Warwickshire Police

Motorists are being urged to plan their journeys carefully during next week's Royal Show in order to avoid delays and reduce congestion on the roads.

Up to 15,000 vehicles per day are expected to be travelling to and from Stoneleigh Park for the annual event on each of its four days from Sunday 1st July to Wednesday 4th July 2007 inclusive and Warwickshire Police has a traffic management plan in place to keep disruption to a minimum.

This plan has been created in conjunction with the Royal Show organisers ‘Royal Agricultural Society of England’ and a large number of key partner agencies and representative bodies, including members of the district and parish councils.

The intention is to keep the majority of show traffic on the main arterial routes that serve the area and then take them off this road network at the A46, Stoneleigh Junction. This allows a significant volume of show traffic ready access to the large car parks on the west of the site without the need for them to travel distances along local minor roads, which creates congestion. For this to occur, on the grounds of road safety, a number of road closures will be put in place for the duration of the event.

To prevent potentially dangerous tail backs on the A46 developing in the morning, show traffic once at the A46, Stoneleigh Junction will be ‘double run’ on both sides of the roads towards the direction of Stoneleigh Village and into the car parks on the B4115 on the west of the site.

As a consequence Stoneleigh Village will be closed to through traffic, as will the B4115 from its junction with Crewe Lane to its junction with B4113, Finham. Therefore traffic wishing to travel from the direction of Stoneleigh Village towards the direction of Gibbets Hill and Warwick University will be unable to do so via this route.

The direction of this ‘double running’ of show traffic will be reversed in the afternoon to allow the car parks on the west of the site to empty onto the A46 at Stoneleigh junction and from there ready access to the main arterial routes for the visitors return journey home.

A smaller road closure will also occur in Stareton Lane, near to the main entrance to the showground. This is to allow pedestrians safe access to an underpass that takes them into the site without the need to cross the busy B4113 that runs along the east of the show ground. Access to Stareton Lane can still be gained at its far end near to Stoneleigh Deer Park.

Access from Dalehouse Lane, Kenilworth onto the A46 at Stoneleigh Junction will be permitted onto the A46 northbound carriageway only. Traffic wishing to travel southbound should join the northbound carriage and then turn around at the next junction at Festival Island. In addition, local show traffic from the direction of the Solihull area has been re-routed so as to avoid travelling through Kenilworth.

Vehicle Message Boards advising motorists of the show will be used on the motorway network, and on local roads signs detailing road closures, diversions and directions to the show ground will be displayed.

Police Sergeant Jack Bal from Warwickshire Police said:

"Our primary objective has to be that of road safety, however we also aim to keep any disruption to the road system to an absolute minimum and ensure that a return to normality occurs as soon as possible”.

“Whilst we have done our best to meet the needs of the local communities and those of the visitors to the show, with 150,000 people to deliver safely to and from the event site over a four-day period there is no perfect solution and a degree of inconvenience is unfortunately inevitable.

“I would therefore ask that motorists take notice of the following advice to ensure that their journeys are kept as problem free as possible: -

Before setting off on your journey check to see if road closures affect your intended route. If so, alternative routes are available and you need to plan ahead and follow carefully the road signs and directions provided.

If possible make alternative arrangements to avoid travelling during rush hour traffic. If you’re unable to do so then allow extra time for your journey.

If you do get caught up in congestion please remain patient, as we don’t wish accidents to happen”.

Further information regarding the traffic management plan, road closures and directions to the showground are available on the Royal Show web site and in this section of the Warwickshire Police website.