About a year ago Boris Johnson and his henchmen caused traffic chaos in
London by staging a cycling event which closed several major roads and
crippled surrounding routes.

As a resident of Leyton, I have now received a leaflet from TfL, bearing the
imprint "MAYOR OF LONDON", about the Tour de France Stage 3 - Monday 7
July 2014. If what this leaflet threatens is true, further traffic chaos will be
caused.

The most salient points a

QUOTE

After leaving Cambridge and passing through Essex, the Tour will arrive in
Greater London via Epping Forest. The cyclists will then ride through north and
east London, including the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, before heading
towards central London and finish on The Mall. . . . .

The roads that form the event route will close to traffic at 10.00 on Monday 7
July to ensure the safety of competitors and spectators. As a result, the
event will have a major impact on road transport, including bus journeys.

Roads will be re-opened as soon as possible after the race, when it is safe to
do so. While detailed planning for the event is continuing, we expect the roads
to re-open from 18.00 onwards in most cases. . . .

Vehicles will not be able to cross the route while the road closures are in place

UNQUOTE

The route is through Epping Forest along the Epping New Road, Woodford High
Road, Woodford New Road, Whipps Cross Roundabout, Lea Bridge Road, Orient
Way, Ruckholt Road, Olympic Park, Stratford High Street, Stratford Broadway,
West Ham Lane and then on towards central London, causing chaos all the
way.

I assume 7 July is not a school holiday.

Even allowing for the fact that a 10.00 closure will be after the rush hour and
school run traffic, closing these main roads and compelling traffic to use
alternative routes is bound to cause major problems. And re-opening at 18.00
will be after the school run and the first half of the rush hour. Even more
damaging is the stipulation that traffic is not allowed to cross the route. How
is one supposed to travel between Leyton and Walthamstow without crossing
Lea Bridge Road? How is one supposed to travel between Woodford and North
Chingford without crossing Woodford High Road or Epping New Road? Is
everyone expected to divert to Charley Brown's roundabout and go under the
route?

I expect when the event is over the lasting result will be that people living in
the affected areas will have a deep and embittered loathing of the Tour De
France. I do hope some of that loathing is directed at our our cycle obsessed
Mayor who denounces Tube workers for disrupting London but who gleefully
does the same thing himself.

(I apologise for the - apparent - typos. They're not typos. They're the inadequacy
of the editing facility)