within 1 mile of my place, and if I get the chance to see them come by I will, unlike the misery guts who frequents Diggle.

There again, if I lived up there I reckon I'd be miserable too

[Laurie]

Hey, some of you guys have had a humour transplant?

 

Seriously, tens (hundreds?) of thousands took to the back roads, parked up, and walked / cycled to the route today. They took packed lunches and flasks. (I know - I watched them arriving and unloading their cars in my village as I drove through it this morning, and watched them again taking to both verges on the Ripponden to Oldham road near the M62 and unloading their bikes.) York as a visitor city relies heavily on its day trip income, and today most businesses here, and in many other Yorkshire regional locations on and off the TDF route probably had the poorest summer Sunday takings they've seen in a generation.

 

Coming back from Diggle across the Pennines on the M62 after the match was wonderful - no traffic, virtually nobody joining the motorway on the major West Yorkshire interchanges, hundreds visible on foot on the roads that cross near the (closed) Ainlie Top junction returning to their cars parked on minor roads. At York on its southern bypass, the returning eastbound traffic was subjectively around a quarter of the usual Sunday afternoon levels, especially given sunshine and high temperatures, so the coastal resorts and Ryedale attractions probably had a pretty (very) quiet day too. NOBODY was joining the A64 westbound out of York while on a typical late Sunday afternoon, winter and summer, the traffic is stop-start as the York daytrippers join the ex-East Coast flows. Presumably many of these missing people were watching the race, but I also wonder just how many stayed in their back gardens today given the blizzard of advance warning signs saying "Sat 5th / Sun 6th July - Tour de France - Major queues, closures and delays on this route" that were on every southbound matrix sign on the A1(M) from County Durham through North Yorkshire for the last three weeks, same on the M62 and M1, and the aforementioned roadside signs on all roads approaching the city that in effect said 'Stay away from York on the 6th'.

 

While you could get information on route closures (sometimes wrong as one Diggle shooter found today) and 'viewing hubs', nobody would provide any advice, help or whatever on what traffic conditions would be like this weekend for those not watching or particularly interested in a cycle road race, and who still most inconveniently wanted to travel around the region.

 

It's also being said that York City Council paid a lot of money to the TDF organisers to start a stage there. I don't know if that's true, but I understand that this is the norm in France - the Tour only goes to towns that pay for its presence. People have probably put two and two together here to get 22, but If the city did pay out serious money from ratepayer based funds, that'll surface under Freedom of Information requests, and it won't go down well locally as we're constantly told our council is broke and has had to impose above the norm rates increases for the last few years. A serious row broke out as long as 12 months ago between the three main police authorities and the various councils / Visit Yorkshire in that the budgeted provision for policing was reckoned to be well under half what the Police & Crime Commissioners reckon they'll end up charging ratepayers. And we're not talking a few tens of thousands here, it's six figures. Somebody will end up paying either in increased rates or further local spending or policing reductions. I suspect that story (and the deficits) will be repeated in all sorts of activities / areas and will only become public knowledge in dribs and drabs over coming months. Serious money has been spent on the TDF, and some of the cost estimates look pretty understated - so it's get your mega event on tick and pay later, maybe for years.

 

So, as with all such mega events, there were some big winners (hotel and B&B accommodation) and lots of losers this weekend, and that's without a local champion 'dolloping' in the last few hundred yards of a stage (sadly!).

[Spiker]

Laurie.

 

You are a miserable old git alright. I sympathise with Mrs Holland. See you at round 6 in August.

[Laurie]

Laurie.

 

You are a miserable old git alright. I sympathise with Mrs Holland. See you at round 6 in August.

 

 

Heh! Heh! :)

 

Yes, see you then Keith. If the weather turns out like today's, it'll be very pleasant up there - fingers crossed!

[Redshift]

Well gents ( and mr grumpy )

 

All I can say is that you missed out on a fantastic spectacle, when you see the TDF on the TV you have no feeling of the atmosphere and ambiance, you have to give to the organisers they know how to put on a show, the roads were packed for as far as you could see, I would much rather have this every year than some crappy new train line, money well spent me thinks.

 

Redshift

[Gandy]

It came past my front door and was fantastic. Considering the size of the race and crowds, disruption was minimal and the atmosphere was fantastic. Vive Le Tour!

[The Gun Pimp]

Glad Yorkshire put on a good show for le Tour - sorry I missed it - love all the graffiti on the roads.

[Moose243]

what did I start ??? omg !!!