'˜Stop Velo South' campaign is '˜gaining support', group claims

Posters have been put up by campaigners hoping to stop Velo South, a 100-mile cycling event.

Chris Matthews, one of the people leading the Stop Velo South campaign, said the group’s website was growing in popularity as residents found out about the event, which will close 100 miles of roads on September 23.

He said two protest groups were planned on the day but he expected more residents would take to the route, which will still be legally open to pedestrians and cyclists under traffic restriction orders to protect the cycle ride’s 15,000 participants.

He said: “The thing that surprised us is you’d expect fatigue would set in, that people would become more resigned to the event happening, but people are getting angrier as the day approaches because more and more people are discovering that it’s going to happen.”

He said many campaign supporters had been incensed by the ‘attitude’ of the county council and event organisers CSM Active in not consulting sufficiently with parishes but were not against cycling in principle.

Not all residents are opposed to the event, with some readers writing to the Observer in favour of the cycle this week.