Traffic And Travel Plans For Creamfields

Plans are in place to help keep traffic on the move over the Bank Holiday weekend as thousands of music fans head to Creamfields.

Around 55,000 music fans from across the UK and further a field are expected to attend the event in Daresbury.

Cheshire Police is working closely alongside the organisers of the event and representatives from the Highways Agency, the two local councils and the other emergency services − to ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible.

A detailed traffic management plan has been produced by the organisers of the event - in consultation with Cheshire Police - to deal with the increased traffic coming into the area.

Sgt Rick Weaver, of Cheshire Police′s Roads Policing Unit, said: "There will be thousands of people travelling into the area over the Bank Holiday weekend and this will once again test the traffic infrastructure to its limits. We are confident that the plan that is in place addresses any potential issues.

"The traffic plan has been designed to ensure that ticketholders can access and leave the site efficiently - by the most appropriate routes. It also aims to manage the likelihood of increased traffic in the area - for the benefit of local people who will need to maintain access to their homes and local businesses.

"The plan takes into account a number of factors − including the fact that extra people will be travelling into the area, the likelihood of any congestion on local roads and what plans are in place if there is a major incident on any roads."

The policing operation starts at 7am on Friday 24 August and will run until around 2pm on Monday 27 August.

The majority of festival goers are likely to be heading for the site on Friday morning and leaving on Monday morning. These are the times when residents can expect some congestion on local roads.

Drivers in the area are being advised to allow extra time for their journeys and to be alert as the roads will be busier than normal.

Festival goers are being advised to allow plenty of time for their journey and to use junctions 11 and 12 of the M56 and junction 7 of the M62 and to follow the designated routes as road closures will be in place.

Those heading to the event are also being advised not to rely on their sat navs - as traffic signs will point them in the right direction as they get nearer to the site.

If you are driving to Creamfields and want to park please ensure you use the correct car park and follow all signs.

The North car park will be for day ticket holders only and anyone who is being dropped off or picked up for camping.

Anyone parking and camping for the whole weekend should head for the South car park - unless otherwise directed.

Local roads will have full and partial closures on them (see notes to editors at the bottom of this press release) − but residents will still be able to gain access to their homes at all times.

This year the majority of the A56 outside the event site will be designated a ‘No Pedestrian′ zone over the course of the weekend and this means that people will not be allowed to walk alongside that section of the road either before, during or immediately after the event − this is to ensure the safety of those attending the event.

Festival goers are being encouraged to make use of public transport or the shuttle bus services that are once again running to the event from Liverpool, Manchester and Warrington - with an additional service added from site to Runcorn.

Further details of these shuttle bus services are available on the official Creamfields 2012 website at http://www.creamfields.com/

To find out more about the policing of the event log onto Cheshire Police′s website at www.cheshire.police.uk