NOTE:- This item includes news of bus service disruption on Saturday 29th April
The Tour of Ayrshire is a prestigious cycling festival event which will take place over closed roads and it is expected to attract around 3000 cyclists of all abilities.
The event is being organised by cycling specialists Golazo Cycling, supported by East Ayrshire Council and Ayrshire Roads Alliance.
This is a major participation event and offers an opportunity to promote and further enhance East Ayrshire’s reputation as a major sporting destination.
The hosting of this event brings many benefits to the area including opportunities to promote lifelong physical activity especially cycling; economic benefits for local businesses across East Ayrshire and an opportunity to promote East Ayrshire as a tourist destination with the many Council, Voluntary and Community led attractions on offer for visitors to the area.
The event will take place on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 April 2017.
Saturday 29 April
Mass participation time trial over closed roads is open to anyone who wants to experience what it’s like to be a professional cyclist. This takes the form of a Chrono covering approximately 20km. The Tour of Ayrshire Chrono is a qualifying event for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships.
4K Tour of Colour fun run within Kay Park, Kilmarnock. This is open to general public entries and encourages whole family participation as well as sponsorship for local charities.
Sunday 30 April
The first Marmotte Gran Fondo ever to be held outside of mainland Europe. This event is held over 86 miles/137km featuring 1535m of demanding climbs with up to 3000 participants.
Why will roads be closed?
In order to safely deliver a world-class sporting event, we must secure the routes and make sure they are clear of any vehicles. This protects both participants and spectators and will involve road closures throughout the whole route. Before the event begins, road closures are necessary to:
- install protective barriers where necessary
- Deploy event stewards and marshals along the route
- To allow for safety checks on the route to be completed, ensuring the riders safety throughout the whole course.
- Due to the numbers taking part in the event, full road closures are necessary for safety reasons.
Rolling road closures will be used wherever possible along the whole route to reduce the impact of road closures on residents and businesses throughout the day. The route is split into sectors and each sector will have specific times for closures to help you plan your day.
After the event and a pace vehicle has passed by, the removal of barriers, signage and the reinstatement of any street furniture will begin. The pace vehicle is a car that identifies the end of the race. This vehicle will be clearly marked and visible.
What arrangements have been made for blue light and critical services vehicles to access the roads that are closed?
Planning for the events involves the Police, Fire, Rescue and Ambulance Services and other critical services. Emergencies will be treated in the usual way, and the safety of residents and visitors will be dealt with as a priority.
We are working with local care providers to maintain access for essential care on the day of the event, as well as local GPs and Doctors on Call Service. All emergency service vehicles, with a blue light emergency, will have access throughout the road closure period.
Emergency access to all properties and residents on route will be maintained at all times. Emergencies will be treated in the usual day to day way, and the safety of the residents and visitors alike will be a priority. In the event of an emergency situation occurring within the route, members of the public should contact the emergency services as usual on 999.
Emergency services will be dispatched as normal and access will be co-ordinated by the event organisers.
Access restrictions will vary from place to place and will depend on the location and time that the event passes through each town/village. All road closure timings will be kept to a minimum level allowing a safe and secure event. In any event, we will be making every effort to mitigate disruption on the local roads.
These restrictions are necessary to ensure the smooth running of the event while maintaining the safety and security of participants, residents and spectators.
Section 11 Lugar, Cronberry, Carbellow, Boghead, Muirkirk Road – A70, U731
closed between 10.30am – 15.45pm
Public Transport
No 42 Cumnock to Muirkirk 09.05 15.05 Service will be suspended throughout the closure period.
No 42 Muirkirk to Cumnock 09.35 15.35 Service will be suspended throughout the closure period.
Section 12 closed 10.45am – 16.30pm
During the road closure period, residents will not have access to the roads closed until the closures have been lifted.
We regret any disruption this event may bring but we are confident that by carefully planning ahead, we can minimise the impact on residents and businesses. We encourage residents and businesses to plan ahead and make alternative arrangements wherever possible and also use this opportunity, where possible, to organise or take part in any community events or visit local attractions.