Video: Motorists force their way onto roads closed for RideLondon

Last weekend’s RideLondon route went past Kristian Sturt’s house. At about 6.15pm on the day of the ride, he heard swearing, shouting and beeping outside. Despite the road being closed, motorists decided they’d had enough of waiting and went through the barricade, arguing with the young marshal who tried to stop them.

Sturt said that roads in the local area were advertised as being closed for about a month leading up to the event. On the days leading up to it, there were signs every 200 metres.

Roads were supposed to be closed between 7am and 7pm, but by 6.20pm some motorists had grown so frustrated that they decided to take matters into their own hands.

In Sturt’s video, a man can be seen angrily throwing cones out of the way while the marshal retrieves them. Whenever there’s a gap, motorists drive through – even if it’s on the wrong side of the road. One of them is a driving instructor.

A bystander helps the marshal gather the cones and once they’re back in place, the cone-throwing man returns in his car, pulling up on the wrong side of the road.

He is adamant that the road should have opened at 6pm and takes it upon himself to start removing the cones again. “All the other roads are open,” he says with some conviction.

As bystanders attempt to back up the marshal, other drivers join the argument. (We can only presume that robust debate continued until 7pm when the road was officially due to reopen.)