On 5 Nov 2017 at 7:47pm johnnyvinyl wrote:
I feel the new safeguards regarding public safety at the main parade down the High St. need rethinking.
There was widespread information about no trains after midday, and road closures at 4.30pm.
But when we set off for the biggest parade, due to start at 8.15, every route to the High St. was closed off to pedestrians.
No-one at the barriers could give us any information, so we tried other routes, and, thankfully, found a street where the guardians of our safety seemed to be on a break.
We, and 100's of others, took advantage of this, and eventually reached the parade. But it was so jammed that I ended up behind 6 rows of onlookers,
unable to move anywhere, pressed up against a wall.
Why were we not warned of this policy, and why were we not informed of when the barriers were to be set up, and operative?
I saw lots of torches, and some effigies, but none of the marchers.
How was it for you?
On 5 Nov 2017 at 8:12pm Johnny download wrote:
It was fine because I turned up nice and early and stood at the front. It gets busy. Get there late and you have to stand at the back.
On 5 Nov 2017 at 8:29pm Noidea wrote:
Fine - we got there on time and saw everything . Obviously the routes were closed to prevent major overcrowding at pinchpoints. Not everything can be arranged for your convenience.
On 5 Nov 2017 at 8:50pm Mad Mick wrote:
Sorry folks, I agree with johnnyvinyl. There appeared to be inner and outer cordons much the same as when the emergency services manage a big incident. Routes that in previous years have been open were closed on the evening.
Incidentally, I found the biggest Police presence to be at the Bus "drop off" / "pick up" points. It made a mockery of their decision to cancel the trains.
On 5 Nov 2017 at 8:56pm Sensible Steve wrote:
Becase if they’d run the trains they wouldn’t have needed to police the bus pick up points would they. Idiot.
On 5 Nov 2017 at 9:15pm Other bonfire confusion wrote:
It's the 6th yet banger addicted childless saddos cannot let go of the idea that it's over for another year.
On 5 Nov 2017 at 9:26pm johnnyvinyl wrote:
Thanks for all your 'got there nice and early' comments, but you miss my main point, that no-one, nowhere, seems to have mentioned a time when these
restrictions were going to be enforced. And none of you have said when you turned up. 3.30?
On 5 Nov 2017 at 9:28pm Pseudo wrote:
No moron it's the 5th doh !!
On 6 Nov 2017 at 8:02am Xplorer2 wrote:
JV, I read that police closed access to the High St around 8:15pm because of the number of people already there, for safety reasons. I would think the timing of it, and whether it was done at all, was driven by numbers rather than a fixed plan.
On 6 Nov 2017 at 8:07am Watcher wrote:
I got into town at 7 and didn’t have any problems. I don’t imagine that the closeure was planned at a certain time. It was in response to the large crowds and crush in the lower end of the high street. I notice that they’d restricted acces to the bottom end of Cliffe high street this year too. Presumably to reduce the crush over Cliffe bridge.
On 6 Nov 2017 at 9:04am Hercule Poirot wrote:
Ah , le closeure you get ze more I love you. Let's hope this is the closure of bonfire threads.