MAY 25, 2004

Getting in and out at Silverstone

The access to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix will be improved this year with the announcement that the A43 dual carriageway will become part of the circuit one-way systems on the Friday of the event, in addition to Saturday and Sunday.

The access to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix will be improved this year with the announcement that the A43 dual carriageway will become part of the circuit one-way systems on the Friday of the event, in addition to Saturday and Sunday. The road closure was proposed by a group called the British Grand Prix Inter Agency Working Group on which sit representatives of Silverstone Motorsport Ltd, the British Racing Drivers' Club, the Northamptonshire Police, the Thames Valley Police, the Northamptonshire County Council, the South Northamptonshire Council, the Highways Agency and the Government Office for the East Midlands. Arrangements will now be made to ensure that the needs of the local communities, the travelling public and the Grand Prix are managed in one co-ordinated plan to maximise accessibility and minimise inconvenience.

"We welcome the announcement," said Chief Constable Peter Maddison of the Northamptonshire Police. "We recognise that the British Grand Prix is very important to the local motorsport industry, to local tourism and to the country. Spectator numbers will be greater on all three days of this year's event and we will ensure that everyone attending the racing will get to Silverstone as quickly and as safely as possible. Friday is likely to be very busy with race traffic and we feel the road closures, and the diversionary routes in place for non race-goers, will minimise disruption for all road users during the weekend."

The closures worked well last year although there was at least one occasion when the A43 was being reopened when people were directed on to the wrong carriageway after traffic was running in the other direction. Luckily there were no accidents.