Proposed Changes to the Licence

[eFestivals]

Because all the radio stations said "Theres been a horrid accident on the M4 /M5 /A39 and Glastonbury festival goers are dying in their cars from heatstroke/dehydration/hunger" and all those people who would normally have used the motorways re-routed and came in from Bath and the A303.

but the route from the motorway was already 10+ miles of queues.

This slowed the traffic down in those locations due to sheer volume, and snarled up the whole area to the east.

I went onsite and off site twice on wednesday from the West, no trouble at all.

eh? You're joking. There were 10+ mile queues at 8am out to Glastonbury and beyond (which is to the west from pilton).

[eFestivals]

Traffic can only get thru the gates at the fest at so many in any hour.

The number of cars arriving was greater than the numbers that could be got into the car parks.

No accident changed that.

[lord stradmor]

but the route from the motorway was already 10+ miles of queues.

eh? You're joking. There were 10+ mile queues at 8am out to Glastonbury and beyond (which is to the west from pilton).

[Dark Star]

Straight up. Waited no more than ten minutes and dropped off a rock and roll band (or two thirds of it) at about 2pm, and went back and swished straight in to put my tent up at sevenish.

had to leave to go back to work until Friday though, so it wasn't all gravy...

Edited February 2, 2010 by Dark Star

[bunchy]

8 hours to travel 15 pesky miles...Grrr...but it was all forgotten about once I finally got there!!

Edited February 2, 2010 by bunchy

[Dark Star]

8 hours to travel 15 pesky miles...Grrr...but it was all forgotten about once I finally got there!!

[laid back in the sun]

dont know how i missed all this traffic everyones going on about... i drove down through the tuesday night, got to bristol around half seven, filled up and then straight on to pilton (not sure which roads tho as i just blindly follow the sat nav), i even stopped at the side of the road a couple of miles from the site to stretch my legs and have a smoke and i didnt see any real traffic until i got to the village, took maybe fifteen minutes to get from there to the car park and i was parked up by nine! maybe my sat nav knows some secret back route to the site, i should sell maps for it didn't have any trouble getting out monday either... although that may be because i didn't wake up til ten at night and the car parks were deserted by then so i could drive right up to entrance gate and collect my mate and our gear instead of both of us dragging all our stuff across the car parks think i'll try this tactic again this year!

[pman]

8 hours to travel 15 pesky miles...Grrr...but it was all forgotten about once I finally got there!!

[Laura_Babs]

I cannot see how a closure on a motorway 25 miles or more away, or an accident on a motorway 15+miles away "added to the congestion".

Can anyone give a reason why they might have done?

[Metal Monkey]

Hope the campervan field bit goes through, would be good to have a extra night at the festival, even if it is outside.

[paulo999]

My own personal experience was that the weather was a big factor.

I don't know a single person who has ever taken notice of the official start date. In fact, the first time I even clocked it was after I got back and read it about it here.

But that's just my own experience, and I'm probably not a good 'average'.

Anyone here know anyone that was influenced by the published dates?

[LetsGoToMars]

Did anyone set off driving from Glastonbury town last year? We're camping at the isle of avalon this year and wondering what's the latest we should leave without queuing for hours and hours and hours? Got on the coach at about 12pm last year and it was just over an hour's drive...

[Laura_Babs]

My own personal experience was that the weather was a big factor.

I don't know a single person who has ever taken notice of the official start date. In fact, the first time I even clocked it was after I got back and read it about it here.

But that's just my own experience, and I'm probably not a good 'average'.

Anyone here know anyone that was influenced by the published dates?

[r0cky]

When I wandered back through the east carparks in the late morning of Wednesday last year, the Blue Route was moving at a snail's pace. It was moving extremely slowly, with lots of stop-starts. As I walked through the carparks I realised that it was a tailback from the Campervan fields that was limiting the influx of cars at this point. One car was moving every few minutes, the time taken for a campervan to be moved into position.

It makes complete sense that the proposed application has Brown Gate to field cars into the upper car park fields to alleviate that problem this time around.

[paulo999]

@laura: I was camped down the road for Solstice from Saturday, and then on-site Monday. All that time I was badgering friends - get down here ASAP.

But no, you're right. Whilst there are some people who can get the extra day at short notice, not everyone can.

There's another possible factor to add in to the mix. The recession. For more people than previous years, this will have been elevated to their main holiday. The one they wouldn't give up, and would make the most of.

Edited February 2, 2010 by paulo999

[NeilVJ]

Many people now treat Glastonbury as an extra holiday so therefore look to squeeze every last moment they can out of it. I've already worked out my alternate route should it all go mental again.

[Laura_Babs]

@laura: I was camped down the road for Solstice from Saturday, and then on-site Monday. All that time I was badgering friends - get down here ASAP.

But no, you're right. Whilst there are some people who can get the extra day at short notice, not everyone can.

There's another possible factor to add in to the mix. The recession. For more people than previous years, this will have been elevated to their main holiday. The one they wouldn't give up, and would make the most of.

[paulo999]

So can people see Tuesday opening of car parks being approved? I'm concerned that the fact that Glastonbury usually try to encourage public transport may mean that the changes to the license may be rejected.

[mikeb]

So can people see Tuesday opening of car parks being approved? I'm concerned that the fact that Glastonbury usually try to encourage public transport may mean that the changes to the license may be rejected.

Edited February 2, 2010 by mikeb

[paulo999]

@mikeb I know where you are coming from. What I would note though is that - as a consolation at least - there is specific provision for ensuring the Castle Cary shuttle buses will get through. So the multi-hour wait at the station shouldn't happen. In theory.

[mikeb]

I hope you're right for everyone's sake long-term but particularly so because the worst-case scenario for me personally is finding ridiculous queues all the way and then being faced with a choice between trying to cope with several extra hours at the gate or getting back on the shuttle bus and going home or something equally unpleasant. Regrettably I can only hump my cr@p so to speak for a reasonable amount of time these days before I'll end up pretty much not being able to move at all for the rest of the weekend. There's a 'sensible' limit as to just how much you can technically O/D on the old painkillers and all that and I think I'm pretty much there at a typical Glasto with the typical kinda queues etc. unfortunately.

I'm a huge believer in public transport. In fact I don't even drive let alone have a car - it's always been walk, cycle/bike or public transport (with the very, very occasional taxi if absolutely necessary) for me by choice but if I could drive ... I'd be very seriously looking at not using public transport this year despite my very strong views that it's 100% the right thing for the job. Not to get there early as such because I'd still aim for my usual time but simply to exchange several hours of standing around carrying a load of gear (potentially in the rain of course) with a not dissimilar and quite possibly very much shorter amount of time mostly sat in the relative comfort of a car listening to the radio ! TBH I'm actually kinda glad that a car defo isn't an option really as it means not having to even vaguely consider compromising on my beliefs and somehow trying to justify it

... wanders off to investigate trolleys once again and try to come up with the grand masterplan for humping said trolley over the bl**dy footbridge at the station apart from anything else !

Edited February 2, 2010 by mikeb

[beamends]

When I wandered back through the east carparks in the late morning of Wednesday last year, the Blue Route was moving at a snail's pace. It was moving extremely slowly, with lots of stop-starts. As I walked through the carparks I realised that it was a tailback from the Campervan fields that was limiting the influx of cars at this point. One car was moving every few minutes, the time taken for a campervan to be moved into position.

It makes complete sense that the proposed application has Brown Gate to field cars into the upper car park fields to alleviate that problem this time around.

[lord stradmor]

It's very difficult - well, for me anyway - to second guess. As of about two weeks ago, only a few people had been in to look at the licence. I'd expect that the general local view would be that combatting the traffic is a good thing (from anyone not living right next door to the car parks at least, and many/all of them will already be well looked after by GFL).

How the council will view it is anyone's guess. There's no precedent to benchmark the proposal against. Not in Mendip's experience and not nationally as far as I know.

Perhaps they'll pass it as is. Or pass it with modifications (e.g. Start time). Or maybe ask for more detail and have a second hearing.

I'd be curious to hear from anyone with experience of licensing.

[beamends]

My belief is that the licensing documents only contain real and unsatisfied objections from the fire authority, and no real objections from anyone else,

<snip>

Anyone who finds this stuff utterly fascinating can see the application here:

http://www.mendip.gov.uk/CommitteeMeeting....SX9452-A78301D2

[eFestivals]

There's another possible factor to add in to the mix. The recession. For more people than previous years, this will have been elevated to their main holiday. The one they wouldn't give up, and would make the most of.

It's been my main holiday since several recessions back, in the 80s.