Avoid blue car park

[boff180]

Guys I am sitting in blue car park watching people getting stuck. The grass is badly chewed up.

It is being made worse by lots idiots trying to gun it on the mud chewing it up even more, seen 3 get stuck so far. Mainly cars full of young people trying to show off and people in large bmw/mondeo types.

PLEASE if you use this car park drive SLOWLY on your clutch and not your throttle otherwise you WILL spin your wheels and WILL get stuck! Hitting the throttle only churns mud, nothing else.

Andy

This was taken at 0650, it is much worse now.


Blue car park 40 min before opening.... by evansaviography, on Flickr

[boff180]

photo by evansaviography, on Flickr

[MarkL]

Thx Andy.

Any info for us poor devils with Sunday tickets is very greatfully received.

[boff180]

The main source of the problem is that there is no where near enough matting been laid.

There is a single strip running the length of the car park at the top by the access gates. That's it.

Each column needed a strip of matting then there would have been no problems, afraid I do have to call in to question RIATs claims they were ready for bad weather parking wise.

Andy

[Traveller]

I knew this would happen. Britain has *** all clue when it comes to how serious grass is when it churns up and how easy it is to churn up. 10 cars over the same spot and it starts to turn to mud. Gonna be shocking getting out later. Glad Im coming 1300 to a lesser known campsite and will be in tomorrow.

[LN Strike Eagle]

Reading the UKAR twitter feed, it sounds like chaos with huge jams on all routes.

[pb643]

Very slow towards red car park

If heading towards the red then get into the right hand lane for on base parking on hardstanding.
Only the massive queue at security to get past then.

[FGR2]

BMWs always get stuck, being rear wheel drive the slightest hint of anything slippery they get stuck. Particularly in the snow.

The proof of RIATs claims they are prepared, will be how useable the car parks are tonight once all the cars have got out.

I haven't seen pictures of lakes in the show area like it was in 2008, so assume that it isn't as flooded now as it was back then. This should mean that, if RIATs claims are correct, it shouldn't be a problem. Still looking at those photos so early on in the day it doesn't look promising.

[tankbuster81]

well I'm due tomorrow and have to say it isn't sounding good,particularly if it chucks it down today. One metal strip!!! In my book that isn't being prepared,sounds like a,we've got your money....good luck!!!! scenario.

[barnybullet]

If the organisers are clever enough those pictures are irrelevant as if it is the main up and down junction that is bogged you create a new one either side of it for tomorrow. It might take away 1 row of car parking space but leave the rest available and avoids the worn area. (surely this area is already like this though as it is also the friat car park and there are loads of field spare that only get used on show days)

[FGR2]

Looking at the twitter feed it sounds as if Blue car park has taken a hammering, 3 cars reported stuck at the entrance.

Not good on day one only a couple of hours after opening the gates

[Traveller]

That's all it needs,just one car stuck for 5-10 minutes and the knock on is huge. How the hell can anything become stuck though if they did their job properly and had matting down?

[Meep]

That's all it needs,just one car stuck for 5-10 minutes and the knock on is huge. How the hell can anything become stuck though if they did their job properly and had matting down?

Because the car park are vast areas, and that matting is not cheap. Its entirely reasonable to expect the weather wouldnt be this bad at this time of year. And if they have covered the whole field in steel, put up admission prices to pay for it, and then we didnt have flood conditions, everyone would be fuming and saying it was a scandalous waste of money, and demand they got rid of it and cut prices. The organisers have taken a sensible mid ground which suit virtually other year. This summer's overall weather has been unprecedented, even compared to 2008.

So posts like yours slagging off the organisers are bang out of order

[Buckster]

That's all it needs,just one car stuck for 5-10 minutes and the knock on is huge. How the hell can anything become stuck though if they did their job properly and had matting down?

Because the car park are vast areas, and that matting is not cheap. Its entirely reasonable to expect the weather wouldnt be this bad at this time of year. And if they have covered the whole field in steel, put up admission prices to pay for it, and then we didnt have flood conditions, everyone would be fuming and saying it was a scandalous waste of money, and demand they got rid of it and cut prices. The organisers have taken a sensible mid ground which suit virtually other year. This summer's overall weather has been unprecedented, even compared to 2008.

So posts like yours slagging off the organisers are bang out of order

I agree - although you could say - they haven't helped things by stating in advance that they are prepared for every eventuality

also this weather pattern has been in place for a good 3 weeks + - so you could argue that there has been plenty of warning

hopefully more on-base parking tomorrow ? they have that option I guess ?

[Meep]

That's all it needs,just one car stuck for 5-10 minutes and the knock on is huge. How the hell can anything become stuck though if they did their job properly and had matting down?

Because the car park are vast areas, and that matting is not cheap. Its entirely reasonable to expect the weather wouldnt be this bad at this time of year. And if they have covered the whole field in steel, put up admission prices to pay for it, and then we didnt have flood conditions, everyone would be fuming and saying it was a scandalous waste of money, and demand they got rid of it and cut prices. The organisers have taken a sensible mid ground which suit virtually other year. This summer's overall weather has been unprecedented, even compared to 2008.

So posts like yours slagging off the organisers are bang out of order

I agree - although you could say - they haven't helped things by stating in advance that they are prepared for every eventuality
[quote]
I agree, that was just an over eager comms person. They needed to put out a positive message, they got a bit too over the top

[Lightning]

I was in blue car park last year and from those photos it looks like they've got less trackway than they had even then! They had a strip at the top pf the field and another row or two down the centre.

There really are no excuses for not being ready for this - it's been ppouring down since April and have told us they are prepared. 2008 was very similar, so they learned didn't they?

[boff180]

Matting isn't required over the entire car park, only the main access ways, which hasn't happened, only one main access way is tracked.
Andy

[Traveller]

Because Meep I have paid my money and seen what the website said re.learning. Not that my post was slagging them off, or at least I didnt think so. If they did their job means more than just the entrance to the first 30 m or whatever. As for costs do the maths re. what the fund makes. I doubt there are 250k people here this time but multiplied by £30 plus rent for the caterers and take off the costs and Im afraid owned or rented matting is a must have. Jeez even staks of hay bales would help.

Any how I've arrived in my usual field and delighted to learn the ground 3 inches below the mud is rock hard gravel! Quick walk in tomorrow. But hang on, didnt someone say a 1.5 hour wait?!!!!!

[MarkL]

Did anyone use the Earlybird carpark today ? How was it when you left ?

Any info appreciated.

Thanks
Mark

[IanOlder]

I watched a few getting stuck this morning, having queued on the approach road to Kempsford I ended up in B1 which was ok if you kept moving and reasonably solid underfoot. My fear was getting out later and with the airfield under rain and cloud I made a run for it just before 3pm to find a tractor towing people out of the muddy exit. A quick recce around the carpark found a side gate open onto the Dunfield road (beside Kempsford camping) so I got out relatively easily but that exit was very muddy and likely to cut up once the exodus begins....not to mention only good for B1 car park. On the plus side the entrance to the show from Blue car park was as easy as I've ever known it today, security checks very quick.

[Chef_uk]

I really hope tomorrow doesn't get cancelled for the guys that are going

[boff180]

Just to update.

Blue car park is in a very poor condition, extra RIAT backroom staff (in addition to the contractors) and military were drafted in to help push people out. These were backed up by a fleet of tractors.

A Marshall has told me that there may be a meeting tonight to discuss cancelling Sunday due to Blue Car Parks condition as there is no alternative capacity available.

Oh and its raining fairly heavily in Swindon right now.

Sorry to be doom and gloom.

Andy

[mingo]

Thanks for the update Andy,

Doesnt exactly sounding promising then Just hope a decision is made fairly soon about tomorrow. Did anyone use the early bird red car park today? Just wondering what that is like?

[Viper-Mk2]

Ok the Blue car park is a mud hole swap infested car grave but nothings been said about the Green Brown and Red car park. So assuming they might be ok?
Also looking at the map/info leaflet that came with the tickets am i right that the brown route takes you into either both the green or blue car parks. If im right it sounds as tho the brown routes taking people into the blue car park might be the biggest one where more cars are making it really bad? Iv never been to RIAT before and my route will take me to the Red anyway. Cheers

[FGR2]

Cancelling the show would be an embarrasement for RIAT after the assurances:

"Car parking arrangements for subsequent events at Fairford resilient in the face of such conditions. Had these been in place in 2008 the Air Tattoo would have taken place."

In 2008 there were lakes on the airfield with canoes floating in them, IIRC. From the pictures I have seen it has been bad, but not as bad as 2008.

I hope it is not cancelled tomorrow ( as I am already half packed ready to go very early tomorrow morning)., I would have thought in instances following 2008, that a contingency/emergency parking area may be allocated. If what is said above is true, it doesn't seem like anything additional has been done to the Blue car parks to cope with such rainfall.

Hoping for a positive outcome for tomorrow.