News
27 Apr 01Motorcycle evenings back on Poole Quay
\n
Poole’s popular motorcycle Tuesdays are set to continue from 1 May 2001 on a trial basis after discussions by the Council Poole and Poole Police.
The event's future was under review following the re-development of Poole Pottery, new sea wall and the development of the Thistle Hotel "overflow" parking which has reduced the number of spaces on the Quay from around 1118 to 598.
Although fairly small numbers of motorcyclists have visited Poole Quay for many years, since 1997 special parking zones created especially for motorcyclists on Tuesday evenings have turned the event into a major attraction which, during the summer of 2000, attracted up to 2,000 motorcyclists.
The Borough of Poole and Poole Police have been working with motorcycle representatives to make special facilities available which will mean the event will continue on a trial basis starting from Tuesday 1st May.
Graham Richardson, Tourism Manager, Borough of Poole, said: "To help overcome the reduction in spaces we applied for a road closure order for Poole Quay from the High Street to the Thistle Hotel. Our main concern was not so much the management of the event but what will happen immediately beyond the event zone given a real likelihood that on many evenings the number of motorcyclists will greatly outnumber parking spaces".
He added: "However, we have been reassured by the pledge of support from the Police towards ensuring that any motorcycle parking outside the event will be in legally designated spaces and that the road behaviour of motor cyclists will be closely monitored, particularly on those nights when it is not possible to accommodate everyone. The success of the event in the past has largely been due to our ability to accommodate all the motorcyclists on all but the very busiest of evenings. Because of this the event has won over many residents who have stated their satisfaction that a well organised event attracting large numbers of motorcyclists is much better than a relatively smaller number of motorcyclists attending an unmanaged event" .
-m/f-
EDITORS NOTES
Questions & Answers
Q Precisely how many places will there be?
Area | Spaces 2000 | Spaces 2001 Est |
Corkers è Fish Shambles | Harbourside of Road | 188 | 125 |
- Ditto - | Townside of Road | 78 | 111 |
Old Orchard Roundabout è Fisherman’s Dock | Harbourside of Road | 315 | 198 |
- Ditto - è Ballard Road | Townside of Road | 187 | 164 |
Poole Pottery Private Car Park | 300 | - |
Thistle Hotel Secondary Car Park | 50 | - |
TOTALS | 1118 | 598 |
Q How will the event be managed?
At 1800 hrs the Poole Quay Road will be closed by the Caro Sculpture; at Old Orchard at its junction with Strand Street (but allowing accesses to Strand St); at Cherbourg Roundabout (Ballard Road); and at Poole Quay beyond the Thistle Hotel when approaching from the east (with advance notice at Cherbourg Roundabout stating "Road Closure Ahead - Access Only to Thistle Hotel).
Q When will the road re-open?
It is anticipated that the road will re-open at 2200 hrs subject to a safe, clear thoroughfare being available.
Q Who is organising the event?
The Borough of Poole through its Transportation Services and Marketing Services Units are ultimately responsible for the event. Each Tuesday there will be a designated Event Manager from one of those Units who will be responsible for all aspects of the event in liaison with the voluntary motorcycle marshals and the Senior Marshal, Ruth O’Hare.
Q Were Objections received to the road closure order?
4 formal objections were raised and the Borough of Poole has sought to resolve all relevant issues. In particular in response to Poole Harbour Commissioners the event has now been "clawed back" to the Thistle Hotel to provide greater access to the yacht haven and special arrangements have been made to enable pleasure boat operators to have access to the quayside for servicing/supplying their vessels. Additionally, there were a small number of objections relating to the "image" of the event and these were not considered relevant or appropriate reasons to stop the event going ahead.
Q Now that the event has been committed for 2001 is there any likelihood it will be suspended? \n
The motorcyclists are aware that the continuity of the event is entirely dependent on the ability of the organisers to manage the event successfully. In particular disruptive illegal parking outside the event zone, or, an increase in complaints relating to noise/road behaviour - perhaps linked to frustration due to insufficient parking for all motorcycles - the special arrangements for the event could be withdrawn.
Q Were other options considered?
The organisers did seriously consider the event not taking place in 2001 because of the large reduction in the number of spaces available. However, it was felt particularly important to continue the event in 2001 given the different situation that many businesses may find due to the loss of the Summer Festival Evenings on Poole Quay and the current redevelopments. Motorcyclists did consider other areas of Poole, Bournemouth and other sites in Dorset. However, there was a clear option to return to Poole Quay and all concerned thought it was the best solution to do everything realistically possible to retain the event.
Q How will the motorcycles mix with the pedestrian environment on Poole Quay?
A strict parking regime applied by the marshals will ensure that the motorcycles arriving at the beginning of the evening will be parked to create a barrier stopping other motorcycles from parking on the paved area of the Poole side of Poole Quay. Likewise, no motorcycle parking zones have been allocated on the harbour side of the new sea defence wall. Although motorcyclists may perceive the space available on the quayside beyond the sea wall as being a wasted resource, health and safety requirements would deem it essential to segregate the motorcyclists from the pedestrian area and this would involve significant staffing and infrastructure costs.
Graham Richardson, Tourism Manager, tel: (01202) 262677
Add your comments
News RSS feed
Directgov