‘ALL THE SINGLE LADIES’ and everyone else travelling to see Beyonce’ at the Stadium of Light should plan their journey well in advance.
More than 50,000 music fans are expected at the concert on Tuesday 28 June, and everyone in Sunderland wants them to enjoy their evening.
With this in mind community partners led by Sunderland City Council and Sunderland AFC, are putting plans in place to ease their journeys to and from the concert (#BeyonceAtTheSoL).
These include increased Metro and bus services, with a traffic management system in place throughout the afternoon and evening, to avoid over-congestion on public transport or on the roads.
Portfolio Holder for Public Heath, Wellness and Culture, Councillor John Kelly said: “Sunderland will again welcome music fans to the city for the Beyonce’ concert at the Stadium of Light next Tuesday (28 June), and as always we want everyone to enjoy their visit and the occasion.
“The city centre has lots to offer with shops, cafes, bars and restaurants all open, so why not arrive early, enjoy some time in the city and then walk over to the stadium.
“Our advice to concert-goers is always to plan your journey well in advance. Travelling by public transport can avoid the stress of driving, but if you are using the car please plan your route and remember that you can’t park or pick up at the stadium as the surrounding roads will be closed for the event.”
Tyne and Wear Metro services are geared up to meet demand.
DB Regio Tyne and Wear which operates the Metro on behalf of Nexus, recommends anyone heading to the concert on the Metro should allow plenty of time to make their journey.
Passengers can get live travel updates from the @My_Metro twitter page. Additional services are being laid on to cope will the increase demand, both before and after the concert. The extra services will be running between Newcastle and Sunderland, augmenting the normal core Metro service, with the last train time to Newcastle from St Peters’ Metro station leaving as normal at 12.58am.
After the concert, long queues are expected for Metro trains at nearby stations but the extra services will mean these can be cleared as quickly as possible. Extra staff will also be on duty to provide crowd control and customer services to people in the queues.
A special event Metro ticket is available to buy from any Metro ticket machine or TravelShop to help customers avoid the queues for tickets. It costs £4.80 and is valid for all day and all zone travel. It can be found under ‘other tickets’ on the touch screen menu of the Metro ticket machines ( please visit www.nexus.org.uk ).
Go North East is also providing enhanced bus services around the Stadium of Light to areas including South Tyneside after the concert (www.simplygo.com/safcconcerts) with return, saver tickets to and from the event.
For those travelling by car there are 3,500 spaces available at Sunderland City Council on/off-street car parking and privately run car park parks within walking distance of the city centre and the Stadium of Light, details of which can be found at www.sunderland.gov.uk/parking
The best routes into the city for motorists will be well signposted, with police and council traffic management officers on hand along the way to offer help and advice to drivers.
Motorists are also advised to give themselves plenty of time to get into the city. There are roadworks on European Way in Pallion, and part of the A1231 is down to one lane in each direction because of construction work on the new Wear Crossing with possible delays expected.
Roads immediately surrounding the stadium will be closed to all traffic on the day and there are no vehicle pick up or drop off areas on, or near to the site.
The main messages for drivers are;
North: From the A19 and follow signs for A1231 Sunderland, then yellow signs for Park & Walk
Alternatively, from the A19 follow signs for A184 Sunderland (North), then either; Roker Seafront or City Centre and use car parks
South: From the A19 follow signs for A1018 Sunderland, then signs for City Centre and use City Centre Car Parks
From the A1(M) follow signs for A690 Sunderland, then signs for City Centre and use City Centre Car Parks
West: From the A183 follow signs for Sunderland, then signs for City Centre and use City Centre Car Parks
From the A690 follow signs for Sunderland, then signs for City Centre and use City Centre Car Parks
From A1231 follow signs for Sunderland, then yellow signs for Park & Walk
Parking is also available St Peter’s Campus (15min Walk) and seafront car parks (20min walk) which are signposted via the main roads.
