Motorists given advice over Open traffic

The Courier, 7 July 2000

Motorists are being urged to plan ahead if they are to avoid getting bunkered on their way to and from the millennium Open Golf Championship at St Andrews later this month.

The advice was issued yesterday by Fife Constabulary, which said that the distribution of more than 100,000 copies of a travel information booklet should already have gone part way towards making journeys as smooth as possible, although it was stated that delays were almost certainly inevitable.

Around 240,000 golf enthusiasts are expected to descend on St Andrews for the duration of the championship week, which runs from July 16 to 23.

A police spokesman said yesterday that booklets, available by post, through information centres, garages and a host of other outlets, stress the importance of allowing plenty of time for the journey and the need to remain patient and attentive to requirements placed upon drivers.

"At previous Open Championships traffic delays have been encountered on the A91 between St Andrews and Guardbridge and this year, to minimise any problems, a 3000-space park and ride car park will operate near Guardbridge while the Golflink train facility is also detailed," said the spokesman.

"The park and ride facility will feature reduced cost parking, with a free shuttle bus service, and will have spectators transported to and from the course with priority and minimum delay," he added.

Police said traffic travelling from Edinburgh and the south is recommended to use the A915 route to St Andrews (via Largo) while traffic from the west and [north] should use the A91 via Cupar and Guardbridge.

The spokesman continued, "During peak hours a circulatory traffic flow system will be in operation for the duration of the event with the possibility of all traffic travelling west out of St Andrews on the A91, at evening peak times being directed north along the A919 roundabout and through Leuchars towards the A92."

Tow away zones will be enforced in St Andrews to ensure traffic flow is not obstructed. Owners will be faced with a £105 removal charge and a £20 fixed penalty, should they fail to comply with the regulations.

Fife police are also reminding people not to leave valuables in their vehicles, while the SSPCA will also be patrolling car parks to look after the welfare of animals.

"Temporary police offices will be set up within the tented village and at The Scores in the unlikely event that any problems should arise," the police spokesman added.

Chief constable denies attack on R and A policy

The Courier, 12 May 2000

Fife's chief constable John Hamilton yesterday denied reports that he suggested the Royal and Ancient were ignoring the advice of the police in the run-up to the Millennium Open Golf Championship at St Andrews, or that the R and A would be to blame for any traffic problems.

"What I did say was that this is undoubtedly one of the major world events of the millennium," said the chief constable, "and that, in anticipation that up to 240,000 tickets would be sold, every effort has to be made to ensure that it is successful and safe for spectators, other visitors and residents alike."

He continued, "Yes, we do have reservations that the road infrastructure in and around St Andrews could not cope if numbers passed a certain point, with traffic flow and management potentially a major problem should this situation arise.

"But , with this in mind, Fife Constabulary has long been engaged in valued and valuable discussion with the R and A and this ongoing dialogue will continue until the conclusion of this ever-popular event.

"All parties involved are determined this can, and will, be a successful occasion for the sport and for Fife and, to help ensure this is the case, we will be issuing a steady flow of advice during the run-up to and during the event itself.

"Clearly, this is all done with public safety of paramount importance, a view shared by all those involved in the organisation, and if a traffic gridlock looked to be a real possibility, or if any aspect of crowd management caused concern, then Fife Constabulary would not be doing their duty - and nobody would expect us to do otherwise - if we did not take whatever steps were necessary to alleviate any problems as and when they arose.

"Past experience has shown that, no matter what the attendance, the sheer size of this event means there is every likelihood that local people will experience interference to their routine and, realistically, everyone should anticipate delays and react accordingly by allowing more time for their journeys.

"But, by remaining patient and reacting promptly to any requirements placed upon them, the public will help keep any delays to an absolute minimum, something that will also be one of our principal aims for the duration of this event."

¤ The chief constable raised the issue on Wednesday at Fife Council's Public Protection Committee meeting. The Courier reporter's notes included the following.

The chief constable stated, "The R and A have advised us that, normally, they would issue some 180,000 tickets, but this year it is likely to be around 240,000. I need to advise you that roads around St Andrews will not cope with 240,000 potential people attending. Our professional judgment is that a maximum that the infrastructure can cope with is about 190,000. Our advice to the R and A is that (with) 240,000, the road infrastructure will and cannot cope with that."

He said that, although 240,000 tickets were being made available, it didn't mean they would all be sold, but added, "We have made strong representations that 240,00 will cause major disruption, and I say this quite directly, will be extremely difficult to manage if everyone turns up."

Councillor Andrew Paterson said, "I am concerned about safety. I think the R and A is being irresponsible if the chief constable is saying a maximum of 190,000 and they are printing 240,000 (tickets). We should be saying to the R and A this is not on. They are ignoring our advice. I think it is deplorable."

¤ The Courier acknowledges that the chief constable did not say directly the Royal and Ancient would be largely to blame if local residents and businesses were driven off the road by the predicted number of visitors, but this was a fair interpretation of his remarks.

Police chief warns of St Andrews roads chaos

James Rougvie, The Scotsman, 12 May 2000

A chief constable has accused the organisers of this year's Open golf championship of ignoring his advice on spectator numbers.

John Hamilton, who heads the Fife force which will handle the massive influx of fans to the open at St Andrews in July, has predicted there will be traffic chaos.

Mr Hamilton said the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, which runs the Open, had gone against police advice that there should be a maximum of 190,000 people attending the four-day championship, made 240,000 tickets available.

Mr Hamilton said: "There will be major disruption and major irritation for local people. There's the likelihood of great inconvenience to residents of St Andrews, business people and spectators. It could be quite enormous."

Mr Hamilton had told a meeting of Fife Council's protective services committee that the police had made "strong representation" that 240,000 would cause major disruption and be extremely difficult to manage if everyone turned up.

The police worst -case scenario is of a total gridlock and Mr Hamilton warned that officers would halt all traffic movement until things got moving again.

But the R&A championship secretary David Hill, who has overseen the last three Opens at St Andrews, said he was surprised at Mr Hamilton's outburst.

He said: "I don't know why he has made these remarks without at least the courtesy of a reference to us. We meet with his police team on a regular basis and have never heard these comments before.

"I had lunch with the chief constable three months ago and there was no mention of his concerns. I don't even know where he gets the figure of 240,000 from. We estimated there would be 200,000 spectators."

He added: "We have adequate parking spaces for them and we are not concerned because we had 210,000 spectators here in 1990 and the traffic system coped adequately".

He said even if there was an extra 10 per cent daily, he could not understand the chief constable's concerns because the East Fife regional motorway was now fully functional.

Organising the Open

Editorial, The Courier, 11 May 2000

The Open is an international sporting event of the first magnitude. It generates large sums of money for the local economy - estimated at £10 million for Tayside from last year's championship at Carnoustie.

It follows that, by now, planning should be at an advanced state for all aspects of the return of the championship to St Andrews in July.

Perhaps it is, in which case, based on previous experience, there is nothing to be concerned about.

There are, however, one or two straws in the wind that might give the impression that more coordination would not go amiss.

Providing for the smoothest possible flow of traffic is essential, yet, just over two months away from welcoming visitors from all over the world, the Chief Constable of Fife, Mr John Hamilton, is saying that the R and A has ignored police advice on the maximum number of tickets that should be available.

He warns that if all 240,000 tickets available are taken and used instead of the 190,000 maximum recommended, "the roads network around St Andrews will not cope.....there will be major inconvenience, major disruption."

Mr Hamilton was painting a worst-case scenario, it is true, but even the possibility of complete gridlock must concern all involved.

(There were 158,000 spectators at Carnoustie last year but 40,000 arrived by train.)

Councillors on Fife Public Protection Committee were obviously taken aback. A decision has been taken to close down the new and highly contentious traffic lights in Cupar for the duration of the championship - revealing in itself - to ease the flow of vehicles using the main route to St Andrews from the west.

Residents and local businesses will be very concerned and their interests must not be unreasonably compromised however well disposed most people in the area might prefer to be.

The R and A have vast experience in the organising of this huge event and St Andrews is one of the most regular venues for it. Based on that experience, they will have taken into account the ever-growing popularity of the Championship and the special attraction of the Millennium celebration.

However, if there is confusion and concern it is right that it should be aired.

Police chief tells of Open gridlock fears

Bruce Fegen, The Courier, 11 May 2000

St Andrews and the surrounding area is heading for a traffic nightmare during the Millennium Open in July, Fife's chief constable warned yesterday.

If local residents and businesses are driven off the road by the predicted record number of visitors, the Royal and Ancient, organisers of golf's showpiece championship, will be largely to blame, he said.

Warning of chaos for residents and visitors alike, Chief Constable John Hamilton said the R and A had ignored police advice on the maximum number of tickets to be made available for the event.

The force's professional judgement is that the roads infrastructure can cope with a maximum of 190,000 golf fans, but Mr Hamilton told yesterday's meeting of Fife's public protection committee that 240,000 tickets were being made available.

The chief constable said, "We have made strong representations that 240,000 people will cause major disruption and it will be extremely difficult to manage if everyone turns up. There's the likelihood of great inconvenience to residents, business people and spectators. It could be enormous."

Mr Hamilton told councillors, "I have serious concerns about the problem of numbers and we have made our views clearly known. The roads network around St Andrews will not cope with 240,000 people attending the Open."

The police's worst-case scenario is of a total gridlock. Mr Hamilton said, "I am getting good support from RAF Leuchars and a spotter plane and Gazelle helicopter will be available if required." He added that the R and A would meet £145,000 of the estimated £177,000 cost of policing the event.

Councillor Andrew Paterson, said, "The R and A is being irresponsible by ignoring police advice. I think we should be writing to them and saying it's not on. I think it is deplorable."

Responding late last night, the R and A's championships secretary David Hill expressed "disappointment" at the chief constable's comments.

He added, "We have not heard personally from him, but if he has any concerns we would be happy to meet with him for discussions. The 1990 Open at St Andrews attracted a record crowd on that occasion of 208,000 and we do not anticipate a lot more people being here this time."

Mr Hill said that the R and A had been working closely with Fife Constabulary's traffic department for some considerable time and officers had given no indication of any problems. Mr Hill added, "The championship committee is confident that will be of its normal high standard."

¤ Open traffic approaching and leaving St Andrews will be kept moving as quickly as possible and the new traffic light system in Cupar will be switched off. Vehicles, most of which will be travelling on the main through route, will be ushered through by police officers and traffic wardens placed at strategic locations.