Clearly Len Norman, Constable of St Clement, in whose Parish Mont Ube lies, did not actually get to read the final brochure before giving a glowing endorsement to the rally.
Meanwhile, the whole road network if it passes your house (or estate) means you cannot leave and go anywhere on the main road for 5 1/2 hours while it is on. Unless you have some country footpaths or alternative roads. This year anyone in the Maufant area may well have been caught.
If your business is based along the route, as a friend of mines is, you look to loose a whole day's earnings as a result, with no compensation from the Rally organisers.
A few of my correspondence have made these comments.
From St Ouen on these kinds of events:
"Our lane has been closed 3 times this year already. The smallholdings and stables here have fields and buildings dotted both sides of the roads . I've had numerous grumbles from them about unsettled animals from the noise. Some of the organisers also have a habit of assuming they can use private property for their purpose when the road is closed, which hasn't endeared them any."
In Grouville:
"When I lived in Grouville I couldn’t get home. I left work early but the road was already closed almost half an hour before the stated time"
And another correspondent:
"Few years back I couldn't get home until 11pm and when I arrived around 5.40pm from work I was told I cannot access my house. The man who was send to obtain signatures from residents said that the race will happen during the day and that there will not be any disruption before and after working hours. I felt like right fool being told on a day of the race that this is incorrect and it has been agreed with all residents. Yes, I gave them my signature on a basis of the lie."
One reply was that: "It's once a year, for a few hours"
But that's precisely what it is not. I would not consider being incarcerated in one's home or locked out for 5 to 5 1/2 hours just "a few hours" without giving serious damage to the English language, and the definition of "few".
I'm sure that most people would be ok with a few hours, but you are talking a whole morning, an afternoon from 12 to 5.30 pm, or an evening from 6 pm to 10.30 pm.
Meanwhile there has been only two crashes, which is a relief. Alastair Flack and Mick Starkey barrel-rolled twice when their V8 Triumph TR7 hit a bank at Rue de Pignon on Friday. Race organisers believe the car slid on chestnuts, and oil left from a previous crash at the same spot. Details of the first crash are, as yet, unknown.
The safety record is pretty good, but roads this time of year will be slippy from chestnuts and falling leaves. Fortunately the weather was dry.
Incidentally, here is what the real Mont Ube looks like:
Incidentally, here is what the real Mont Ube looks like:
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment