Safety

Traffic in and around Blackpool is busy at weekends throughout the Illuminations, especially on the Promenade.

Tram tracks cross the Promenade roadway in several places and crossing them on a bike, especially at shallow angles and when there is moisture about, presents a special risk of skidding.

Horse-drawn landaus operate in the central section of the Promenade. They are something of a law unto themselves and have been known to make sudden U-turns with only the most cursory of hand signals. Treat then with special caution.

Road surface skidding hazards.Landau horses now wear “nappies” but manure happens. Donkeys still cross the Promenade. Even piles of vomit in the roadway are more frequent skidding hazards at Blackpool than elsewhere, so take extra care.

The Pontin's Site has a complex network of narrow roadways and tight turns, many of which are used by children, who may be riding bicycles or quad-cycles. Pedestrian walkways also criss-cross the site and often join roadways from behind rows of chalets. Cars, motorcycles and other road vehicles also use the site roadways. Special care is necessary at all times when riding a motorcycle within the Pontin's Site.

Pontin's Site Speed Limit. The Site Speed limit is 5 mph and this must be observed at all times.

Flooding Risk In 2006 flooding occurred on the Pontin's site after heavy rain because the drains had become blocked by blown sand. If there is heavy rain during the weekend of the Event extra care should be taken accordingly. If you have to ride through floodwater try to avoid applying any extra power while doing so, since this will make the back wheel lose traction much more readily than on a wet road. The bike easily could skid out of control.

Parking at Pontin's. Motorcycles may be parked anywhere on the Pontin's Site providing they do not obstruct the roadways and pedestrian walkways. Cars may be parked only in marked car parking bays, not otherwise around the site. (Offenders may find that a very sticky notice has been attached to their vehicle by Pontin's Security Staff encouraging them to move it and not to re-offend.) Parking of all vehicles on the Pontin's Site is entirely at the owner's risk.

On Friday evening, from shortly after dark, a static display of illuminated GoldWings will assemble in the area between the Prince's Theatre and the Stardust Lounge and also on the adjacent patio in front of the Swimming Pool. This is not intended to be a public display but members of th public may appear and may wander about among the bikes.

The area is not floodlit and after dark there will be little in the way of illumination except from the veranda lights of the Theatre and Stardust Lounge, although there will of course be plenty of illumination from the bikes.

Riding large bikes in a dark, confined area when pedestrians, including children, are also walking about is potentially hazardous. Riders must proceed slowly and with caution when manoeuvring in this area and should not exceed the site speed limit of 5 mph.

Pedestrians, including children, will be wandering among the bikes to view them and so riders should also take special care when parking their bikes to ensure that they are securely on the stand.

Operating Times. The static display will take place between 10am and 5pm on both Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st September 2008. All motorcycles are expected to have left the Headland by5pm, when marshalling will close.

Nature of the terrain. St Chads Headland is a large and level area of tarmac bounded on the west by the sea wall and on the east by tram tracks. Vehicle access is via a ramp next to a pedestrian crossing approximately half way along the eastern side. The Display Area will have a perimeter fence and the only access to the site for motorcycles will be via Gate A, immediately adjacent to the entrance ramp described above.

Vehicle and pedestrian access. The vehicle access point to St Chads Headland, Gate A, will be marshalled and riders should follow Marshal's directions. Motorcycles will be directed to the right as they enter, into a roadway between crowd-control fences, to the Motorcycle Display Area.

Prodders, pokers and climbers. In 2007 the general public were well behaved while viewing the bikes and there were no reports of damage to bikes. Marshals will patrol the display area but owners remain responsible for the security of their own bike throughout. Whenever there is a public display of GoldWings, the general public will however invariably take great interest. Most people are content to look without touching. Some, especially the children, may however try to climb on to the bikes or start pressing buttons or grabbing and wagging whatever they can reach. Previous experience is that displaying bikes on Blackpool Promenade is no more hazardous or risky in this respect than anywhere else. All owners are requested to park their bikes in a stable configuration with the risk of public interference in mind since, for example, a child toppling a bike by climbing on to it with or without permission, could result in a lawsuit if the child was injured.

Care and Vigilance Owners are also requested to be proactive in discouraging unauthorised mounting or meddling with any of the bikes on display, not just their own. If you allow members of the public to mount or attempt to mount your bike, you do so at your own risk.

Site Safety at St Chads Headland An Event Plan has been written for the Display at St Chads and is available for inspection on request. It provides for the separation of motorcycles and pedestrian movements by means of stewarding and an enclosed motorcycle route to and from the Motorcycle Display Area. A First Aid Post ad a Fire Point will be established. A Rendezvous Point (RVP) has been identified for the use of Emergency Services and notified to them. There will be two enclosed riding arenas; one for demonstrations of skilled riding to the public and one for use by young people to experience riding a motorcycle or quad bike under supervision on simulated roadways. There will be no motorcycle movements on site outside these arenas except along the fenced roadway between the entrance gate and the Motorcycle Display Area. There will be no refreshment or toilet facilities on site for public use and the public are expected to use the facilities of the many hotels and cafes along the Promenade.

Start Time The Light Parade will depart from the Parade Mustering Area at about 8pm (shortly after dark) on Saturday 20th September 2007 and should end at Pontin's shortly after 8.30pm.

Start Point. The Parade Mustering Area is on the Prince's Promenade which is a a wide tarmac walkway on the seaward side of the Hotel Metropole, just north of the Cenotaph and North Pier (same as in 2006, not 2007).

Access Time. Access to the mustering area at Princess Promenade will be available from 6.00pm onwards.

Mustering. Event Registration is necessary for admission to the Mustering Area and is only available to GoldWings and the personal guests of GoldWing riders who accompany them. Most people will register for the Parade at Pontin's when they check in or at St Chads Headland earlier in the day. You can however register on arrival at the Mustering Area but please arrive early if you need to do this. Access to the Mustering Area will be via a gated entrance controlled by Marshals who will be assisted as necessary by Police.

Hazardous Entrance Ramp. Access to the Parade Mustering Area will be via a ramp marked by traffic cones just past the Cenotaph and before the entrance to the Hotel Metropole. Maarshals will be present to guide motorcyclists across the tram racks safely. The ramp from the roadway crosses the tram tracks at the roadside, so due care should be taken on the approach. The entrance gate to the mustering area will be some distance from the roadway, to allow room for bikes to be checked in for the Parade.

Mustering Formation. After entering the mustering area GoldWings will be directed towards the north end of the Prince's Promenade where they will form up in lines abreast across the full width of the Promenade to await the start of the Parade. Using the full width of the Promenade is necessary in order to accommodate the large number of GoldWings expected in the Parade. Solo bikes, trikes and sidecar outfits will not be segregated.

To Ride Together, Arrive Together. There will be insufficient space at the mustering area for Goldwings to wait aside from the mustering formation to make rendezvous with their friends. If you want to ride together with friends in the Parade please organise yourselves to arrive at the mustering area together.

Form two abreast moving off. Using the full width of the Princess Promenade for mustering means that it will be necessary to funnel the bikes into two lines (ie two abreast in staggered files which will be the Parade formation) as they approach the exit from Prince's Promenade on to the roadway. Marshals will assist in this process and traffic cones will also be deployed to form a funnel towards the exit. Riders will however need to use particular caution as they form into two files towards the exit point in order to avoid any risk of collision with other GoldWings.

Entering the Roadway. The exit from Princess Promenade is easier and safer than at St Chads Headland, which is the main reason why we reverted to this location as the mustering area for 2008. As the Parade moves off from the Prince's Promenade it will enter the roadway of the Promenade across the tram tracks to the north of the Hotel Metropole. Northbound traffic on the Promenade will have been stopped by Police and the route across the tram tracks on to the roadway at this point is not specially hazardous. Riders should however be aware that the tram tracks leave the roadway to the left at this crossing point - riders should therefore take particular care not to turn sharp left on to the tram tracks by mistake.

Maintaining a steady Parade Speed of 10mph. The Parade Marshalling Plan aims to clear at least one lane of traffic ahead of the Parade along the full length of the Route so as to allow the Parade to make steady progress at a speed of about 10 mph.

Official Road Closure The Parade will be conducted under an official Road Closure Order which has been granted by the secretary of State for the Environment between 7pm and 9pm. Officially therefore the whole Parade Route is closed to traffic (and pedestrians) other than motorcycles in the Parade and all traffic lights and crossings are suspended during this period. However a piece of paper, however official, does not guarantee that all traffic will co-operate, nor does it infallibly prevent pedestrians, notably children or drunks, from attempting to cross enter or the road.

A moving Parade becomes ‘Self-Policing'. A Parade which keeps moving steadily on its route discourages both pedestrians and traffic from intervening. Other traffic, including traffic heading in the opposite direction, will tend to give way and may stop to watch the Parade while I passes. The police describe this effect as a Parade becoming “self-policing”; it helps considerably to improve the safety of the event if the Parade can keep moving.

Stop only if you have to. Riders in the Parade must be vigilant for anyone trying to cross the Parade and must be prepared to stop in order to prevent a collision. However the Parade is conducted under an official Road Closure and you may keep moving with the Parade.

Traffic Light Controls and Lane Clearance. Traffic will be cleared ahead of the Parade by manipulating traffic light signals (providing us with a “green wave” along the route) and by Police Motorcyclists riding ahead of the Parade to clear junctions and direct leading traffic to the near side. In two lane sections of the Route the Police Motorcyclists will clear the outer lane ahead of us by directing leading traffic into the nearside lane, so that the Parade can continue to make progress using the outer lane.

The narrow, single lane sections of the Route north of the departure point will be cleared of traffic before the Parade moves off. The single lane section of the route south of the Golden Mile is wide enough to allow Police to direct leading traffic towards the left so that the Parade can overtake in the outside lane, in single file if necessary.

Preventing side road traffic from joining. Likewise traffic will be prevented from fragmenting the Parade by blocking all the side roads. As far as practicable all side roads will be blocked ahead of the Parade by Marshals. There are however so many access points to the roadway from hotel-front parking along the Promenade that it will not be possible to block all potentially invading traffic. Most potentially conflicting traffic can be expected to co-operate by waiting for the Parade to pass once it has become established en route. Horse drawn landaus do not operate on Saturday evenings so they will not be a problem. Taxi drivers are perhaps the least likely to co-operate but all taxi firms will have been notified of the Road Closure and Marshals will be briefed about how to deal with any conflict. There will be a considerable Police presence, on foot as well as on motorcycles, which should also help.

Vehicles forcing in. Riders in the Parade should not give way to traffic attempting to break into the Parade unnecessarily and should sound their horn repeatedly if necessary to discourage it. If a vehicle forces its way into the Parade in spite of warnings riders should not risk a collision. Instead they should give way but also attempt to remember the approximate location, the circumstances and the vehicle's registration number and report it to the Lancs & Lakes Organisers afterwards; they will assist you to report the incident to the Police with a view to prosecution. Marshals and Police will also be alert to such hazards and will attempt to deal with them proactively.

Pedestrians and push-bikes. If a pedestrian moves into the roadway, as happened in 2007 when a drunk stood in the middle of the road and dropped his trousers, sound your horn repeatedly as you approach to warn other riders of the hazard. There will be lots of sound and noise anyway, but repeated short blasts on your bike's horn should penetrate and serve to warn your fellow riders. If the pedestrian is standing still make no attempt to encourage him to move, just ride around him, giving him as wide a berth as you can without creating difficulties for other riders. If the pedestrian is moving across or out of the roadway, give way to him as necessary to allow him to leave the roadway uninjured. Bicyclists may also intrude but this is not likely and they are unlikely to want to cross the Parade; be vigilant, treat them with caution and give them a wide berth as you overtake.

Riding North to Ginn Square. The Parade Route takes us northwards for about a mile to a large roundabout at Ginn Square which we use to reverse our course in order to ride the full length of the Promenade southwards towards Pontin's. The roadway along this section has a single lane both ways and it should have been cleared of all public traffic ahead of us by the Police before we ride it. The Parade will turn back on itself at Ginn Square and so provide us all with an opportunity to see ourselves in all our illuminated glory. This is not a time to be distracted from scanning the road ahead for hazards!

Southbound though the two lane section. The central part of the Promenade roadway, known as the Golden Mile, has two traffic lanes in each direction. Our Police escorts will be ahead of us and will direct leading traffic to the left, into the inside lane. The Parade will continue to move steadily in the outside lane. This section of the Promenade is the busiest and most crowded and the area in which intruding pedestrians are a potential hazard.

Traffic Lights Traffic Lights, including pedestrian crossings, will be set and held in our favour and all side roads will be blocked by Marshals. The Parade is conducted under an official Road Closure Order; the legal effect of traffic lights is therefore suspended for the Parade for the duration by this Order. That does not means you have licence to ride carelessly or dangerously, but if for any reason traffic lights fail to set and stay at green during the Parade's progress, Goldwings should keep moving steadily unless it is necessary to stop to avoid a collision.

Single lane section again. As we leave the Golden Mile the roadway will once again become single lane but it is wide enough to allow the Police to direct leading traffic towards the left hand side of the road, thereby allowing the Parade to keep moving.

The Approach to Pontin's. The busy junction at Squires Gate Lane, (just before Pontin's) will be blocked for us by the Police Motorcyclists, who will also any northbound traffic trying to enter Pontin's as the Parade arrives. This is your opportunity to say thank you as you ride past by waving, tootin or whatever else you can think of.

Do not stop at Pontin's Entrance. Please keep moving once you enter the Pontin's Site and ride with your passenger straight to your parking place or at least well beyond the entrance area where you avoid causing an obstruction to the following bikes. This is not the time to stop just inside the entrance, however badly your passenger may need to get off!

Quietly does it! Please turn off all sirens on entry into Pontin's and make your way quietly back to your parking place. There will be lots of GoldWing traffic so be patient and take extra care. Don't worry — the bar will stay open until we go to bed.

The following Rules are mandatory:

• Keep Up: Riders must endeavour to maintain steady progress with the Parade (at 10-15 mph, no more) by maintaining a two second gap behind the motorcycle directly in front of them and a one second gap behind the motorcycle which is ahead of them in the other staggered file.
• Keep Steady: Ride as smoothly and steadily as you can and avoid any unnecessary swerving or deviation from your file's line.
• Keep Going: Riders may continue to ride with the Parade through traffic lights and crossing controls whether green or not because the parade is being conducted unde police diection under th provisions of a Road Closure Order; rider should not stop or give way to traffic entering the Route from side roads except as necessary to avoid a coltision.
• Be Vigilant: Keep in mind that pedestrians may wander into or attempt to cross the roadway, especially if the Parade slows or stops. Be prepared to stop if necessary to avoid a collision and bear in mind that the bike in front may have to do the same.
• No Overtaking: Riders must not overtake other motorcycles in the Parade unless they have broken down.
• Use Your Horn Readily: Do not hesitate to use your horn to warn off pedestrians or traffic attempting to enter from side roads by using repeated short blasts; short blasts are most likely to penetrate the general noise of the Parade.
• No Fireworks Allowed: You may use any type of electric lighting and an type of siren or horn during the Parade but you may not use any firework or any type of pyrotechnic device, not even a sparkler.

Know your Role: Your job will be one or more of the following, as directed by the Parade Master, Bob Summers:

• Guide the GoldWings (and other permitted bikes) into the Parade Mustering Area safely across the Tram Tracks and towards the Gate.
• Direct bikes with yellow stickers through the gate and other bikes towards Event Registration
• Direct bikes which have passed through the Gate to the forward areas:
  • GoldWings will be parked in lines abreast across the full width of the Mustering Area, so that we can accommodate the numbers expected. (They will be guided into two files as they move towards the exit as the Parade departs.)
  • Riders who are to be Marshals are directed towards the separate Marshals' Parking Area.
• Issue copies of the Safety Rules for Riders and answer any questions the Riders may have.
• Politely ask any members of the public who stray into the Parade Mustering Area to leave (for safety reasons) by offering to direct them to a suitable viewing point to watch the Parade.

Safety First: Dispatching a Parade of 200 or more noisy (horns and sirens) and highly illuminated GoldWings across the Tram Tracks and onto the roadway requires concentration and vigilance. The overriding concern is safety. You will have a HiViz Vest, a whistle and a torch, which you should use to attract attention so that you can help to guide the Riders towards the exit and into two files.

• Attend the briefing: Thank you for volunteering but you will only be allowed to act as a Parade Marshal if you have attended the Police Briefing immediately before it and providing you accept an obligation to follow these safety rules.
• Wear a HiViz Vest or equivalent: Your will be offered the use of a HiViz vest. Please use it.
• Ride Responsibly and according to the Highway Code: Being a Marshal gives you no authority to ride at high speed or in any way carelessly or dangerously. Your role is to facilitate the progress of the Parade by positioning your bike at road junctions ahead of it and to make yourself highly visible to other traffic, in order to maintain the Road Closure along the parade Route which the Police Riders, also moving ahead of the Parade, will establish.
• No Overtaking of the Parade; You may not, under any circumstances, overtake the Parade itself, especially within the same traffic lane. If you end up behind the Parade you must stay there. You may tag on to the back as it passes but you must not try to overtake the Parade itself; experience has shown that this is far too disruptive and dangerous. This is a Parade of slow-moving bikes whose riders may wobble a bit along crowd-lined streets in the dark with heavy on-coming traffic – don't do it!
• Make Like a Wannabee – but only some of the time: When you are being escorted by a Police Bike in order to be deployed into a marshalling position at a road junction you may display any colour of lighting on your bike and sound any kind of horn or siren you wish, but please do so with discretion and when it helps road safety rather than hinders it. If the Police Rider isn't using his siren, you shouldn't be making any noise either. Overtake non-Parade Traffic: You may overtake non-Parade traffic as necessary to make progress to a marshalling position ahead of the Parade providing it is safe to do so. Bear in mind that on-coming traffic will be heavy and that pedestrians may try to cross the road and vehicles may suddenly move out in your path.
• Obey Traffic Signals unless Police direct you otherwise: If you are moving independently ahead of the Parade you must obey traffic lights and crossing signals, as other requirements of the Highway Code unless a Police Officer directs you otherwise. (Being directed by a Police Officer includes riding in company with a Police Rider ahead of the Parade to a marshalling position.)
• Moving Off In Front of the Parade: If (and only if) you are briefed to do so by the Police, you may pull away from a marshalling position immediately in front of the leading bike of the Parade, in order to ride ahead to another marshalling position further down the Route. The Parade will be headed by a Pace Marshal, which will be either a Police Rider or a GoldWing fitted with conspicuous forward-facing white strobe lighting, which will be approximately 50m ahead of the Parade itself. You should try to move off as the Pace Marshal is about to pass you, not before, so that the Parade itself (which becomes ‘self-policing' as it keeps moving ahead) effectively takes over the road block which you are leaving. You will then be riding alongside or just ahead of the Pace Marshal and you will be free to pull ahead safely in order to continue ahead of the Parade to another marshalling position. If you miss the opportunity of doing this and the Parade itself starts to pass you, you must stay where you are.
• If in doubt, take the safest course of action: This is no time for bravado or risk taking. You are marshalling a Parade not handling an emergency or being a hero. Beware the temptation to take ‘nobel cause' risks; this is not even a nobel cause, its a bike Parade which is ridden at slow speed to entertain the public.

• Public Safety First: Above all, the Role of a Steward or Marshal at St Chads concerns the safety of the publc; when the enter the Gates, when the cross the Tram Tracks to approach the gates, your role is to be vigilant for their safety and to intervene, actfully and in a kindly way, but to intervene, if there is any risk of injury to anyone.
• Be Conspicuous: You will be offered a HiViz vest, please wear it. You have no special legal authority but a HiViz vest will at least make you recognizable as someone who has responsibilities and who should know where something is or who needs to be contacted.
• Be Polite: The purpose of the Event is to entertain the public and to show them that motorcyclists can be safe and responsible road users. You will win no friends by being officious; if someone doesn't respond to a polite request to cooperate and you think it is important enough to insist, seek help from the Duty Site Manager. (He used to be a Hells Angel and he has very good persuasive skills.) There are Police on site too, so trouble is unlikely.
• Know the Ropes: You will be briefed when you start your period of duty and if you get forgotten or overlooked, please ask. You need to know where the exits gates are (including the Emergency Gate near the First Aid Point) and where the First Aid and Fire Points are. You also need to know that there are no public toilets or refreshment facilities on site – so you can suggest to people tha they use the local hotels and cafes. St Chads Hotel has offered to allow the public (and any exhibitors or stewards) to use their toilets without charge.
• Know the Rules: You will also need to know what is allowed (especially which motorcycles can come in and when) and was it forbidden: no fireworks or pyrotechnic of any kind are allowed on site for safety reasons; likewise smoking is not allowed in the Motorcycle Display Area to control the fire risk.
• Emergency Procedures: You need to know that there will be a Duty Site Manager, contactable via Event Registration, which is an Exhibition Trailer near the entrance to the Motorcycle Display Area. In an Emergency contact the Duty Manager at Even Registration or use your common sense and ring 999 (or 112 on a mobile) if that is what is clearly required. Apart from First Aid cover (provided by Red Cross) and a small fire point intended to cater for a small fire on a motorcycle. The Fire Brigade and the NHS Ambulance Service are aware of the Event, they have seen the Event Plan and they know where the RVP (rendezvous point) is; on the Promenade Roadway opposite the North end of the Headland. Lancashire Constabulary will be present on site at the Ride Safe Back Safe Stand.
• Welfare Arrangements: You will be catered for and there are two toilets on site for the use of those working there, including you; one will be near the Red Cross First Aid Point and another near Event Registration. After you have worked for a reasonable period of duty you will be encouraged to take a refreshment break and offered a Refreshment Voucher by the Duty Site Manager. This will entitle you to a sandwich and a hot drink at one of the local hotels.