Roads closed and parking banned to avoid gridlock at Radio 1 bid weekend (From Swindon Advertiser)
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Roads closed and parking banned to avoid gridlock at Radio 1 bid weekend
8:00am Saturday 18th April 2009 in
MUCH of West Swindon will be a no-go zone for drivers for the May 9 and 10 Big Weekend.
As Lydiard Park opens its gates to 40,000 music lovers, a number of streets will be shut to all but residents and shuttle buses.
Thirty-eight double decker buses will take lucky ticket holders from six designated park and ride sites in the town.
And AA marshalls will be policing traffic and cracking down on illegal parking in West Swindon.
“If a car parks on someone’s drive it will be towed away immediately,” said Coun Phil Young, Swindon Council’s lead cabinet member for culture. “There will be key road closures to make sure none of the concert bound traffic goes into The Prinnels and Grange Park.
“We want to make sure residents’ lives are as normal as possible.
“You won’t get near Lydiard Park in a car.
“We want people to remember the event for the fun they have had and not traffic jams.”
Swindon Council is blocking off all routes, which could be used to get to the park.
Parts of Whitehill Way, Hook Street, Hay Lane and Worsley Road will be closed on both days with marshalls only allowing access to park and ride buses, residents and emergency services.
Twelve other roads in The Prinnels will be closed to drivers apart from residents.
Every home close to Lydiard Park will get a leaflet telling them what is happening.
Park and Ride buses will operate from car parks in Carlton Street, Spring Gardens, North Star, Queenstown and the County Ground. They will be closed to normal business.
“Everyone in the town can get to the event by bus,” said Coun Peter Greenhalgh, cabinet member fo transport. “People can also walk and cycle to the event.
“We believe people attending from Swindon will be sensible and follow the directions they are given.
“It is a logistical challenge. Now we are just hoping for fantastic weather to add to the sense of occasion.”
Special permits will be issued to residents of Bess Road, King Henry Drive, Sheen Close, Lumley Close, Paulet Close, Clinton Close, Volpe Close, Audley Close, Loughborough Close, Sidney Close, Hillyard Close and Heytsbury Gardens. Wardens will be checking to make sure people who don’t live there can’t park on them.
There will be no waiting on parts of Tewkesbury Way, Tregoze Way, Whitehill Way, Hay Lane and Grange Park Way.
Comments(37)
Janais is back
says...
9:38am Sat 18 Apr 09
Who will supply the buses? - The council's own bus company of course.
SBC are being very dictatorial as usual but will I see any benefit from all this spenditure - of course not as won't the vast majority of Swindon inhabitants.
Amazing that the will of SBC is to spend money hosting a pop festival but can't be bothered to use their clout to sort out all the various problems in the Town including the Mechanics Institute, the list is endless.
...... and where will all the learner drivers go? Probably carry on blocking the remaining roads around West Swindon - Has anyone else noticed inept learner drivers three point turning in their roads ever since they moved the test centre to Hillmead?
I bet the house prices around Marlborough Road have risen since they got rid of the learners.
peatmoor pirate
says...
10:08am Sat 18 Apr 09
Janais is back wrote:You're not wrong about the Learner Drivers. Nightmare round here in Peatmoor. Swindly Drive, which is a main road through the area and a major bus route has learners doing 3 point turns in the road all the time. There were 3 within half a mile the other day. It's madness and they all go soooooooooooo slowly it's not true.
.......... and how much is all this going to cost the ordinary Swindon ratepayer? Who will supply the buses? - The council's own bus company of course. SBC are being very dictatorial as usual but will I see any benefit from all this spenditure - of course not as won't the vast majority of Swindon inhabitants. Amazing that the will of SBC is to spend money hosting a pop festival but can't be bothered to use their clout to sort out all the various problems in the Town including the Mechanics Institute, the list is endless. ...... and where will all the learner drivers go? Probably carry on blocking the remaining roads around West Swindon - Has anyone else noticed inept learner drivers three point turning in their roads ever since they moved the test centre to Hillmead? I bet the house prices around Marlborough Road have risen since they got rid of the learners.
As for the Big Weekend Festival, sounds fair enough to me what is planned. I suspect the costs are coming from the Radio 1 fee for the site, but would be interested in knowing from the COUncil what the cost/profit to SBC is.
Robh
says...
10:20am Sat 18 Apr 09
Even with 38 buses how long is it going to take to ferry the best part of 40,000 people off the site?
What they really need is a very large parking area within walking distance. Any good suggestions?
yingtong
says...
10:20am Sat 18 Apr 09
Danzigg
says...
10:24am Sat 18 Apr 09
yingtong wrote:On the registration for tickets it mentions if wheelchair access is required so they have not been forgotten, it would be totally unacceptable if they had been.
Again disabled people are forgotten,what about wheel chair users who want to go.No mention of access for such people.
Always Grumpy
says...
10:30am Sat 18 Apr 09
Janais is back
says...
10:43am Sat 18 Apr 09
........ and talking about the unwelcomed learner drivers in west Swindon and North Penhill the code word just happens to be some-turn !
Janais is back
says...
10:47am Sat 18 Apr 09
Really?
You try reporting such an incident to the Police or Council at normal times - nothing would be done at all. So why can they do it for just one occasion?
MrAngry
says...
11:55am Sat 18 Apr 09
My brother lives near by, so if I get tickets I will either park on his drive or cycle there. I am sure lots of people will park at friends/relatives houses.
SBC can't prevent residents having visitors.
trustnopolitician
says...
7:54pm Sat 18 Apr 09
localgirl80
says...
8:46pm Sat 18 Apr 09
tradesman
says...
9:19pm Sat 18 Apr 09
tradesman
says...
9:34pm Sat 18 Apr 09
localgirl80 wrote:are u stupid? u and your parents are not wanted at a radio1 gig. .as are all us over 25s
My parents live off Worsley Road and I will be parking there and walking up (if i get tickets). I have heard that Wheel Chair users will be allowed to drive up there and park in a dedicated field. But havent seen it in writing.
localgirl80
says...
10:18pm Sat 18 Apr 09
tradesman wrote:Well I'll have to wait and see like everyone else. Its supposedly a computer picking out names (of which maybe programmed to pick out certain age groups i.e 50 tickets for 50 to 60 year olds - 2,000 30 to 40 year olds) but that is a guess. No one knows until Monday!
localgirl80 wrote:are u stupid? u and your parents are not wanted at a radio1 gig. .as are all us over 25s
My parents live off Worsley Road and I will be parking there and walking up (if i get tickets). I have heard that Wheel Chair users will be allowed to drive up there and park in a dedicated field. But havent seen it in writing.
Libertarian
says...
12:48am Sun 19 Apr 09
Janais is back wrote:Who is this. How do you clean your teeth? How do you do you do your shoelaces up? How come so ignorant? I envy you being able to live in a complete fantasy.
.......... and how much is all this going to cost the ordinary Swindon ratepayer?
Who will supply the buses? - The council's own bus company of course.
SBC are being very dictatorial as usual but will I see any benefit from all this spenditure - of course not as won't the vast majority of Swindon inhabitants.
Amazing that the will of SBC is to spend money hosting a pop festival but can't be bothered to use their clout to sort out all the various problems in the Town including the Mechanics Institute, the list is endless.
...... and where will all the learner drivers go? Probably carry on blocking the remaining roads around West Swindon - Has anyone else noticed inept learner drivers three point turning in their roads ever since they moved the test centre to Hillmead?
I bet the house prices around Marlborough Road have risen since they got rid of the learners.
Say goodnight to the folks Gracie.
How do simpleton breed?
I really do envy you.
her_in_doors2
says...
8:19am Sun 19 Apr 09
Bobfm
says...
9:37am Sun 19 Apr 09
There will undoubtedly be costs to the whole of the community of Swindon. One has to ask will it be worth it, will Radio 1 being in Swindon actually generate long term business opportunities, unlikely, but I am sure the Councillors and their families will have a good day out.
Purlieu
says...
10:17am Sun 19 Apr 09
Janais is back
says...
10:32am Sun 19 Apr 09
I imagine from the timing of your post above you must have just come home drunk from your local chav pub.
However, I am unable to answer your question of how simpletons breed, perhaps you can enlighten us?
GetAJob
says...
11:33am Sun 19 Apr 09
Purlieu
says...
11:34am Sun 19 Apr 09
Purlieu wrote:Quoating my own post ....
I've heard of the Big Weekend, but what's the BID weekend ?
Hmmm perhaps this was a Freudian slip
Purlieu
says...
1:31pm Sun 19 Apr 09
GetAJob wrote:It also doesn't seem to mention anything at all about Swindon's OWN 'fringe' festival happening at the same time all over town, with LOCAL bands.
I especially enjoy the page on the Adver's "mini-site" about the Big Weekend that gives you directions on how to drive to Lydiard - without mentioning ANY of these restrictions! Well done Adver.
You'd think the Adver would want to promote local bands etc.
Oh, wait a minute ...
dirtyden
says...
3:38pm Sun 19 Apr 09
These events are a big deal, bring thousands of pounds of revenue to the town and the struggling local economy we hear so much about.
It should be an opportunity for the town to celebrate but only serves to provide the miseries with more ammo.
Will the last person to leave the backwater of Swindon please blow the candles out !!!!
Janais is back
says...
4:51pm Sun 19 Apr 09
The only ones to gain financially will be those specially invited individuals from the SBC, Vendors on site (Not Local) and very few else, probably not even local Hotels because the tickets are one day only.
Even so "thousands of pounds" will not even start to cover the costs SBC will extract from the local Taxpayer to facilitate this event for the benefit of only a handful of local residents.
Swindon Town Football Club have done more to publise the name of Swindon since 1888 than SBC ever have done - Fact.
The problems caused by this event are not welcomed by the majority of 'thinking' people here.
Sorry don't want to be personal but what has one SBC subsidised event got to do with Swindon becoming a City - It never will be a City because it has no heart or sole because the majority of inhabitants are only here through handouts or employment - they would prefer to be somewhere else - and have no sense of belonging to Swindon.
Swindon has grown up recently becaue of its M4 location which has attracted people whose alligance is only to their own areas.
dirtyden
says...
9:45am Mon 20 Apr 09
Sole (Soul) Alligance (Allegiance)
Learn to spell before dishing out the abuse moron !
Old Town
says...
1:43pm Mon 20 Apr 09
Moan, whinge, moan, whinge.....
For once, SBC is trying to accomodate something that is OBVIOUSLY good news for the town, for the youngsters who want to see their heroes sing and of course for the exposure it will give us !
Petty narrow minded whingers will always attempt to spoil things for everyone else, isn't that right Janais ?
Even Angrier Monkey
says...
2:23pm Mon 20 Apr 09
But no. the happy folk of adverland are worried about what learner drivers are going to do in the area.
FFS you couldnt make it up.
BadProspects
says...
2:24pm Mon 20 Apr 09
Sole (Soul) Alligance (Allegiance)
Learn to spell before dishing out the abuse moron !"
'Swindoo?' Hahaha! Remove the log from your own eye first matey! Dear oh dear.
As it goes, what is 'whinging' eh? I don't think its reasonable for the bbc to decide to spend my TV license money on a 'free event' to which I have to apply by lottery. I think its even more ridiculous for SBC to subsidise this event even further by using my rate money to close roads and lay on busses for 20000 people - half of which won't even be locals! This whole thing is just an ego trip for SBC - and a totally innapropriate way to spend desperately needed cash at a time when other services are being closed down for want of funding! I'd nothing against this event going ahead if it was being run as a commercial self funded venture - but why should I be paying for this twice over??! To pretend that a mere pop festival is worthy of charity status is reprehensible in my view (and that of many others it seems). That's not whinging. It's showing that local people have a sense of morality which isn't blinded by a single free weekend of hedonism.
Purlieu
says...
2:38pm Mon 20 Apr 09
Even Angrier Monkey
says...
3:42pm Mon 20 Apr 09
The only council service I actually use (without paying for again such as leisure centres etc) is getting my rubbish collected twice a month.
Therefore I'm delighted that the council has done somthing that I might be interested in or would like to attend and that they are using my money to subsidize it.
Thanks SBC
Love
An council tax tayer.
BadProspects
says...
5:16pm Mon 20 Apr 09
Dear SBC - I'd like you to help Angry Monkey inject even more entertainment into their lives by also instituting a fortnightly lottery for their rubbish collection! (hang on, you tried that last year, didn't you?) Maybe you could use some of the rates our simian friend pays on their monkey-house to subsidise something else of interest to them - but which they already pay for. What about a lottery application scheme for free Fyfes bananas? (though I think that idea has already been tried in Hartlepool)
... nothing new on this Earth...
Twango
says...
6:38pm Mon 20 Apr 09
Always Grumpy wrote:Ahhh! Our cunning plan to deceive people into believing that The Prinnels is a dire place to park during the Radio 1 event is generating results! Mwah ha ha ha! (Mental note: must add knife crime and muggings to the mind ray gun settings and raise the target victim IQ calibration).
Park in The Prinnels anytime and you'll be lucky if the wheels are still on your car when you return! The council will be doing people a favour banning parking there.
Even Angrier Monkey
says...
10:28am Tue 21 Apr 09
Some excellent ideas there. I'm all for it. The rubbish collection lottery sounds especially exciting - imagine arriving home from work,exitedly running up to the wheelie bin, have they taken my rubbish? have they not ? THEY HAVE!! thank *** for that
happy days
grumper
says...
11:47am Tue 21 Apr 09
Purlieu wrote:Looser!
Hedonism - wow I thought it was standing/sitting in a field for 10 hours. Now I find it's actual hedonism I must get a ticket !!
dirtyden
says...
5:15pm Tue 21 Apr 09
And for me...I'm glad SBC is spending 'our' taxes on promoting the town. Let's have more of it, even if it means you go to twice monthly bin collections. If you generate that much rubbish you should buy a car and drive it down to the tip you 'whinger' !!!
BadProspects
says...
5:19pm Wed 22 Apr 09
;-)
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Danzigg says...
9:36am Sat 18 Apr 09