ACCESS in and out of the Rotary FNQ Field Days at the Mareeba Rodeo Grounds in May will be greatly improved, with planning well underway to cater for the thousands of visitors expected.
Committee chair Ida Portella said traffic management was a major issue at the 2013 event.
“The event attracted significantly larger crowds in 2013, almost double to any other field day run here over the past 20 years,” Ms Portella said.
“We felt the growth of the field days in 2013 was something we planned and hoped for, however, with double the crowds our resources were stretched to cope with the demand,” she said.
“Unfortunately, vehicles were banked up in both directions on both days.
“As a committee, we have listened and learned and have hit the ground running in the lead-up to this year’s event to ensure we don’t have a repeat of the traffic issues experienced two years ago.
Ms Portella said the committee had engaged experienced traffic control contractor PTS Traffic Management to manage traffic.
“This will involve traffic controllers being located on the Mareeba-Dimbulah Road immediately before the access to the rodeo grounds to manage the flow of traffic on the main road.
“We are working closely with State of Emergency Services (SES) leaders who provide volunteers to direct traffic to the carparks inside the grounds.
“We have increased the number of SES volunteers and Rotary volunteers at the gates to ensure a smooth entry into the event.
“As well, we will have four entrance lanes into the grounds and access to parking on both sides.
“We have modified the site to include extra carpark areas and we feel we are well prepared to cater for even bigger crowds.”
More details about the traffic management will be made available closer to the event.
The event, being held on Wednesday, May 27 and Thursday, May 28 May, is a joint initiative of the Tableland Rotary Clubs of Atherton and Mareeba.
For site bookings and more information http://www.fnqfielddays.org.au/
