The Mayor's response

Dear Rev Weeks,

Thank you very much for your letter to the Mayor, which has been passed to me to respond to.

I am sorry you have been so inconvenienced about access to the Church for your congregation on Sunday July 18th. Please be assured that the road closure plans are very much 'worst case' and we will do all we can to facilitate individual arrangements on the day.

We are working closely with many local business to ensure no one is too inconvenienced by the event and I would have hoped we could have discussed your concerns before your open letter.

A member of the production team Limelight Sports will be in touch with you by tomorrow to discuss with you the times of the services and what access arrangements are required and hopefully reach a suitable compromise.

In relation to the other points you raise, no one 'expects' the roads to be closed for them. This event is aimed at new and occasional cyclists. It aims to offer them a chance to experience their local area by bike and to discover what local and regional trips can easily be made by bicycle and to challenge people's preconceptions about cycling in terms of distance, effort and accessibility.

In relation to your concern for local trading, experience from 2009 in Hounslow showed a dramatic increase in trade in the business around the route on the Sunday the event was stage - over 10,000 people, who might not otherwise have been there, were on the borough streets and frequenting local businesses.

Should you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact me direct.

Yours sincerely


Daire Basra
Senior Events Officer