Wilderness 'Event Traffic Signals'

Mon 19 Aug 2019, 10:52

I am delighted to report that a local council "operative" has strimmed the grass verge opposite Wellington Cottages this morning.  Made a good job of it too.

Even managed to strim around the No Parking cone which has been by the bus shelter since 5 August.

Admirable.

Fri 16 Aug 2019, 09:32

There are a couple of signs still around the Town centre, one at Fiveways and another at Enstone crossroads.

Fri 16 Aug 2019, 09:16

There's still a "No Parking" cone by the bus shelter at Fiveways.

Thu 15 Aug 2019, 20:17

Just to add to the list - assuming someone from MAMA continues to follow this thread - there is a road sign flat on its back on the Leafield Road at the forest footpath junction

Wed 14 Aug 2019, 18:47

Tim it was a main stage that was going at 2am Monday I rang them and Ben was not that interested as they had a licence. It was not wind it was volume turned up end of festival. 11.30pm Sunday is late enough for music doesn’t mater how much money they give to charity.

Wed 14 Aug 2019, 15:40

Like you Nikki I also emailed Charlotte, and received  a positive response from her also with the offer of meeting up with her when she returns from a work trip in the next few weeks

In my email to Charlotte and her team I offered congratulations on yet another great…

Long post - click to read full text

Tue 13 Aug 2019, 21:17

I have received a very quick response to my long email to Charlotte DC and since then we have had a helpful exchange of views and suggestions for next year.

I shall meet with her in the autumn so if anyone would like to give me ( brief) issues they’d like to raise which are not on this forum please contact me. Most of what I intend to discuss relates to noise and numbers of heavy goods vehicles and the night time and crack of dawn deliveries.

Mon 12 Aug 2019, 17:29

Nikki I went the year before and we had lots of promises and that year it was quiet compared to this ever other year there’s a noise problem. Documented 

Mon 12 Aug 2019, 13:37

Apologies Miranda,

I hadn't seen your post before I posted mine!

Good points.

Hannen.

Mon 12 Aug 2019, 13:27 (last edited on Mon 12 Aug 2019, 13:35)

Yes Charlie,

I lived in Fenny Compton (just along the road from Cropredy) for several years before moving to Charlbury.

I attended the festival several years running and was always impressed by the organisation, and as you know, Cropredy is a small village!

No traffic disruption, and all signs of the festival (both AA and litter etc.) gone within a few days.

However, I don't think the Fairport Festival is so commercial as Wilderness.  Still, that's no excuse for poor management which inconveniences and is a nuisance to the locals.  I'm starting to think that a Court action to recover damages for a Public Nuisance might be the only way forward.

I am still "suffering" from artics going back and forth some 8 days after the end of Wilderness.

I think Tim's idea of Chinooks is a good one!

Mon 12 Aug 2019, 13:19 (last edited on Mon 3 Feb 2020, 13:31)

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Mon 12 Aug 2019, 10:25

I have just returned from "Fairport's Cropredy Convention" at Cropredy.

Although I first went to Cropredy in 1977 (I kid you not!), the structure of the festival has changed immeasurably since then; from an estimated audience of 1,500 on that Saturday afternoon in 1977, it has now grown to a 3-day event with a "fire limit" of 20,000. 

And it works with much tighter roads than we have in Charlbury. I don't know anything about the logistics of organising Cropredy, but I would bet (I do NOT bet, by the way) that if any of the organisers could be persuaded to assist with advice, they would be happy to lend a hand. After all, Cropredy has used the present festival site since around 1982, so they should know what they are doing by now! ( I "know someone who knows someone ..." is what I am saying!)

One observation: I wonder what the quality of Cornbury's "roads" are like? If they are inferior, could this be a reason why the heavy lorries are of such concern, as expressed here? Maybe the estate roads are not up to such heavy traffic? So ... IMPROVE THEM! Surely ALL heavy vehicles should enter "the Cornbury area" either via Forest Road OR via the entrance between Finstock and Finstock Station (which should also accommodate traffic coming from Woodstock)? That way, the centre of Charlbury, Wellington Cottages, and Dyers Hill and other areas would be free of these problems (as far as I can tell).

And finally, coming back into Charlbury yesterday, after Cropredy, I was amazed that there are still "Wilderness" signs along the Enstone road, and in the centre of Charlbury. To be fair, this is down to the AA, not (presumably) the festival itself.

Mon 12 Aug 2019, 09:55

Nikki, I suspect that one reason for a relatively low turnout for the meeting with local residents is that it was held at a time when most working people were unable to attend (or at least those who don't work in Charlbury itself) - certainly that was the case for me.  Since it is people who have to work on Monday morning who are most affected by the absurdly late noise on Sunday night, it is tempting to wonder whether this was entirely accidental....

Mon 12 Aug 2019, 09:09

I suppose we could ask wilderness to start flying in everything by Chinook helicopters, that ought to ease the congestion on the roads and keep everyone happy.

Sun 11 Aug 2019, 15:01

Well said Nikki.

Yes, I too, have seen and heard the lorries today, some 7 days after the Festival officially ended.  A "dribble" though, compared with what we've had to put up with for 3 weeks.

Why such a low turnout?  I speculate that most aren't as affected.  Also, it is a David and Goliath situation, with Goliath holding all the cards.

And why bother?  They will just carry on regardless.  The meeting is simply a PR exercise.

I have nothing against the Festival, but I do wish MAMA would apply their minds to the impact on the local community.  Unlikely, as I doubt the Directors live nearby and who are we to have the temerity to attempt to take the sparkle out of their champagne?

Sun 11 Aug 2019, 14:40

As someone who lives closer to Wilderness than any of you I sympathise with, and share your concerns principally about environmental impact, traffic and noise. However this festival isn’t just for the “privileged middle class few”:as someone commented . There must be a balance and some way of making our concerns felt in a coordinated way to the organisers without being so negative. ( yet another huge articulated lorry has just crashed over the cattle grid and it’s Sunday afternoon !)

Setting up this year started on the Monday  of the week before, and at one point in a 4 hour period I counted 45 huge lorries going through the gates. The first ones arrived at 6.10 am and some continued all night.The security however was good and reliable as I go away for 2+ weeks, and better than previous years. Clearing up and taking everything away was protracted and chaotic .

I shall contact Charlotte with some hopefully constructive comments.

If there is such strong feeling in the town however, I wonder why there were only approx 12 people at the meeting she held earlier in the year to hear your views?

Fri 9 Aug 2019, 15:22

Looking at the website for 2020 I read under "Plan":

"The Wilderness Choir":

"Someone might explode."

So I think I'll keep the £1000 odd in my pocket if it's all the same with you.

Oh, and MAMA, you might want to hire a new copywriter.

Fri 9 Aug 2019, 15:01

Well, the lorries are still going back and forth, but there are fewer of them now.  

Just one every 10 minutes or so.

No, I don't sit here watching them, but my Home Office is at the front of the house...

As is my bedroom.

The other day I was on my 'phone to a client who asked:" are you on the hard shoulder?"!

Anyway, whilst being slow to curtail the movement of juggernauts, and the removal of signs, MAMA have shown surprising alacrity in advertising Wilderness 2020, see:

https://www.wildernessfestival.com/  

Fri 9 Aug 2019, 15:00

Liz Sunday the noise was nothing to do with the wind and more to do with the last night and the volume being higher than the rest of the week end. How does a licence for loud music even be giving past 11.30pm Sunday night Wilderness don’t care one bit about locals OK they give a little bit of money here and there to keep people sweet but they really only after making money and if they upset a few people on the way they don’t care. The simple answer with the noise is finish at 11.30 Sunday end of subject please help sort that out Liz

Fri 9 Aug 2019, 14:54

Live Nation acquired MAMA back in 2015, so I don't think any recent changes in the running of Wilderness can be put down to that change. Perhaps there was some extra re-branding 18 months ago, as Liz suggests, but the actual take-over was long before that. 

I did put in a complaint to WODC about noise &, more particularly, to the way in which the new stage "The High", is being used for electronic dance music, including after midnight on the Saturday. I also supported those who want the music to stop at 11.30 on a Sunday. I copied it my complaint to Liz who sent me a full and punctual response. 

I hesitated to put in a complaint as I certainly don't want to be heard as backing those who wish Wilderness to be closed down altogether. What is required, however, is a review of the current arrangements. 

Fri 9 Aug 2019, 13:33

Crikey Andrew,

That's a lot.

Have received a comprehensive and reasonable reply from Liz Leffman - virtually by return.

It's great to have this amenity on our doorstep, but I think some "balance" is needed.

I really hope it doesn't get any bigger!

Fri 9 Aug 2019, 11:42

Hannen, it's a lot more than 10,000 people these days - a few years ago the licence was upped to 30,000, I think.

Fri 9 Aug 2019, 11:39

Liz 

Thats quite interesting what you said about the noise monitoring as when i have contacted the Wilderness festival team they have told me that they do it with there internal team.

Assuming that it has been done by WODC can i assume that the results of this would be publicly accessible?

Id be interested to see when / where / how they do the tests and if there in accordance with regulations.

Fri 9 Aug 2019, 11:06 (last edited on Fri 9 Aug 2019, 11:32)

I am very sorry, Robin, that your daugheter was treated so rudely. 

The routing of traffic is certainly something that can be fed back to WODC for inclusion in their review of the festival, and I will do that. I will also mention the fact that the signs are still up a week later (though there are still lorries moving about so maybe that is deliberate). There is a already cap on the number of people that can attend, but that will not be reduced unless the license comes up for review - and probably not then either. Interestingly, I usually have a number of people contacting me about the noise levels, but no-one has done so this year though I see some comments on the Forum. Noise really does depend on wind direction - it is regularly monitored around the town by WODC, and I have been around with the environmental health team when they have been monitoring so I know it does happen, and they do take action if the levels are too high - which they generally aren't, but sometimes it may seem that way because the wind is in a certain direction.

I have had a number of people telling me that they were sent from pillar to post to get their local residents' armbands, and one person who was refused entry as a carer for her disabled daughter, which has never happened before.  That is something to let the festival organisers know and that can be done when they have their residents' meeting early next year.

MAMA was taken over by Live Nation about 18 months ago, a conglomerate which owns businesses like Ticketmaster, which may have changed attitudes to local residents. The MAMA team were always very engaged and considerate. I hope they will continue to have the meetings with residents that they have had in the past.

Fri 9 Aug 2019, 09:50

Thanks Robin,

I didn't know that.

What appalling behaviour, I hope your daughter wasn't too upset.  Mind you, I don't think one can blame MAMA for the actions of one rude lorry driver.  My experience has been that they are all courteous, and to be fair, it can't be much fun having to get up at the crack of dawn to drive a load of portaloos or whatever to some (to them) remote part of the country.

Btw, lorries still going back and forth as I type.

Complaints.  I shall send mine to our two lovely District Councillors.  Liz, and Andy.  I think that complaining to anonymous officials at WODC might not carry much weight.

I have no objection to the Festival, and the noise didn't bother me personally.  I went a couple of years ago and really couldn't see the value, but I might try again, although I suspect it's geared (quite understandably) towards youngsters, by which I mean people who are under 60!

My complaint will be about the huge amount of traffic and the environmental pollution, the signs, and general disregard for, and inconvenience, to "locals".  After all, if I was going to have a large party in my garden I'd let my neighbours know of the date and possible inconvenience, either by letter, or in person.  In fact a couple of our neighbours did that just that a couple of years ago.  And they invited me and my Wife to the party, which was great!

Several years ago I lived in Reading and attended the WOMAD and Reading Festivals several years running.  Reading is better suited to such events as it is so much bigger than Charlbury.

Encouraging, however, to see some people arriving by train, even though it made it impossible to drop/pick up Wife from the station, because of coaches and taxis.

Perhaps there could be a "cap" on the number of attendees?  10,000 is a lot imo.  Say 5000?  But that would halve the profit so unlikely to be attractive.

Fri 9 Aug 2019, 09:49

Thats interesting ive not seen one use the finstock entrance either arriving or leaving.

I have noticed the convoys of speeding lorries on sturt road, all turning right heading towards grammar school entrance.

Fri 9 Aug 2019, 09:19

They are using the other exits as well, Hannen. Daughter was trying to get in to work at Southill Barns on Wednesday and was bullied by the driver of a large lorry coming out, who revved aggressively, hooted, gave her the 'one finger' trying to make her and the cars behind her reverse back out on to the busy main road. (If he’d stopped a little bit sooner, she could have squeezed into a gap and let him past). She ended up turning the car round and taking to the opposite verge.

Fri 9 Aug 2019, 08:19

I agree with Paul on this, they should be fined for leaving signals out after the event, i can understand a grace period for the company to pick them up or move them, but the amount of time they were left up was ridiculous.

If anyone else wished to complain to the council about wilderness i certainly have, not only about the noise but the traffic situation, lights and routes of lorries etc!

If anyone else would like to, it can only help out case to improve things.

Fri 9 Aug 2019, 07:48

The lorries are still going past, five days after the festival ended.  I think the volume is dropping but I've counted 5 in the last 10 minutes, and it's still relatively early.

I wonder if they could "spread the load" by sending some to other entrances?

I am not interested in compensation for myself, but money for the Town would be a nice gesture.

Thu 8 Aug 2019, 23:03

rubbish

I do not think this is true or right , what rubbish to say this when perhaps you have never been to the festival, I agree the noise and traffic is bad but to say its for the middle class is rediculous,  I am on about this :-middle-class, love-in festival for, relatively, a privileged few. from Rosemarys letter

Thu 8 Aug 2019, 21:16

Crikey Hannen. That is just too much. I don't think that Charlbury residents should be having to suffer like that for the sake of a middle-class, love-in festival for, relatively, a privileged few. There is at least one other route in to and out of the site, avoiding the centre of Charlbury,  because I remember one year we were directed off site that way. The trouble is, the landowners and organisers would have to spend much more time thinking about it and planning for it.

I have close friends who perform at Wilderness, and consequently, this is a contentious issue for me. Nevertheless, as a Charlbury resident who has suffered from the selfishness of the landowning class, over a two to three year period in recent history, I have absolutely every sympathy with you.

I also agree that there should be some form of compensation for those like yourself who usually find that there is not a penny, and usually  not even a small act of kindness, that could make just that little bit of difference to you.

I have noticed that the wall outside the Toll House had been knocked down recently. Do we know who did that?

Thu 8 Aug 2019, 19:09

I have a street works ticket for working on the highways if we leave signs out to long we are fined yet the high ways department lets them get away with murder (highways department would resurface a hole road with one cone)

Thu 8 Aug 2019, 18:04

Good luck Brian.

Here at Wellington Cottages, we are still having to put up with a daily trundle of artics, which began 3 weeks ago.

So we cannot park (or we park at our own risk) and I think I may be starting to suffer from what Amnesty International describe as "sleep deprivation torture", with the lorries waking me up at 6.30 am, and continuing through the day for at least 12 hours.

MAMA Festivals don't care about the locals,  it's all about making money for their investors.  A contribution of a few thousand pounds, or a few tens of thousands of pounds, to our community would be appreciated, but it won't happen.

For your peace of mind, I would modify your aspirations.

Hannen.

Thu 8 Aug 2019, 07:54

Worth a Fixmystreet report to OCC I’d think - they can remove anything blocking the highway. 

Wed 7 Aug 2019, 22:48

Wilderness, will you please immediately remove the now unused traffic signals at the Southhill turning on the Charlbury/Witney road. The two sets of lights stand on the carriageway, reducing the width on a bend, and with the various warning signs they are a hazard. Leaving them in situ on Wednesday evening - two days after the visiting crowds have left the site - is totally irresponsible.