Make a stand to change our Transport Systems!
1st March 2016
Is Transport an essential tool for events?
Transportation issues are increasing, as event managers are constantly identifying ways to improve the sustainability transport in future years. However, transportation is imposing in large costs and lost in traffic congestion. As a result of this, event managers are processing what impacts they can put in place in order to minimise these issues from happening, and also focusing on a faster and more resourceful ways of transporting stakeholders to and from events.
Most festival events are increasing their green polices in order to produce a more sustainable way of transport. Festivals are seen to be more challenging areas to get to, as a result of this, event managers are increasing their public transport in order to run the process smoothly as-well as help increase the green environment. Although, many festival events such as; Glastonbury, Shambala, V festival etc… are the types of events that benefit from reliable sources of transportation and involves themselves in making new ways of an easier and more maintainable future for travel.
- Do you agree that all festival events should introduce a green policy travel plan, in order to minimise issues from occurring and enhance a more sustainable environment?
Shambala Festival (2016)
We need to increase our Sustainable Transportation!
Issues associated with energy, natural resource depletion, climate change, and other environmental issues are likely to grow in importance and create motivation for changes in transportation activities and agency decision-making.
Sustainability is a term that focuses on the balance amongst economic, environmental, and social concerns, and developing and providing a system that can be sustained over the long-term.
Many Festival events are reducing the causes of congestion by improving eco-friendly ways of getting about. Promoting public transport facilities and car sharing are just a couple of the ways in which congestion and sustainable transportation can be improved. Shambala and Glastonbury are both festivals that demonstrate the importance of minimising the sustainability issues that reflect badly on events, so that event managers can make changes and increase these transportation issues for more eligible ways of getting around for future events.
Green travel plans are inflicted amongst stakeholders as many festival events influence people to travel in more sustainable ways in order to restore our environment and enhance our sustainability future.
- Do you believe we should increase more sustainable ways of transportation?
We must promote all events to think about our environment and ensure we have a sustainable future in our events industry!
Consumers need better ways of Transport…
There are a range of transportation systems that are available within most events. Transport is an essential tool within the events industry and is highly significant on the purpose of an event taking place.
Event consumers suggest that without ranges of transport, events can lose their effectiveness which can reflect on the stakeholders expectations and can seek major problems before the event has begun.
- Should events have a variety of transport options or do you believe there should be one option prior to the event that is taking place?
- How can we change and promote new and more sustainable ways of travel?
What can be done?
- Private Transport/Lift Sharing
There are a range of transportation issues that can minimise event spacing and cause congestion on main roads and highways. As a result of this, private transport issues are formed from the lack of car sharing and less people using public transport facilities. These are a few issues that underpin issues in private transport;
- Fuel Prices
- Congestion
- Waste of Carbon Footprint
- Wasteful
- Environmentally irresponsible
- Road Works
- Accidents
- Traffic Jams
In addition to passenger travel, changes in global and national economic activity, fuel prices, and policy will influence freight travel demand.
- Do you agree that car sharing should be more essential for our events?
A lot festival events use car sharing as a vital component of transport in order to minimise the carbon footprint and improve events sustainability for future years. Festival transport are improving throughout the years, whilst the use of private transport during these events is slowly minimising in order to increase a better environment and to promote more use in public transport facilities. Car transport is the most popular type of travel, the increase of stakeholders rely on car travel as a more productive and faster way of travelling to and from events.
- Would private transport be more efficient in terms of festival events?
Festivals are finding new ways of promoting greener types of travel to minimise the carbon footprint and reduce waste of energy.
Glastonbury Festival (2009)
2. Public Transportation- More facilities and Greener ways of Transport
- Public transport is a key component in which event managers mainly rely on.
However, the use of public transport can cause a range of problems as it’s a reliability on public services being on time and making sure their working more efficiently. Most events have a variety of different ways of transport either public or private.
However, public transport holds a huge responsibility for time consumption as-well as a great amount of reliability that consumers can trust and rely on.
These highlight a few issues that pubic transport suffer from;
| · Use of Energy | · Pollution |
| · Time Restrictions | · Technical Faults |
| · Capacity of people | · Overloading |
| · Road Congestions | · Road Works |
As a result of these common issues, all events must ensure that they have a suitable area for both personal and public ways of transport in order to minimise problems from occurring.
Copyright Image: Geograph – Glastonbury Festival Car Park (2009)
I think the idea of being more sustainable at festivals and similar events is a good idea, however from previous experience it was more convenient to have a car as we needed to bring tents, clothes, food and drink etc. I did car share though with friends I went with, which most other people were also doing. A shuttle bus may be good for day trippers but not for people attending a whole week.
Hi Lisa,
Thank you for your comment. I do agree with you! I believe that car sharing is a more efficient way of transporting to and from events especially when it’s takes place over a couple of days. Car sharing is becoming more popular and more stakeholders are making sure that all their cars are fully used to the maximum capacity.
I agree that there is a need to cut down on the pollution and fuel that private transport entails, but public transport is frustrating in its limitations of where you can go, speed and is usually as expensive as driving you self. Is there a middle ground? I think although it’s a nice thought to be greener, realistically people tend towards convenience rather than eco friendliness.
Hi Tristan,
Thanks for the comment. Your opinion is very interesting and I do agree in terms that public transport is very frustrating as it holds a great deal of reliability on times and traffic hold ups. As for a middle ground there can be, public transport for festivals especially are increasing and finding better ways that will engage people to look into using public transport during day events. For your last comment I also agree that people are doing that and that is why many green event are trying to put in place ways that will reflect on the issues that it’s making on our environment and change people to use more sustainable ways of travel.
There is clearly a need for change in the sustainability of transport. However I don’t believe there is much that can be done in terms of the forms of transport available to and from festivals. As cars and buses are clearly the most suitable method of transport for festivals, there is not much scope for change there; people are hardly going to start cycling with a weekends worth of camping equipment, booze and drugs. As a result, I feel as though the solution lies with alternative fuel sources for the car and buses that will frequent our festivals for the foreseeable future.
Hi Mikey,
Thanks for your very interesting comment! I do completely agree with this statement and I am receiving many similar responses to car efficiency and car sharing. Interesting point and I like your opinion on this matter!
Thanks again.
If the transport that the festival provides is run on hydro power or Eletric, it can be a real USP for the event however, to make effective how many locations will the bus come from? Also how much would it effect the overall profits of the event?
Hi Jeremy,
Very interesting comment here. I do agree with what you are saying, however I believe that hydro electric power would be more of a USP to event operators rather than the audiences that attend. Your point on locations for buses is very interesting and that would definitely depend on where the event is taking place and who are the target market. I hope that profits overall would come from the audience it attracts and how effective they make their buses available.
Thanks again.
It is clear that there needs to be an improvement in the way in which we travel to major events such as festivals, with the ultimate goal of reducing carbon footprints. However, I personally find it is easier to travel by car as you can take as much as you want and don’t necessarily need to worry about carrying everything in one go like you do with public transport. Car sharing is a good idea but I think the majority of people already do this by going with the people they’re going with as I have done every year. This in mind there are the added benefits of public transport which perhaps could be better advertised giving people more of an incentive to travel by these methods as well as reminding people that the service is there primarily for the event so you wouldn’t be likely to face the issues that people associate with public transport, such as too many stops making the journey longer.
Hi Jo,
Great comment! I take your comment on board and believe that it is very realistic that these are the issues and people believe that car efficiency are the future. As long as people maintain car sharing as a main component, hopefully sustainability transportation will improve and future events will become greener.
Thank again.
I agree that festivals and events need to be more sustainable, and that green policies need to be implemented. It would be impossible for Glastonbury to implement public transport to every single person attending, therefore they should advertise people to car share and provide buses for local people. Personally I would have to drive as the public transport where I live is appalling; therefore in order for more local people to use public transport when they can it would need to be adequate. Like people have mentioned it is easier and more convenient for those staying for the week to drive due to the amount of stuff but shuttle buses for day passes would be a good idea.
Hi Karys,
Great comment!
I see that many festival attendees would agree with this statement and I also believe that car sharing is more appropriate for reasons such as location. Though, longer stays at festivals result in wanting to have your freedom of driving when you want to, but for local people or people attending for fewer days should result in the opportunities that festival buses advertise. In that way our sustainability future for events will increase and fewer issues will occur.
Thanks again.
Good research
Thanks Jack!
This is a really interesting read, although that public transport is more sustainable and encourages attendees to act more environmentally responsible, public transport does need to be improved for more attendees to change their way of thinking
Hi Jas,
Thanks for the comment! Public transport does need to be improved and we hope that our sustainable future for travel will increase during festival events and engage in more people to look at our environment and minimise these issues from happening.
Very insightful. I had never thought about this issue before, thanks for opening my eyes, great info
Hi Amy,
I’m glad that this has helped you and it’s been useful for you and your decisions that may reflect you when travelling to and from events in the future.
Interesting article. It seems that the events organisers need to offset the convenience and comfort of personal transport with something more attractive to the festival – goer. This may not be financial incentive – I’m sure they have thought of that.
If there’s one thing the public love, it’s a trend. So perhaps the organisers need to work harder on making the environmentally considerate aspect of going to a festival ‘trendy’.
For example, camping in a caravan is generally considered geriatric and uncool. However, make it a bell tent and add a miniature log burner and it’s now trendy.
With the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio emphasising the importance of the planet in his Oscar acceptance speech, there must be scope to get the performers involved. Perhaps a few key headliners pushing reduction of the festival’s carbon footprint might have positive impact. Maybe something to consider.
Hi Tom,
Great comment! I see where your coming from and I can completely agree with what your saying. Hopefully things will start to increase and people start to think about these issues.
Create the incentive for taking public transport. Give away something free to all those who can present their public transport train and bus tickets etc., perhaps offering a big prize to those who have made the most effort, rewarding the most transport connections taken and time travelled. Promotion of this to be generated via Instagram etc., with people taking pics / videos of each leg of their epic journey.
Hi Robbie,
Thanks for your comment. I agree that it will attract more people to use public transport. I know many festivals are trying to promote better and effective ways that is more appealing for consumers. Hopefully it will show some more interest to wider stakeholders that attend.
Hi Flicky. An important issue that needs addressing! I wonder how more events could be encouraged to incentivise people to travel by public transport? I think car sharing is a good and easy place to start.
Hi Rachel,
Yes i agree with you and i believe that there are more events that could encourage more efficient ways of using public transport. Car sharing is also a great way of traveling. However, we need to reduce the carbon footprint and make sure people are using car sharing appropriately.
The main thing to stress is that it should be a focus througout the event and not just a boot on or nice to have. Another thing further to consider is the legacy or impact after the event in the environment. One idea could be to host on a brownfield site (eg. an old warehouse or factory – health and safety permitting) in a city centre where public transport links are often better and potentially use of own vehicle an unattractive option.
Hi Jamie,
Thanks for the great comment! i have considered this and i agree that this is a great idea.
This is a very insightful read, and really makes you consider the impact public transport can have on our environment. I think large events should promote the use of public transport and lift sharing to and from the events, as it would help ease congestion and limit pollution. However in order for this to be effective I think public transport needs to improve its reliability and punctuality.
Hi Jess,
Thanks for the comment, i agree that public transport should be considered more and there a many ways in which would reflect it in a better light, but car sharing happens to be the most popular and easiest way to travel to and from events.
Hi Felicity, a very current issue within events and sustainability in general. Car sharing is definitely a great initiative to promote at events which as you say is becoming a more widely used option for people at festivals; if the budget allows, incentives such as free train tickets sent to all those with tickets for the 2012 Olympics is also a great example of how mass travel can work at an optimal sustainable level. However I think that with mega events there will always be an issue with international guests and acts etc. as they rarely have alternative options but to travel by plane – the biggest carbon foot print contributor in terms of travel. Nonetheless this should not deter event managers from encouraging local attendees to car share and make alternative arrangements for travel to events.
Hi Jessie,
Thanks for commenting. Great example you made and i completely agree with you! Hopefully in future years public transport will become increasingly more popular and consumers will see that the less carbon footprint, the better the sustainability for future events will become.
Hi Felicity, thank you for brining such an important issue to my attention. I had never considered this before reading your blog, some very insightful facts on transport. What a fantastic blog to raise awareness.
Thank you Jessie! I am glad it has been an interest to you.
So pleased that you’re thinking about this! It’s ironic when big festivals that promote environmental issues don’t think about the fact that everyone has traveled hundreds of miles to be there and hear stuff they could have heard online (not saying they shouldn’t do the event, just think about the fact that it does have quite a big carbon footprint).
I wonder if making the travel part of the event experience would help people think creatively about how they travel there, e.g. by laying on shuttles or providing walking routes from main train stations or bus stops – it might encourage people to think of travel as less of a burden and more exciting, and so they might be more willing to try something different/more tiring/more expensive. The event organiser could incentivise green travel by offering VIP access to the group who travelled the ‘greenest’ or by giving event-related activities to do/experience on the journey.
Hi Kate,
Great comment! I do believe that many events need to be aware of these issues, in order to raise awareness to this issue, future events need to think about our environment and make sure that consumers are using public and private transport accordingly. I completely agree that event managers should find ways of rewarding event attendees, as a step up to becoming more green and reflecting on the benefits that it brings to our environment.
Hi Felicity
Some great points, I do think there should be more done around events and public transport
Whether something can be done with the event putting together a deal with public transport ie national rail that reduces ticket prices to encourage customers to use public transport
Or the government stepping in and giving the event discounts on tax as Long as they show they actively reduced fuel emissions by getting customers to use public transport
Hi Ross,
Great comment! I agree with you that more people could get involved in order to raise awareness of this issue! Hopefully in the next few years, this issue will impact event attendees to think about our carbon footprint and become more green for our future events
A really interesting read. I hadn’t really considered just how big of an affect that our method of transport getting to festivals could have on the environment! As you noted, transport is an essential tool within the events industry, and it is about time event organisers put more of a stand in helping people get to their festivals in a ‘greener’ way. Personally, it’s made me consider my transport method for future festivals I attend – and how by making just small changes (such as lift sharing) we can all make a difference in minimising our carbon footprint.
Hi Harriet,
I am so glad this that has made you think about your travel for future events! I hope that people can use car sharing and the facilities given for public transport as a better way of increasing our sustainability issues and making our environment more eco friendly for our future events.
Thanks for the great comment!
This is a really insightful read. I think that car sharing should be promoted more, as this would save fuel and have less of an effect on the environment. However, I do think that this could be quite a difficult strategy to put in place, as people seem to like to arrive at festivals at different times/ have different schedules. It also may be quite unknown to some people. Therefore I think blogs like this are crucial to raise awareness.
Hi Alana,
Thanks for the comment. I am glad that you believe this blog will help raise awareness, I hope it does. I am very into building better transport systems and I hope that events in the future will see the importance of going green.
Hi Felicity, thank you for opening my eyes to such a serious issue, that I had never considered before. What a great way to raise awareness, some good and interesting facts that I will be keeping in mind when travelling to future events.
Hi Amy,
Thank you for your comment! I am glad it has helped you understand the importance on our travel! I hope that events in the future will start to see these issues and increase our sustainability.
Hi Felicity,
Some very good points being made throughout this blog. I agree that something needs to be done about transport at festivals and other events. I think if there are more initiatives available then people will take them up and use them which will reduce effects on the environment.
Hi Luke,
Thanks for the comment! I am glad you see my point and that it is getting people to think about transport and the importance it makes on our travel to and from events.
Hi Felicity,
Great read! It is crucial that events have effective transport planning in order to determine more resourceful ways of transporting stakeholder to and from events. However I would say that as part of this process choosing a venue with good transport links coupled with effective planning and scheduling is key to reducing negative environmental impacts.
Thank you Flick!
Hannah Lucas
Hi Hannah,
Thanks for your comment and your thoughts on this matter! I would also say that venues need to think of their ways of transport, and think about the environmental effects its making in the events industry.
Some good ideas in here, great visuals and really helpfully laid out. I’d never really given the issue of big-event transport emissions much thought before so it’s great you’re raising awareness of it and getting people thinking. Once you give people the vision for it, they are likely to be motivated to think creatively, and to some extent sacrificially, about how they travel to festivals. It’s an issue I’m sure most festival-goers care about, and definitely massive scope for improvement. Since many people are also driven by their budgets, how about increasing parking fees as the main incentive to encourage car-sharing between friends & public transport, rather than some centralised system which could be v complex? Any way that environment and economic concerns can be aligned is always powerful combo.
Hi Rich,
Thanks for commenting! I am glad it has helped you raise awareness of this issue. I hope that this information will get people to think our carbon footprint and make greener ways to travel. Great idea about raising car parking fee’s, I know some festivals are starting to do that as a way of reducing the cars that enter and in hope to increase car sharing. Great information that you have put here and it’s made me want to research it even more.
Hello felicity,
I attended a festival in the summer, it was situated somewhere near Cambridge and was a difficult place to get to by car let alone by public transport. Furthermore, the trains to and from the area near the festival were quite expensive and as a result id say most people drove. A good idea would be the festival as a company including a percentage of the price of the transport off the price of the ticket, or perhaps providing a sort of megabus service for a cheap price calling in at different train stations throughout, such as Plymouth to Exeter to Bristol to the festival for example.
Furthermore, I think events and festivals should have a more accessible and cheap option of public transport due to people driving the next day after the festival, it is likely that they are still over the limit with alcohol or even illegal substances.
Hi Jessica,
Thanks for the great comment and example you gave me, I see your point and understand that many stakeholders are finding public transport more tricky when it comes to smaller festivals. Though as a result of this, their should be better systems put in place like you said, even reduce the cost of public transport for that particular event and make it specifically for event attendees.
Great idea and i hope the blog was interesting for you to read.