"local"? Ask Boris :-)

[RIP]

Local or not local?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55620138

"Boris Johnson has been criticised for travelling seven miles from Downing Street to go cycling during lockdown"

They don't say whether he biked 7 miles to get there or was taken 7 miles then started cycling.....

"A No 10 spokesman would not confirm if Mr Johnson had been driven to the park or cycled there, but said the PM had complied with Covid-19 guidelines."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "It is OK, if you went for a long walk and ended up seven miles from home, that is OK, but you should stay local".

"Government advice for England says you can leave your home to exercise, but adds: "This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.", "The guidance adds: "Stay local means stay in the village, town, or part of the city where you live."

But...

"In Scotland, the advice is more precise, saying exercise can be taken if it "starts and finishes at the same place, which can be up to five miles from the boundary of your local authority area". (interesting).

[Landslide]

Is the question, "How close do you want Boris to be?"

[ScotRoutes]

That this is even a discussion shows how little "exercise" the average UK punter takes. Seven miles is being put forward as some sort of mega journey when most of could run that in less than an hour.

[RIP]

Interesting that there was no mention of how well he was able to see where he was going.....

[RIP]

Or whether he stopped for a wee....

[Lazarus]

That this is even a discussion shows how little "exercise" the average UK punter takes.

This and the fact he is a complete [ insert strongest swear word allowed ]

[Verena]

That this is even a discussion shows how little "exercise" the average UK punter takes. Seven miles is being put forward as some sort of mega journey when most of could run that in less than an hour.

That's what I thought, a bike ride 7 miles from home, why is this even an issue??

[stevewaters]

If Boris is on Strava then it can all be resolved quickly.

If he is not on Strava, then it didn't happen anyway ...

Also, I assume he only had one bodyguard with him otherwise that's another 'rule' in tatters ....

[Lazarus]

Technically those protecting him were at work so exempt.

[Bearbonesnorm]

(a) 7 miles would get me half way to the nearest shops.

(b) I consider people who live 7 miles away to be my neighbours.

(c) I don't really care.

[thenorthwind]

That this is even a discussion shows how little "exercise" the average UK punter takes. Seven miles is being put forward as some sort of mega journey when most of could run that in less than an hour.

I agree, though I imagine it seems different to your average Londonder - not necessarily because they take less exercise, but just because a journey of 7 miles across a city, particularly one like London, will seem so much further because of everything in between.

Still think it's overblown. As much as I detest the ****, it's just an attempt to catch him out.

[Cheeky Monkey]

......

Still think it's overblown. As much as I detest the ****, it's just an attempt to catch him out.

Indeed. The chump's hardly making a good job of so many important things so for bits of the media to bother with something like this seems silly.

[GregMay]

I'm more frustrated about where his D lock is.

[thenorthwind]

I'm more frustrated about where his D lock is.

I know where I'd put it.

[Scud]

My biggest regret was riding with Boris up one of the Surrey Hills on the first Ride London......and not pushing him in a ditch, hindsight is a wonderful thing.

[Dave Barter]

If anyone can remember the Liverpool scandal when he dissed the area as having a victim culture and then had to massively backpedal and apologise. Well I was running the RUSS Appeal Air Ambulance charity at the time and we were donated a Liverpool shirt to auction. I sent it to Boris and asked him to sign it which he did. We put it on ebay to raise funds but the scousers had the last laugh and kept trolling it to multimillion pound bids so we had to withdraw it. In the end the lad who donated it bought it back for £30. So somewhere out there is a Liverpool FC shirt with Boris's moniker on in.

<cool story bro>

[RIP]

^ . We could send him a WRT T-shirt and raffle that.

Cynical Reg viewed the current story as yet another fashionable dig at cycling in general rather than a dig at Boris. Getting very bored with the "backlash" against "neighbourhood streets", LTN1/20, Boris's "Gear Change" policy etc etc.

Wonder if this is the Borisgate equivalent of Cummingsgate . On balance I'm with Stu on it.

[Lazarus]

well today the govt is attempting to clarify what local means and we get this gem

What we are asking people to do is when they exercise to stay local. Now, local is, obviously, open to interpretation, but people broadly know what local means. If you can get there under your own steam and you are not interacting with somebody ... then that seems perfectly reasonable to me,

Kit Malthouse Police minister
he also said a 70 mile ride would be reasonable
However a copper objected because

But his argument has been undermined by Kerrin Wilson, Assistant Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police, who said of one local rider going 50 to 60 miles: 'What you have to understand is if he falls off his bike and is so far away from home , how is he going to get help if he gets a puncture.

People i think we have a fair way to go in educating the public about cycling, and the fact women also cycle , if they think a puncture is a ride ending event

or

“For me, a reasonable interpretation of that is that, if you can – and I appreciate some people can’t – go for your exercise from your front door and come back to your front door.”

Cresida Dick met Police chief


So another day lots more information and still no clarity

[redefined_cycles]

well today the govt is attempting to clarify what local means and we get this gem

What we are asking people to do is when they exercise to stay local. Now, local is, obviously, open to interpretation, but people broadly know what local means. If you can get there under your own steam and you are not interacting with somebody ... then that seems perfectly reasonable to me,

Kit Malthouse Police minister
he also said a 70 mile ride would be reasonable
However a copper objected because

But his argument has been undermined by Kerrin Wilson, Assistant Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police, who said of one local rider going 50 to 60 miles: 'What you have to understand is if he falls off his bike and is so far away from home , how is he going to get help if he gets a puncture.

People i think we have a fair way to go in educating the public about cycling, and the fact women also cycle , if they think a puncture is a ride ending event

or

“For me, a reasonable interpretation of that is that, if you can – and I appreciate some people can’t – go for your exercise from your front door and come back to your front door.”

Cresida Dick met Police chief


So another day lots more information and still no clarity

So... that would mean I could go and do the West Yorkshire Cycles route (well... half or quarter) or the NorthPeaks100 afterall. There's no gnar in that and most people can get round under their own steam...

[johnnystorm]

It's another dead cat.

While the country argues over whether 7 miles is OK, a marathon distance, nothing special, normal in countries with decent infrastructure, etc you're distracted from the Free School Meals disgrace, etc.

[slarge]

But if you ask 100 people what they think is "reasonable" you'll get 100 different answers, so the answer is to do what you think is reasonable without pushing the boundaries. And then choose how many people you tell (via Strava etc etc).

And I think the Boris debacle is someone on a high horse / with a grudge.

[redefined_cycles]

It's another dead cat.

While the country argues over whether 7 miles is OK, a marathon distance, nothing special, normal in countries with decent infrastructure, etc you're distracted from the Free School Meals disgrace, etc.

Well said... Was wondering why the British Bulshit Corporation was running a story digging at the PM...

[jameso]

Kerrin Wilson, Assistant Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police, who said of one local rider going 50 to 60 miles: 'What you have to understand is if he falls off his bike and is so far away from home , how is he going to get help if he gets a puncture.

Genuine WTF A puncture? Unreal.

"Define, or define not. There is no Local." to misquote yoda.

I can ride 100 miles w/o getting off my bike as can many. So all that comes into this is a very general risk of accidents that grows with time, not distance.

I'm with Reg, it's partly a useful pop at cycling and another one that fuels the 'Hey, blame each other! Not us...' from the govt and media.

you're distracted from the Free School Meals disgrace, etc.

And all the rest of the genuinely shockingly open levels of cronyism and mis-spending by the Tories - basically a channel of tax money into private firms who fund the Tories or have personal connections. It may not be so in every case but still, enough of it that it stinks.

[Lazarus]

the answer is to do what you think is reasonable without pushing the boundaries.

No as that gives 100 answers the answer is to have some actual guidlines that are so clear we can all follow them*

Currently we do not know when a breach is a breach and it seems neither do the government or plod as that is how unclear they are

* I suspect we wont even get 5 miles if the govt decide

[psling]

Bracelets, that's the answer. Like the ones worn in Transporter 3. As modelled here by Natalya Rudakova