13 replies to this topic

[BinThereDrummedThat]

Love everything about the festival, except for one thing - the amount of on site traffic.

So many uneccesary journey's, trailers with people in, traders taking their camping stuff across site, even security vehicles moving across site.  It's a nightmare - every 5 seconds someone is shouting at you to clear the track, making you get stuck in the mud at the side of the road.

It's just not necessary. The site is large, but it's not ridiculous.  Why should security drive around everywhere?  Unless it's an emergency they should walk like the rest of us!  Traders and those parked onsite should be on site by 8am Wednesday and not be allowed to leave until 3am Monday.

Supposedly there is a vehicle curfew 3pm-3am, but judging by the amount of on site movement it's non existent.  I parked my van onsite and didn't move it for the weekend.  Why can't others do this?

[captain futility]

oh ffs

perhaps you'd prefer to run out of food and beer, or have the walkways totally impassable, unemptied loos and the like.

how about separating the camping and the arena? then these pesky vehicles wouldn't get in your way

[ethelmeaker]

you always notice the traffic more on muddy years. more people are using the path/track to avoid the deep mud on what would normally be grassy areas. when it's dry the human traffic is more spread out so usually less need to clear out of the way of a vehicle.

[geebus]

Presume it's a lot more noticeable in the mud.
I'm sure there's plenty of good reasons why traders do need to get stuff delivered to them during the day.  (I noted quite a few food places with severely restricted menus at point, possibly because they couldn't get their stock

Security - I presume they do need a few vehicles around to ferry people; but I suspect it's more a case of laziness.  (Finding an alternative solution to ME's "where else can I find 20k security people" problem would be good.)

[ThomThomDrum]

To be fair if security had to walk everywhere unless an emergency how would they get to an emergency quickly enough if they dont have access to a vehicle where they are?

[DeanoL]

captain futility, on 30 June 2011 - 12:01 PM, said:

oh ffs

perhaps you'd prefer to run out of food and beer, or have the walkways totally impassable, unemptied loos and the like.

how about separating the camping and the arena? then these pesky vehicles wouldn't get in your way

Of course not. Traffic has to move around the site. Vans carrying straw? Vans carrying heavy equipment for a band from stage to the other? Toilet trucks (although I didn't see a single one all weekend myself).

But then you get vans that are empty. Or worse, are full of people and nothing else. Occasionally bad planning might mean you need to run an empty van somewhere to then go transport something else, but that should be pretty rare. There was loads of it going on.

ThomThomDrum, on 30 June 2011 - 12:08 PM, said:

To be fair if security had to walk everywhere unless an emergency how would they get to an emergency quickly enough if they dont have access to a vehicle where they are?

I'm ridiculously unfit but was still moving quicker than a security van in the conditions this year.

[ukslim]

Odd. I thought the amount of traffic was really light this year.

It's years since I've seen trucks moving around site with a bunch of punters piled on the back for the ride.

[cdm22]

I thought there was much more traffic too....pretty much every time I went anywhere we were being moved out of the way.

[johnmcga]

I agree, it's a pain in the arse. Sure, there's always going to be a need for a certain amount of traffic, but the most extreme example I have is the numpty (alone, in his car) I saw driving along the railway track by the Other Stage right after a big act had finished there.

There is NO need for that.

Has anyone ever been run over / hit by a vehicle on site?

[verrymerry]

To be fair it's not like Leeds & Reading or V where they close the arenas and the markets / food stalls can stock up at night, Glastonbury Festivals 24/5 non stop, even if they drove about at night it would be busy.

We did see a full on articulated lorry reversing up by the leftfield tower though, that might be a step too far  

[geebus]

cdm22, on 30 June 2011 - 12:47 PM, said:

I thought there was much more traffic too....pretty much every time I went anywhere we were being moved out of the way.

People were definitely being moved more than last year, but I still thought there was a fair bit less traffic overall - as there was plenty of places for people to walk or vehicles to drive and still get the correct amounts of traction in either case last year, so much easier for the two to avoid each either.

[budvar]

I didn't think it was as bad as it's been in the past. You certainly notice it more in muddy years for the reasons people have mentioned.

The thing I find annoying are the traffic stewards who shout at people constantly. There really isn't a need for them.

[BinThereDrummedThat]

All that needs to happen is to enforce the rules in place - not much more.  I.e. give traders a 12 hour window from 3am to 3pm to stock up.  That way, in the busy periods of day you should only have poo trucks and emergency vehicles moving around site.

If enough security vehicles are deposited at well thought out locations around site you would never be more than a minute or so from one - plus these vehicles could have personnel in at the time.  Plus, if it was a genuine emergency, you could move a helluva lot quicker on foot than in a van through most of the site.

But people driving empty vans, their own luggage, other people or stuff like that round the site - just ban it.  It's not neccesary.

[sisterofmercy]

I think people just noticed it more due to the mud. To be honest though, if you had the choice of jumping in the back of a jeep or whatever, rather than trudging through the mud, it would be rather hard to say no.