Preparations underway at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone
We've also been hearing how the weekend will affect the road network
Last updated 6th Jul 2024
Ahead of the British Grand Prix, just off the A43 between the M1 and M40, we've been hearing more about the impact for road users this weekend.
The four-day festival featuring music alongside the weekend's racing, actually gets underway this Thursday July 4th. There will also be restrictions involving use of the A43 from Saturday, with the route marked for 'Event Traffic Only'.
Phil Shaw from National Highways explains that it's a major operation involving their officers:
"We've got to think about the event goers. They've paid a lot of money to attend and we have to ensure they're equipped to be able to get to where they're headed to on time.
"However, we also have to make allowances for the millions who use our network on a daily basis and aren't going to the event.
"With the measures we put into place, there are going to be people who benefit and those who don't. It's all about maximising the routes for everybody."
"There's roughly over the festival duration, about a half a million travellers so it's going to generate a large amount of traffic.
"On Saturday and Sunday, the main A43 will be opened ONLY to people attending."
Local emergency services are also preparing with plans for the event ongoing for the last nine months. Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue have a dedicated Silverstone Planning Team created within the Joint Operations Team, which works in partnership with Northamptonshire Police.
The Team works with Silverstone Circuit and partners from Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire to understand and manage any potential risks that could occur during the event.
The work that the Fire Protection Team does covers safety within the temporary hospitality venues, crowd management at the on-site concerts and liaising with local hotels and accommodation to ensure all fire safety regulations are being followed.
Members of the Fire Protection Team will also be visiting the campsites in and around the circuit, offering fire safety literature from our Prevention Team to provide campers with advice on how to stay safe from fire when at the event.
Matt Butler, NFRS strategic commander for the British Grand Prix, said: “A huge amount of work goes on all year round to help make sure we are suitably prepared and able to respond to any type of incident whilst at attendance at the British Grand Prix.”