Too many cars

[Deek]

Given that at least one race in the Helm Hill winter league series has been cancelled due to too many cars turning up at events, is there a way we could bring in a system that encourages us to walk/cycle/bus/train/car share to events. My starter would be......all cyclists get to set off 2 minutes before main field.

[wharfeego]

There'll be a million excuses as to why people need their cars to get to races.

Perhaps a better starter would be to organise a race where no cars are allowed, and the runner has to show evidence of non-car use; 'Green' fell racing's the future!

[DrPatrickBarry]

This is a big issue at the IMRA (Ireland) Leinster Summer Evening series. Ireland does not have the same network of footpaths/carparks so many races have very limited parking. They are very hot on car sharing with marshals to prevent single occupancy cars entering the parking areas.

This is easier said than done it is ingrained over there and the IMRA forum is always active with people offering/requesting lifts.

[Mark G]

Some races here already have approached this - additional parking fees for solo occupied cars etc. Best thing about cars at races is that it usually provides a bit of income for the landowner but I'm not sure it would be equal to the cost of the damage on wet days.
I like taking my bike to races when I can, no problems parking and no worries about getting stuck on a wet field.

[shaunaneto]

I like the sound of additional parking fees, seems like a logical step.

The two races I help with both have parking issues, one of which the route has been changed because of the parking. Which is a real shame as you use to get a 900ft drop in 1/2 a mile to to the finish which was top entertainment.

[Stolly]

To be honest I don't think car parking is actually much of a problem. Many fell races are community organised and car parking is used to raise money (the Anniversary Walzt for example) or pub related where the pub owner is very glad for the business. Most places where fell races take place also depend heavily on tourism and overtly want visitors visiting. For instance the Kettlewell Scare Crow Festival (yes I know, not a fell race and it does go on for a week ) made a profit for Kettlewell last year mostly from opening a field up to car parking of something like £30,000!!

It can work the other way too by either making race starts car park friendly or, perhaps like the Edale Skyline, by getting the runners to walk 500 yards to the start line from the car park.... which itself costs an arm and a leg but probably puts much needed funds into the national park. Some of the car parking in the Lakes can cost £7 for flips sake

[Alf]

To be honest I don't think car parking is actually much of a problem. Many fell races are community organised and car parking is used to raise money (the Anniversary Walzt for example) or pub related where the pub owner is very glad for the business. Most places where fell races take place also depend heavily on tourism and overtly want visitors visiting. For instance the Kettlewell Scare Crow Festival (yes I know, not a fell race and it does go on for a week ) made a profit for Kettlewell last year mostly from opening a field up to car parking of something like £30,000!!

It can work the other way too by either making race starts car park friendly or, perhaps like the Edale Skyline, by getting the runners to walk 500 yards to the start line from the car park.... which itself costs an arm and a leg but probably puts much needed funds into the national park. Some of the car parking in the Lakes can cost £7 for flips sake

There's usually a farmers field available at the skyline these days Stolly with a voluntary contribution and a bit further than 500 yards to the start

[Bob]

Some races here already have approached this - additional parking fees for solo occupied cars etc. Best thing about cars at races is that it usually provides a bit of income for the landowner but I'm not sure it would be equal to the cost of the damage on wet days.
I like taking my bike to races when I can, no problems parking and no worries about getting stuck on a wet field.

I think Brett's done this with some of the K&C races.

Damage to fields can be limited even when things are really wet. Cars don't actually sink in to the ground that much before the suspension and bodywork grounds out, going over the field with a roller and/or harrow soon flattens things out again. With a bit of forethought you can get cars in and out of fields with very little problem.

Many years ago the national orienteering championships were held next to the family farm and they asked to use one of our fields for parking. We used a field where all cars entered at the top of the field and left, directly on to tarmac, at the bottom. We needed to create a gateway for the top entrance and put hardcore down (the organisers paid for the hardcore) in the gateway and where the entrance route left the road at a point roughly level with the top gate. Very little damage was done that you'd notice after a week or so.

[Stolly]

There's usually a farmers field available at the skyline these days Stolly with a voluntary contribution and a bit further than 500 yards to the start

Ah yes, my 2009 Edale debacle is all coming flooding back. Deciding to really go for it and run the first 7 miles to Win Hill in an hour (despite not really being up to the task) and then dying a long and drawn out death after that meant that my legs were completely and utterly shot come the finish. The loooooong stagger back to the village hall only to then realise I still had a way to go to the car was the icing on the cake

[bigfella]

The problem is not too many cars it is too many people.