Skip to main content

Music fans told: 'Don't use Highway to Hell'

UK National Highways agency urges heavy metallers not to follow satnav to Download Festival
By Adam Hill June 7, 2022 Read time: 1 min
Donington Park: far out - to get closer, just follow the signs (© Christian Bertrand | Dreamstime.com)

Even heavy metal fans need traffic management help sometimes.

This weekend's Download Festival at Donington Park in the UK (10-12 June) is a magnet for thousands of heavy metal fans hoping to see headliners Kiss and Iron Maiden.

But the country's National Highways agency has warned revellers to follow signposted routes - and not their satnav devices.

"When you get within a few miles follow the road signs and the instructions from the organisers rather than your satnav as they will guide you on the correct route to the correct car park," explained National Highways network resilience planner Jamie Tomlin.

"There are changes to the traffic management plan this year so don’t be tempted to follow a previous year’s route."

The event, which is located next to East Midlands Airport, is expected to attract 100,000 people across the three days.

National Highways says it is dispatching extra traffic officer patrols and has worked with the event organisers to keep the roads moving as smoothly as possible.

Major routes in the area including the M1, A42, A50 and A453 are likely to be busy until next Monday.

Electronic message boards on nearby motorways will advise people of any delays.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Red X safety initiative launched in West Yorkshire
    September 16, 2016
    A red X response vehicle carrying automatic number plate recognition cameras is being used as part of the joint initiative between Highways England and West Yorkshire Police to raise awareness and improve compliance and safety. The initiative is part of Highways England’s ongoing campaign to raise awareness about smart motorways. CCTV footage has also been released showing an incident on the M1 near Wakefield where a van narrowly avoided striking a worker and a stationary vehicle when it travelled in a clos
  • Hayden AI’s Renee Autumn Ray: ‘It’s about problem solving’
    December 6, 2022
    Renee Autumn Ray is senior director of global strategy for Hayden AI. She has also admitted to impostor syndrome, has no time for people who scorn the public sector and offers one simple rule about social media. Adam Hill meets her to find out what that is, among other things
  • Ukraine transportation ‘devastated but operational’ one year on from invasion
    February 27, 2023
    ITS projects put on hold while critical services are prioritised in time of war
  • Active traffic management - challenges and benefits
    April 12, 2013
    Minnesota DoT has built one of the most intensive Active Traffic Management (ATM) systems on the road today. Like many ITS deployments, the state has gained benefits but also faces many challenges, as Pete Goldin reports. Smart Lanes is the brand name of Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (MnDoT) ATM system on I-35W in the Twin Cities Metro Area. The original system covered 16 miles of I-35W south of Minneapolis starting in 2009, and was extended by two miles in 2011. Additional ATM equipment was inst