New information on the traffic management arrangements that will be in place during next month’s Tour of Britain cycling race has been made available by the Isle of Wight Council.
The race reaches its climax here on 11th September when around 100 of the world’s best riders will take on the 150-kilometre Isle of Wight stage.
See the event on your own doorstep
The event will be broadcast live to a global audience (on ITV4 in the UK) but thousands of Islanders will also get the chance to see the event on their own doorsteps – quite literally in many cases.
Now that race organisers have confirmed the start time and also estimates of when the riders will reach race milestones, the council has published details of the rolling road closures that will be in place to facilitate the race.
Rolling road closures
The estimated timings – which are subject to change – are available via the Website.
The rolling road closures – which should last for a maximum period of between 30 minutes and an hour – are explained in a video which can be viewed via the Website.
Longer road closures at the start and finish points
For safety reasons it will be necessary to have longer road closures at the start and finish points – Ryde seafront and from the start of the Military Road at Chale until the finish at The Needles.
Some residents will also be asked to remove their cars from the route so the race can pass safely and this information will be made available in the coming weeks.
Jordan: Play your part in ensuring the course is safe and looks the part
Cllr Phil Jordan, Cabinet member for highways and infrastructure, said,
“Seeing these detailed timings really starts to bring home the excitement of the Island staging such a prestigious international sporting event.
“We are however asking Island residents to play their part in ensuring the course is safe and looks the part for the cameras who will be beaming live pictures of the race – and the Island – across the world.”
Spectate locally if you can
In order to reduce traffic on the roads during the race, Islanders are being encouraged to spectate locally if they can. If journeys are necessary then they should, if possible, be timed to avoid the short rolling road closures on the day.
Cllr Jordan said,
“Now we have these estimated race timings, we will be communicating more with residents about the event traffic management, what that will mean for residents and how they can play their part in making the race a success.”
The Isle of Wight Council is planning drop-in sessions later this month where residents can discuss the race with organisers and also an Island wider letter-drop to provide further information.
There are also two online channels created where residents can find out more about the event. These are via the council Website and Tour of Britain Resident Info on social media.
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
