Police, Belfast City Council and Translink urge people to plan ahead for Tall Ships Event
11 Aug 2009
With the countdown to the Belfast Maritime Festival later this week in full swing, the PSNI, Belfast City Council and Translink have appealed to people planning to attend the event to give prior thought to their travel arrangements and personal safety.
The Tall Ships event from 13 – 16 August will be one of the biggest spectacles ever witnessed in Northern Ireland with several hundred thousand people expected to attend the event over four days.
Police and their partner agencies are keen for everybody to enjoy this unique event – but maximise their enjoyment by thinking through issues such as parking and personal safety beforehand. Head of Community Safety for South and East Belfast, Superintendent Chris Noble said his priorities were to minimise disruption and keep everybody safe.
“It is absolutely great that Belfast has been chosen to host this fantastic family event and we want everybody to come and enjoy it to the full. However, there are a few basic precautions you can take to stay safe and not cause disruption to others.
- Police will robustly enforce traffic and parking restrictions to ensure the smooth flow of traffic. We would urge you to use the designated Park and Ride facilities provided. Any vehicles found to be illegally parked or causing an obstruction to businesses, emergency vehicles or commuter traffic will be removed at considerable expense to the owner.
- Look after your friends and family. Arrange a meeting point in case you do get separated.
- Be aware of personal security in large crowds; leave valuables at home or keep them close to your body. Do not leave valuables on display in parked cars.
- Plan your route to the event and home again. Be patient when faced with inevitable traffic congestion when approaching or leaving the event. Avoid any congestion problems by using one of the public transport options available.
“It is essential that everybody follows the signage that will be in place as well as instructions by police and other agencies to make sure that disruption is kept to a minimum and this can be a safe, enjoyable event for everyone,” Superintendent Noble added.
Ciaran Rogan of Translink said: “The best way to avoid traffic and parking headaches is to use our bus and rail services. We have lots of special summer fares and tickets to suit families, individuals and of course seniors with a valid Smartpass can travel free. We also have special Ulsterbus Tall Ships day tours departing from Ulsterbus depots right across Northern Ireland. All the information is in our handy ‘Tall Ships Travel Guide’ which is now online at www.translink.co.uk/tallships
and available from any of our bus and rail stations.
“Arriving into Belfast passengers can simply hop onto the free Tall Ships City Centre Shopper Service linking the event sites with the local shops and restaurants. This is being provided along with Belfast City Centre Management. To get between all the main event sites there will also be a special free Event Shuttle.
“On Sunday we will be operating additional trains to Holywood, Cultra, Helens Bay, Bangor, Jordanstown and Carrickfergus to get passengers to the best vantage points along the shoreline to enjoy the full splendour of these ships at full mast as the flotilla leaves Belfast.”
