V Festival fans cause traffic chaos
Friday 19th August 2011, 12:06PM BST.
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Miles of tailbacks snarled up roads leading to Weston Park today as thousands of fans made their way to the V Festival.
An estimated 28,000 vehicles were off to the festival today. It is to attract 90,000 revellers over the weekend.
The A5 was jammed from the site for more than five miles past junction 12 of the M6 to Cannock.
Drivers faced two-and-a-half miles of tailbacks on the M6 southbound, with traffic crawling between junction 13 for Stafford and junction 12 for Gailey.
The northbound exit at junction 12 was closed and traffic heading south was being allowed to queue on the hard shoulder to leave.
Traffic heading from Birmingham on the M6 was being directed off at junction 10a at Essington before joining the M54, which was also suffering long tailbacks.
Highways Agency spokesman Mik Barton said: “It’s going according to plan but it is getting busy. When you get to Gailey Island there are two routes into the park, along the A5 or down the A449. As the traffic starts queuing one way they switch the signs to tell people to use the other route.”
The A41 was turned into a one-way road this morning from the M54 into the park to double the number of vehicles able to get into the site near Shifnal.
There was more disruption for motorists after a biker crashed on a roundabout near to Weston Park.
Paramedics said the man, who was believed to be in his 40s, was treated on scene for a serious head injury before being taken to Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital.
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Eh?
“V Festival fans cause traffic chaos”
No – Traffic management and the silly road causes traffic chaos, the fans are just trying to get there like everyone else trying to get through.
Can’t blame the fans for causing it… :/
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More thought should be given to the location of such festivals. Holding one in the west midlands, where the traffic situation is already horrendous.
These festivals contribute very little to the local economy and just create chaos.
They should be held in more suitable located venues, and consideration given to the majority who wont be attending, but seriously inconvenienced by its happening.
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More thought should be given to leaving comments on this website.
To say that “these festivals contribute very little to the local economy” is far from the truth.
Has Andy tried to book accommodation in this part of the world at this time of the year? Does he run a business selling food or drink and has suffered an adverse economic effect? At a time of economic downturn, this region needs every penny it can get more than it needs its nimbies or negative press. V Festival? Bring it on!!
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stupid stupid headline
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Huge music festivals need a lot of space, which is why they’re held in rural locations. By their very nature, they’re generally not well served by major traffic routes, so traffic problems are inevitable.
Weston Park is relatively unusual in that it’s on the junction of two major roads with motorways nearby to the East and the South. I’m sure traffic would be a lot worse if it wasn’t near major routes. I’ve been to Glastonbury and also to Phoenix (years ago at Long Marston near Stratford) and these are definitely not well served by large trunk roads or motorways.
Perhaps they should open the camping a day earlier, to spread the arrival of festival goers across two days instead of cramming it into one.
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It is open for three days already for campers!
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Three days being Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I meant opening it up on Thursday too, which would make it four days, with most campers arriving over two days (Thursday and Friday).
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I have travelled North on the M6 from the Toll Road trying to get back to Newport at 11.30am
Jnt 12 Northbound exit closed, so travelled up to Jnt 14
Queueing and mostly stationery traffic Southbound on M6 from Jnt 14 to Jnct 12 (10 miles)in all 3 lanes.
Many many people were stood outside of their cars chatting and drinking.
I myself was not held up at all, as off at Jnct 14, B5405 to Woodseaves, and A519 to Newport
Shame these festival goers dont know the shortcuts!!
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“Shame these festival goers dont know the shortcuts!!”
I’m glad they don’t!
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“silly roads” what more do people want? There is a two lane motorway that takes these hippies to within two miles of the entrance and the A5 that takes them even closer. If they want to spend most of their weekends sitting in traffic, to then wake up in a cesspit, masquerading as a campsite, good luck to them! Now where are the keys to my helicopter?
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Ski.. think you’ve missed the point.
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Traffic is bad, but it is one weekend a year!
If you know the area there are plenty of other roads we can use to get to the places you need!
My husband works at RAF Cosford and jsut goes on the back roads rouns Shifnal take a few minutes longer but its no biggy!
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Are you just bitter Ski, because you couldn’t get a ticket. I know how much you wanted to go.
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Funny thing the traffic chaos – Just like last year and the year before and the year before – Good suggestion on opening on Thursday to try and spread the arrivalsd
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It just means the traffic jams will arrive a day earlier and the cost will go up because somewhere along the line staff, police, ambulance etc have got to be paid.
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But if the current situation is unacceptable (and I’m not necessarily saying it is; that would be for the relevant authorities to decide) then it should be considered. The extra day should be a condition of the festival licence and the additional costs borne by the promoters, assuming they want to continue to put the festival on, either by reducing their margins or adding a small amount to ticket costs.
Another thing that should be considered is increasing the number of access points to the site. “Red” ticket holders use the red gate, “Yellow” use the yellow gate, and so on. It would cost a lot more to install temporary roads, but again that would be up to the promoters to cover.
Whatever the ultimate solution to the traffic problem, it’s going to cost money and if the promoters want a festival then they’ll have to find a way to stump up the cash.
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Its once a year! What is the big deal, we all know its the same every year and it will be the same at other festivals in other parts of the country.
If you have to be somewhere, try to plan ahead!
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Here! Here!
People need to chill out and embrace it, plan ahead and stop moaning.
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