Cape Town Cycle Tour will go ahead, detour route now 47km

[Maniax]

Why is a National road out of bounds?

Bloem hosts LOTS of races on the N1.

 

Kremetart has been hosting their race on the N1 for around 21 years?

N2 Natal cost.......

 

Blah Blah Blah.

 

It is not simple.  Nobody said it is.

Not is NOT complicated either.  Someone just needs to THINK. 

 

But it is "al in die rondte"....

There is no "Wrong" or "Right".

It just is.

 

Could they have planned better?  I believe they could have.  Does it matter?  No.

Will I enter again?  Never again.

 

See.....everybody happy. 

 

Thank you for never entering again.  It really takes a weight of our shoulders...

[Balkan_Rider]

does anybody know if there is a group ride on Saturday planned to go from Stellenbosch to Somerset West to Grabouw to Franschhoek to Pniel and back to Stellenbosch - 140 km 

 

I'm keen - but would prefer cycling in a group for safey

[Rhodent]

You want all the cyclist and everyone else to understand what had happened and be ok with the shorter but at the same time you don't want to "inconvenience" other people? SO lets just inconvenience the "cyclists" then ?

 

The OTHER "major road will actually have had LESS of an impact than th current 47km route, did you know?

Are you listening to yourself?

 

Have you read the report?

 

I tell you what - go ride chappies and let a rock fall on your head. Or ride the original alternative route and have lung issues from inhaling smoke and ash on ou kaapse weg.

 

Let's see who's inconvenienced then.

 

Really. A decision made for SAFETY reasons is now wrong because it's INCONVENIENT.

 

And secondly - I didn't dispute that there were other options. I simply stated that the organisation, infrastructure and warnings to other road users have been in place for months.

 

3 days is not sufficient time to me drastic changes!

[DJR]

This is SA and thehub, we live here only to criticize

Some do, sadly.

[Guest Smimby]

it feels like groundhog day... ok genius, which start venue could host 35 000 people, and where do they finish? Remember that any national road (i.e. road that starts with an "N") is out of bounds, and also remember that between 5000 and 10 000 riders stay in Cape Town within cycling distance to the start, so it will have to be close to a station or bus stop to transport these guys too. Remember also that full road closure is required, so where ever you go, you need to inform residents, have an alternative route for people to get in and out and have safe areas for emergency services and water points. Since its all so simple, I am waiting for your proposal in this regard. 

I NEVER said to move it.

 

I am saying that you can easily lay out a 110-120 km flat route from current start to north. Lots of options to do do full closure and still residents full access to their homes, as it was said here it requires "thought"

[Guest Smimby]

Are you listening to yourself?

 

Have you read the report?

 

I tell you what - go ride chappies and let a rock fall on your head. Or ride the original alternative route and have lung issues from inhaling smoke and ash on ou kaapse weg.

 

Let's see who's inconvenienced then.

 

Really. A decision made for SAFETY reasons is now wrong because it's INCONVENIENT.

 

And secondly - I didn't dispute that there were other options. I simply stated that the organisation, infrastructure and warnings to other road users have been in place for months.

 

3 days is not sufficient time to me drastic changes!

Not ONCE did I say I want to ride Chappies, it is damn dangerous.

 

I knew on Monday that chances are good the original route will not be used, and the alternative route "might" also burn....if I could see it why could then not?

 

Would have been nice if David B actually said this .... that 3 days is not enough.

Edited March 5, 2015 by Smimby

[GAP]

Sept 2015

I'll try gain, just a extra year of training in the legs!!!

[Shebeen]

So I've learnt a few things in the last day or so.

 

*the Argus makes a SHEDLOAD of cash. 

*it is a piece of piss to organise. 

 

I can't wait till the keyboard experts here put on events like this soon, we are going to be spoilt for choice when it comes to options.

[urbanroyal]

because the minute a road starts with an "N" you need to deal with Sanral. Do that in 3 days and have approval for the safety officer of the event by Wednesday evening...

You see that is the problem there.....it should not have been three days but 365...the Monday after the Argus...when they have their post mortem....they should start planning ...for ALL contingencies. ..the thought of have an alternative route in another area was never considered. ..for an event of this size...that is a f*ck up....but hey ...let's hope they have their ducks in a row come next year....☺

[Guest Smimby]

Some do, sadly.

Yea, I have an opinion. I am allowed to say that I don't agree with something.

 

I also like to voice my opinion when I think something "could" have been done better. 

 

Some people respond by saying this is moaning..... 

Others will say that you need to do if it you can do it better.

 

The way I see it is.

 

I go to restaurant and the food is not lekka

 

I tell the staff, and they do something about it.

It would not really help if the Chef said, "well you do it then"

 

So we are allowed to bitch about the food but not the CTCT?

[Rhodent]

Can you not see that the amount of planning is not the problem.

 

The laying out of a route north is not the problem.

 

The problem is simple. There is not enough time to warn the road users in cspe town that a major national road will be out of commission come Saturday night. As I have mentioned, the current road closures have been broadcast and displayed since January.

 

Further to which, the fire burnt 4500 hectares. Do you know how big that is? 2000 odd of those burnt on Tuesday and Wednesday. The time crunch just makes other options unreasonable.

 

I'm not going to argue common sense any more.

 

I hope those riding have an awesome day out and make the most of it.

 

And I hope those reacting emotionally about this will calm down, and with the benefit of hindsight realise that their reactions were unjustified and their reasoning irrational.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Not ONCE did I say I want to ride Chappies, it is damn dangerous.

 

I knew on Monday that chances are good the original route will not be used, and the alternative route "might" also burn....if I could see it why could then not?

 

Would have been nice if David B actually said this .... that 3 days is not enough.

Quite simply, because it takes FAR longer to get the requisite permissions in place than just 3 days. They MUST get the infrastructure in place from today. That implies that a final approval for the new route needs to be granted by Tuesday in order to provide sufficient lead time for the logistics of getting the suppliers of the equipment and scaffolding and drinks / food etc to roll-out given the "new route" that takes them north.

 

Bottom line is that this was an unforeseen natural disaster (regardless of how it started, it morphed into a disaster) that is taxing our emergency services - from which the tour needs approval for any new route, and support should anything go wrong. I'm not in event management and yet I understand that. It's logical. 

 

Hence - a totally different route was never an option. Never. The city wouldn't have approved it given the pressure our emergency services are under, and the complete lack of notice that the affected public would have had in the new revised route's vicinity.

 

To claim that the organiser is copping out is outrageously immature and highly ignorant given the requirements of an event of this size. 

[GLuvsMtb]

I NEVER said to move it.

 

I am saying that you can easily lay out a 110-120 km flat route from current start to north. Lots of options to do do full closure and still residents full access to their homes, as it was said here it requires "thought"

ok next question... how do you get the safety officer to sign off on a new route in 3 days, even if you get Sanral to play ball with such short notice? 

[Shebeen]

Not ONCE did I say I want to ride Chappies, it is damn dangerous.

 

I knew on Monday that chances are good the original route will not be used, and the alternative route "might" also burn....if I could see it why could then not?

 

Would have been nice if David B actually said this .... that 3 days is not enough.

it would be quite profitable for you to use your powers in predicting horseracing results.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

added to that - the existing route has about 4 or 5 levels of redundancy, each larger than the one preceding it. This disaster took out ALL of them, which no reasonable person would ever expect. The approval is already granted for the roads they are now using - except for the ones affected by the fire. 

 

Get over it. 

[Guest Smimby]

Quite simply, because it takes FAR longer to get the requisite permissions in place than just 3 days. They MUST get the infrastructure in place from today. That implies that a final approval for the new route needs to be granted by Tuesday in order to provide sufficient lead time for the logistics of getting the suppliers of the equipment and scaffolding and drinks / food etc to roll-out given the "new route" that takes them north.

 

Bottom line is that this was an unforeseen natural disaster (regardless of how it started, it morphed into a disaster) that is taxing our emergency services - from which the tour needs approval for any new route, and support should anything go wrong. I'm not in event management and yet I understand that. It's logical. 

 

Hence - a totally different route was never an option. Never. The city wouldn't have approved it given the pressure our emergency services are under, and the complete lack of notice that the affected public would have had in the new revised route's vicinity.

 

To claim that the organiser is copping out is outrageously immature and highly ignorant given the requirements of an event of this size. 

Now this makes a lot of sense, thanks

 

Edit, I don't think that most people will know this info regarding permission, city and disaster management giving the OK.

 

So it is likely that they "could" have asked for another route and told NO....

Also explains, why they are using the exact route as original with a slight change in the end.

 

Thanks for the explanation without name calling and belittleling 

:-)

Edited March 5, 2015 by Smimby