Great to hear that those leaving the festival today had far less problems than getting when onto site last week. Well done to all involved. This in from the council, in their own words. Ed
A transport plan drawn up to prevent further congestion problems as motorists leave the Isle of Wight Festival has proved successful.
The arrangements – that involved a network of traffic ‘spotters’ relaying real-time information to the operation HQ at the festival site and controlled egress from the camping fields – was put in place to prevent a repeat of the congestion issues that arose on Thursday and Friday.
Collaboration of different agencies
Drawn up by the Isle of Wight Council, police and event organisers and supported by the Island’s ferry companies and bus company Southern Vectis, the operation also involved volunteers from Raynet, Maritime Volunteer Service and the Vectis 4 X 4 Response and their mainland colleagues.
Stuart Love, council director of economy and the environment said: “A lot of effort was put in to come up with the plan because we were determined to do what we could to prevent the problems the Island encountered on Thursday.
“That meant all parties liaising closely over the weekend and this morning to make sure the plan was put into operation and monitored to make sure it was working and any emerging issues dealt with before they became problematic. This was particularly critical between the main commuter period of 7.30am-9.00 am.
“I am glad to say these efforts were successful and while there is still some festival traffic yet to leave the Island, the roads and transport terminals have been operating well.
“I really would like to thank all those organisations including the police, Wightlink, Red Funnel and Southern Vectis for their help over what has been a challenging weekend.”
“Ensure that lessons are learned”
He continued, “While we are pleased today ran smoothly we will all be reviewing the problems that occurred at the start of the event and taking the appropriate steps ensure that lessons are learned.”
The council has also instigated a special street cleaning programme to run throughout the day to keep the highways as mud-free as possible.
“Going to plan”
Hampshire Constabulary’s Isle of Wight District Police Chief Inspector Nick Heelan said, “Everything appears to be going to plan so far, but we still have a long way to go. Hundreds of vehicles remain on the festival site and we want to ensure everyone leaves safely and swiftly with minimum disruption to local residents.
“We’re most grateful for the support of all our partner agencies, particularly Isle of Wight Council, the ferry companies and Southern Vectis, plus the invaluable commitment of the public who’ve given time and expertise to keep the community safe and on the move.”
