STIRLING is making its final preparations to host one of Europe’s most eagerly anticipated athletic events when the Glasgow 2018 European Championships come to town.
Organisers say the Championships is ‘the moment’ people will proudly welcome Europe to Glasgow and Scotland, with 52 nations taking part across 12 sports and a potential TV audience of up to 1.03 billion enjoying the action through wall to wall coverage.
The continent’s elite male cyclists will race through Strathblane as part of the tournament’s Time Trial event on Wednesday, August 8 and residents are being encouraged to get along to support the event as well as make plans for temporary changes to the local transport network.
Starting at the Riverside Museum in Glasgow at 8.45am and 12.45pm respectively, both the women’s and men’s events take place on the same day and are free to watch with no tickets needed.
Only the men’s race will enter the Stirling Council boundary through Strathblane on the A81, turning east on to the A891 before heading south back to Glasgow on the Glen Road at Campsie Glen.
This is an excellent chance for local residents to witness the thrill of the race first-hand, but it should be noted that road closures to accommodate the Women’s race earlier in the day on the A81 will still have an impact on local transport in and out of the area, prior to the men’s race starting.
Details of the affected roads have been announced on the Council website’s Road Works page, with the A891 set to be closed to all transport on the day between 9 am and 5 pm to accommodate race preparations and a successful event.
Preparations for road closures will start in the days building up to the event and disruption to transport is anticipated. Public transport in and out of Stirling via Glasgow is also expected to be busier than normal and parking on race routes will also be prohibited.
As such, businesses, spectators and local residents within Strathblane and the surrounding areas of Stirling are being encouraged to rethink their usual travel and plan ahead for Wednesday 8 August.
Local residents should note:
• The A81 from Glasgow to the A807 junction in Milngavie will begin to be closed down to all traffic between 2 am and 7 am for the women’s race, which commences at 8.45am in Glasgow.
• The A81 from the A807 junction in Milngavie through to Strathblane and then along the A891 will be closed down from 9 am for the men’s race, which commences at 12.45pm in Glasgow.
• Road re-openings will commence from 5.00pm.
• Between 09:00 and 17:00, buses that normally operate between Balfron and Glasgow will be diverted via Blane Smith and Carbeth and terminate at Milngavie.
• Passengers will then travel between Milngavie and Glasgow by train.
• Strathblane and Blanefield will be served by a separate shuttle service, connecting with buses at Killearn (Station Road). Before 9 am and after 5 pm, buses will operate normally.
Championships Director Colin Hartley said: “Wednesday, August 8 is set to be one of the most exhilarating days of this multi-sport event with the highly anticipated Time Trial event taking place across Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire and Stirling.
“To enable this elite sporting event to take place, to the enjoyment of thousands of spectators across the route, closures will be in place in Stirling through Strathblane on the A891.
“We are advising people to please plan ahead and rethink their usual travel on Wednesday 8 August.”
Stirling Council leader, Councillor Scott Farmer said: “This is the first time these championships have taken place and there’s a great sense of pride in having Stirling play a part.
“This is an opportunity for our residents to support and witness an elite sporting event right on their door step and, while we realise it will cause disruption to the transport network on the day, we are working with the organisers to ensure information is available and issues are kept to a minimum.
“I’d like to encourage anyone impacted to plan ahead, check the council website for road closures and parking restrictions, and plan accordingly on the day.”
The organisers have advised, if your street, property or home can only be accessed directly from the race route and you require your vehicle on Wednesday, August 8, alternative parking arrangements should be made prior to 23:59 on Tuesday, August 7.
If you know now that you require to make a critical journey on the day of the event please contact the organisers ahead of time on 0141 287 1118, to make the appropriate arrangements.
Should there be an unforeseen circumstance on the day of the event, please also contact the same number to discuss arrangements.
Further information on road closures and parking restrictions is available at https://my.stirling.gov.uk/roadworks.
www.Getreadyglasgow.com is the main resource for event tickets and transport information additional information on road closures and travel impacts during the Championships can be found by following @GetReadyGlasgow on Twitter.