Event access and exit checklist

The aim is for each person to find their way without hesitating and without entering streets that should not be used.

• Draw the map of access routes by mode (car, bus, bike, on foot) and mark the conflict points.Include junctions, level crossings, roundabouts and narrow stretches where pedestrians and vehicles mix.
• Check that signage is continuous from the exit off the main road to the car park.Drive it at night and with little attention, as a driver who does not know the area would.
• Check which route navigation apps propose to the venue and publish the recommended one.If they divert through residential streets, contact the council and sign the correct access.
• Assign trained staff or local police to critical junctions.Define who gives the right of way at each junction and what they do if the traffic light fails.
• Design safe, lit pedestrian routes, separated from traffic, from the car park and stops to the gates.Avoid people having to walk on the carriageway or cross unprotected.
• Ask the road owner how many vehicles per hour the access takes and what to do in case of closures or incidents.Real capacity depends on the road and its junctions. Do not assume it: ask the council or the owner.

A queue that does not fit inside the car park becomes a queue on the road.

• Calculate the spaces needed with your data and validate the ground with the council.You can use the parking spaces calculator and check the area against the real layout of the ground.
• Zone by type of user with separate entrances: audience, staff, artists, suppliers, accessible and carpooling.Each zone with its own colour or letter signage makes orientation easier.
• Define internal circulation: directions, road widths and payment or scanning points.The entrance queue must fit inside the car park, not on the public road.
• Assess the state of the ground in rain or mud and prepare an alternative.Ask the landowner what happens if it rains and who decides to close an area.
• Reserve a priority parking area for cars with several people.The onboard:earth guide notes that priority parking has worked as an incentive.
• Ensure lighting, surveillance and visual references so everyone can find their car on the way out.Letters, colours or numbers per row help locate the car and cut exit time.
• Provide motorbike parking and secure bike parking.The guide recommends offering secure cycle storage at the event.

The gates are the entry point for everyone at the venue: if they process fewer people than arrive, a queue forms.

• Ask the provider for the throughput of each gate or lane and compare it with expected arrivals at the peak hour.People per hour at the peak divided by the throughput of one lane gives you a first idea of how many lanes you need.
• Separate lanes by ticket type: digital, printed, wristband, accredited, accessible and VIP.A slow lane must not block the others.
• Organise queues with barriers, shade, water in hot weather and staff who give information.The queue must stay within a delimited area and off the carriageway.
• Size the security check so it is not a bottleneck.Agree with security the number of search lanes and the protocol for prohibited items.
• Test ticket scanning with real coverage and define an offline mode.Do the test at the gate, with a saturated network, not only in the office.
• Stagger gate openings or entry time slots to avoid a single arrival time.Announcing slots in advance helps spread the flow.

Special flows need their own route so they do not mix with the general audience's.

• Reserve accessible parking near the gates, signed and with an accessible route to the checkpoint.Check the accessibility regulation that applies to you for the exact minimum and adjust it to expected demand.
• Check there is an accessible route from public transport and shuttles to the gates.Review surface, slopes, steps and manoeuvring space for wheelchairs.
• Ensure adapted transport on shuttles or offer a bookable alternative.Ask the operator which vehicles have a wheelchair space and how many, and how to book.
• Provide a drop-off and pick-up point for taxis, ride-hailing and companions, separate from the main road and from the emergency route.Ideally close to the gates, with room to wait and no crossings with pedestrians.
• Ask the council about local rules on taxi ranks and ride-hailing in the area.Rules vary by municipality and autonomous community.
• Keep emergency routes for ambulances, fire service and police clear and signed, and rehearse them with the services.Coordinate these routes with the self-protection plan if one applies to you. They must not be cut off by queues or badly parked vehicles.
• Define a meeting point and communications with emergency services and event management.It must have direct access for emergency vehicles, in both the entry and exit direction.
• Separate entry and unloading for suppliers, artists and press from the audience flow and outside peak hours.A service gate with set hours avoids crossings with the audience.

Shuttles and stops work if they are easy to find and do not compete for the same space as cars.

• Place shuttle and coach stops near the gates, with a loading and unloading area separated from traffic.The onboard:earth guide advises keeping the drop-off close to the gates to make it easy to use.
• Agree in writing with the operator the timetables, frequencies, real capacity, route and reinforcement plan.Capacity depends on the vehicle: ask for the data sheet of the one that will actually run.
• Organise shuttle queues with barriers, staff and signs by destination.One queue per destination avoids people waiting in the wrong line.
• Define carpool pick-up points that are easy to identify and do not block roads.Mark the point with a visible sign, lighting and a short-stop area.
• Coordinate with train, metro or bus operators the last service time and extra services, and tell the audience.Check that the last service leaves after the venue has emptied.
• Provide safe waiting areas with shelter or shade, toilets and information.They give the audience security and stop people gathering on the carriageway.

Emptying the venue is usually slower than filling it, because the audience leaves almost at once.

• Set a target clearance time for the venue and car park, and the exit sequence by zone.With a target you can check afterwards whether it was met.
• Direct the car park exit with staff and one-way flows.Avoid unprotected left-turn manoeuvres and crossings of two flows.
• Open all exit gates and close the entry gates when finished.Define who gives the order and at what time.
• Coordinate traffic control at the outer junctions with local police.Agree the plan in writing: points, staff and who gives orders.
• Plan for the last attendees: people without a driver, broken-down vehicles and anyone who cannot find transport.Have a staffed help point and a transport alternative.
• Record real clearance times and remove signage and barriers when finished.Real times are your best data for the next edition.

Deciding on the fly requires knowing what is happening at the access points and being able to communicate it in time.

• Create a single live information channel with the state of the car park, queues and last service.Website, social media, public address and access staff must say the same thing.
• Send the how-to-arrive-and-leave map beforehand and put up posters with a QR code at the entrances.Make sure the map works well on a phone and with poor coverage.
• Set up a coordination centre with a view of the access points and a link to security, police and transport.A single point from which decisions are made avoids contradictory orders.
• Measure live the vehicles entering and the people at the gates, and define thresholds to trigger plan B.You decide the thresholds (for example, car park x% full) with your team.
• Log incidents with time, place and cause to analyse them afterwards.A shared sheet is enough if everyone uses it.