Survey on Prudential RideLondon-Surrey

Overview

Prudential RideLondon is an annual two-day festival of cycling which takes place in London and Surrey. The event was developed in 2013 by the Mayor of London and his agencies, Transport for London (TfL) and London and Partners (L&P) in conjunction with Surrey County Council (SCC) as a legacy event of the London 2012 Olympic Games which included three cycling events. The festival is currently managed by the London and Surrey Cycling Partnership (LSCP), who work with the founding partners to ensure the safe and successful delivery of the event each year.

There are now four cycling events whose routes pass through Surrey on the Sunday of the event. These are the professionals race called the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic which passes through using rolling road closures and three mass participation cycling events the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100mile, 46mile and 19mile routes which all take place on closed roads.

As a direct result of the routes going through Surrey, organisations and projects in the county have been eligible to apply for funding from The London Marathon Charitable Trust and, since the first event in 2013, more than 70 projects in Surrey have been awarded grants totalling more than £4.3 million.

There has been an agreement to run the event annually again in Surrey until 2020.

What are views being sought on?

Views are now being sought on the event to inform an SCC Cabinet decision on whether the event continues in Surrey from 2021 until 2025. If the Cabinet agrees not to host the event in Surrey, we are committed to run the event for the last time in 2021 in order to enable the event organisers enough time to find an alternative host.

If the event continues to be hosted by Surrey it would be along a similar route with possible changes for operational reasons.

Who takes part in the events?

In 2017 the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) the world governing body of cycling, designated the men’s professional race, the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic, as a UCI WorldTour event – the highest grading on the world cycling calendar, making the event Britain’s first ever men’s WorldTour race. The Classic sees the best teams and riders in the world compete with live coverage of the race shown on BBC TV.

What are the benefits of the event?

In 2019 30,433 amateur riders completed the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100, 46 and 19 routes through Surrey. The money raised by these riders is yet to be confirmed but in 2018 more than £13 million was raised for charity bringing the total amount raised for charity in the first 6 years of the event to £66 million. It is Europe’s most successful cycling fundraising event. Approximately 250,000 riders have now participated in the events in Surrey since the first Prudential RideLondon in 2013.

As well as riders and their supporters visiting Surrey on the day of the event, many riders visit the area on a year round basis to cycle benefitting the local economy. TV coverage has highlighted the beauty of Surrey firmly establishing the county as one the UK’s top cycling destinations.

London Marathon Events Ltd, the majority owner of the London and Surrey Cycling Partnership which organises the event, award grants through the London Marathon Charitable Trust each year to recreational projects which encourage people to become or remain active, primarily in areas where events have taken place.

This is as a thank you to communities for their support. In the last round of funding in July 2019 grants totalling £500,900 were awarded to eight projects in Surrey. Since 2013 more than £4,300,000 in grants have been awarded to 70 projects in Surrey as a direct benefit of Prudential RideLondon. You can view a list and details of the projects that have benefited from funding here lmct.org.uk/about/lmct-grants/surrey

How does Prudential RideLondon affect Surrey on the day?

Four events take place on one day in Surrey on closed roads (the date varies each year from late July to early August). This means temporary traffic restrictions are needed including full road closures, one way driving on some roads and no stopping restrictions on others. Travel by car and bus are affected on the day.

Residents and businesses are made aware of which travel services will be affected prior to the event so they are able to plan their travel in advance around Surrey on that date.  Details are also provided about where up-to-the minute travel information can be found on the event day.

Surrey County Council and our care providers work together to ensure that the needs of our vulnerable clients continue to be met on the event days and where needed access is arranged by the event organiser. The event organiser offers to facilitate access for residents and businesses where possible and where arrangements have been made in advance, for example for weddings.

What traffic restrictions apply?

Parking restrictions on the event route in Surrey begin from 1 minute past midnight on the Sunday of the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100, 46 and 19 events and of the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic.

Road closures in Surrey begin from 5am with some coming in at 7.30am. Some roads are closed all day and others are re-opened with rolling closures from the afternoon. All roads are anticipated to be re-opened by 7pm on the day.

For detailed information including maps about the locations affected by road closures with closure and estimated re-opening times see the 2019 Event Information for Surrey document.

For information on all temporary traffic measures applied to named Surrey roads see the attached document Temporary Traffic Measures Order 2019.

What is the cost of the event to Surrey County Council?

All direct costs of the event are covered by the event organiser. Officers from Surrey County Council work together with the event organisers to ensure minimal disruption is caused across a range of services provided to residents within Surrey on event day. With input required from officers from the following departments.

• Emergency Management and Resilience Team
• Registration and Nationality Team
• Adult Social Care
• Children’s Services
• Communications
• Highways and Transport
• Information Management & Technology

What is the role of Surrey County Council in the event?

The main role of Surrey County Council is to:-

1. Review the event planning to ensure suitable measures are put in place for the safety of all residents and riders on event day.
2. Ensure the traffic management plan is suitable and balances the needs of residents and the safe delivery of the event.
3. Ensure residents and businesses are made aware of the event taking place so they can plan their travel in advance
4. Ensure planned and emergency care visits for our vulnerable residents are facilitated

SCC works with the event organiser to ensure that the road surface is of a suitable standard as required by the event.

• Roads are inspected and maintained for riders safety prior to the event by London Surrey Cycling Partnership (LSCP) staff who identify any defects that they feel would present an issue to riders. Surrey County Council will then meet its statutory requirements with regard to the road surface, and if further improvements are required for the event then these costs are met by the event organiser.
• On the day of the event, prior to riders setting off, a safety car drives the route to check for any last minute defects in the road surface that have arisen since the last inspection. There is a highways crew available on the day at the disposal of LSCP (which LSCP pay for) to make any urgent repairs.

How is information provided to residents and businesses?

• Yellow event road signs are placed along the routes in Surrey giving advance warning of the event three weeks prior to the event, provided by London Surrey Cycling Partnership.
• Awareness to get residents and businesses to plan their journey’s around Surrey ahead of event day is communicated using various media and communications channels. These direct people to sources of route information and explains where up to the minute travel updates can be found on the event day about road closures and openings.

These include:-

• Information leaflets with detailed road closure information is sent to Surrey households and businesses
• Bus back advertising on Surrey bus routes, posters at bus stops
• Parking flyers are left on cars on three Sunday’s before event.
• Radio advertising in Surrey regions
• Surrey County Council and district and borough councils in Surrey use social media and editorial in communications to residents providing advance warning to plan journey’s around Surrey.

Why your views matter

We’d like to invite you to give us your views about this event. This will inform an SCC Cabinet decision on whether the event continues for the next five years in Surrey from 2021 onwards. If the event continues it would be along a similar route with possible minor changes for operational reasons as previously indicated by the organisers.

You can share your views online at surreycc.gov.uk/PRLSurrey, or by emailing events@surreycc.gov.uk.

This consultation runs from Monday 30 December 2019 – Sunday 16 February 2020.

What happens next

Thank you for taking the time to read and complete this questionnaire. The analysis of the responses to this consultation will be presented to the County Council’s Cabinet in April when a decision on the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey event continuing for the next five years in Surrey will be taken.

Please note that the information you are being asked to provide is anonymous data. The responses you provide will be used for the purposes of this consultation and may be used to provide feedback on other consultations occurring at this time.

Whilst we will carefully consider the responses that you give in the questionnaire, we are unable to respond to individual comments or questions about the current or future operation of individual services.