Plans for “assertive action” against two major cycling events which will put more than 1,000 cyclists on the A82 on the same day have been called off due to a lack of community support.
Last night the businesswoman behind the move said she had received “hate mail” following her appeal for others to join her protest against the Deloitte Ride Across Britain (RAB) 2014 and the Rat Race Coast to Coast events.
Lochaber residents and businesses had earlier dubbed the situation – which threatens to bring traffic chaos to the A82 Inverness to Glasgow trunk road on Friday and Saturday – “cycling madness”.
There were fears that the combination of 800 cyclists in the RAB Land’s End to John O’Groats event travelling north on Friday and Saturday and 266 cyclists on the Coast to Coast event between Nairn and Ballachulish heading south on Saturday would cause gridlock.
Anita Nicholls, who runs a management training company with her husband Simon, issued a rallying cry for “assertive action within the law” to be taken against them.
She offered to organise any protest, but no one has taken her up on her offer and now she is conceding defeat.
Mrs Nicholls said: “It needed to be a community initiative. The organisers are not going to listen if it’s just me. And it’s too late to do anything now so it won’t be happening.
“I’ve been accused of NIMBYism and of planning to do all sorts of illegal things, which we never said we would do. Some of the messages were very personal and hurtful.
“I pointed out that much of the community’s intent was motivated towards protecting the cyclists, as well as ensuring that lives were not put at risk.”
She said there were still concerns that 999 crews would be unable to get through in the event of an emergency, and that local groups were canceling activities because of the events.
Mrs Nicholls said: “This road is lethal and claims many lives every year. If it becomes blocked, emergency vehicles cannot get through as there is a steep rock face on one side and a 400ft deep loch on the other.
“We rely on tourism in this part of the world to boost our local economy. We do not want to deter cyclists from coming here, but the unique geography poses serious questions that the organisers refuse to accept.”
A spokesmen for the organisers said they had liaised with the relevant authorities to minimise disruption as much as possible.