There’s a lot of interest in
September’s UCI World
Championships, and the
cycling media is already
publishing spectator guides
that point out the best places
from which to view the action.
This presents an added
challenge for the organizers
when it comes to managing
traffic on the day.
“Cycling fans know where to
go – they know the climbs they
want to see – and residents
will go where they live,” says
operations director Bob
Brayshaw. “Our job beyond
that is to take visitors away
from the busiest locations,
to spread things out a little.
That way people will enjoy it
more – they won’t be squashed
in and they’ll find it easier to
park, for example. We can
have a big effect by using
communications effectively,
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and it’s down to the whole
team to make it as efficient
as possible.”
Then it’s about timings. “For
the TT and para event the roads
are closed two hours before the
first rider sets off, and each
road will reopen as soon as the
last rider has gone through,”
Brayshaw says. “It’s similar for
the road race, only in that case
it will be when the last vehicle
has gone through.”
Head in the crowds
How Yorkshire plans on giving every visitor to the
World Championships a great day out
Right: To maximize
safety, the Tour de
France and other
cycling events clearly
signpost potential
hazards to racers
“When it comes to managing crises
there’s a ‘silver’ route alongside the
stage and all the players involved are
on that route. An ambulance from A
to B can be managed live, within one
room, via radio communication.”
Taking over the world
Yorkshire’s experience of organizing
its own race has been invaluable in
informing strategy for the climax of
September’s racing season, however,
any blue-riband event has challenges.
“The World Championships are
different from the point of view of
national reputation,” says Brayshaw.
“UK Sport, the Department for Digital,
Media, Culture and Sport and the
government itself all have a vested
interest in the success of the event.”
There are more fixed road closures
than on the Tour de Yorkshire,
because the World Championships
include the time-trial – four events:
senior and Under-23 for men and
women, with riders setting off at
intervals – and for the first time the
para event is a point-to-point race too.
“We’re trying to make the traffic
disruption as short as possible,” says
Brayshaw. “The traffic restrictions are
rolling, but enhanced, with more
stewards closing roads. We will also
have more barriers, partly because
we expect larger crowds and partly
so the riders don’t get lost. It would
be pretty embarrassing if someone
like three-time World Road Race
Champion Peter Sagan went the
wrong way.”
PHOTOS: DAXIAO PRODUCTIONS, TORWAIPHOTO, JUANANBARROS/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
July/August 2019 Traffic Technology International
www.TrafficTechnologyToday.com
043
60 The number of motorcylists
overseeing each stage of
the Tour de Yorkshire (30
police and 30 marshals)
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