SPECTATORS URGED TO PLAN JOURNEYS AHEAD FOR THE TOUR DE YORKSHIRE

Published 23 April 2018 at 2:31pm

Bike race finishes in Doncaster on Thursday 3 May and starts from Barnsley on Friday 4 May, affecting public transport services along the route.

With thousands of people expected to watch the 2018 Tour de Yorkshire and Asda Tour de Yorkshire Women’s Race live on Thursday 3 May and Friday 4 May, getting around parts of the region will be busier and some bus services will be temporarily diverted. Passengers travelling in Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley are advised to plan their journey ahead.

“This great event attracts thousands of spectators from near and far each year and we expect more people than usual to rely on public transport as they come and watch the race in South Yorkshire. Some bus routes will be directly affected over the two days the region plays host to the race, so we’re asking passengers to plan ahead before travelling”, says Tim Taylor, Customer Services Director at South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE).

“During events like these people often choose to leave their cars at home and switch to buses and trains as the best way to travel. We’d like to see more people make that a permanent change or at least try it for a few days a week for all or part of their commute. We also want to see people getting inspired to take their bikes out and integrate cycling into their daily commute. It adds to a healthier lifestyle, it’s cheaper and good for the environment.”

In its fourth year, the international bike race has expanded from three to four stages and will cover all four corners of Yorkshire, taking in 169 villages, towns and cities.

Roads on and connected to the Tour de Yorkshire route in Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley are anticipated to be closed on a rolling basis lasting no more than one hour, apart from the start and finish lines, when the closures will last for longer.

Spectators should try to use public transport to get them to the best viewing points on the route. Bus journeys will take longer and some may take a different route than their usual one so passengers who normally travel around the area are advised to plan their journey ahead at www.travelsouthyorkshire.com/tdy.

Service updates will also be available at Barnsley and Doncaster interchanges and at Travel South Yorkshire twitter account @tsyalerts on the day itself.

Service information

As the competition attracted a record 2.2 million spectators last year, Northern Railway plan to increase capacity on trains calling at Elsecar, Barnsley, Silkstone Common and Penistone just after the morning peak on Friday 4 May.

Spectators planning on taking their bike on the train should check with the operating company beforehand as capacity is limited. Cycles are not allowed on South Yorkshire’s buses and trams.