New plan devised to make journeys easier to the Royal Norfolk Show

Organisers of the event – being staged at the showground at Costessey on Wednesday and Thursday – are urging showgoers to follow new traffic routes to help ease congestion on busy country roads and around the Longwater junction.

Colour-coded entry routes are being used and the traffic management plan also includes the installation of temporary traffic lights on the Longwater roundabout on the A47 slip road to improve the flow of vehicles around the busy junction and also some one-way routes.

Show manager Sarah de Chair said: 'With 100,000 visitors expected over the two days of the show, we're aware of the pressure this puts on roads through our neighbouring villages and on the Longwater junction and slip roads from the A47.

'We have designed this new plan to be easy to follow and we hope that it will make getting into and out of the showground easier for everyone.'

She added: 'We're encouraging drivers to follow signs and use the new routes as they have been designed to make use of all of the showground entrances.'

Traffic approaching the showground will be sign-posted onto five routes – red, brown, purple, blue and yellow.

Red Route – A47 Eastbound traffic Vehicles travelling eastbound on the A47 will be directed via the 3rd exit at the Easton roundabout on to Dereham Road.

Vice presidents, dog show, members, judges, stewards and coaches will continue eastbound and turn into their respective gates and designated parking areas within the red car park.

Brown Route – A1074 Westbound Dereham Road

Vehicles coming from the city on the A1074 will be directed at the A1074 Dereham Road/A140 roundabout to approach via the 2nd exit onto A1074 Dereham Road travelling westbound.

At the roundabout with Chapel Break Road, vehicles will be directed to approach via the 2nd exit, travelling westbound on the A1074 towards Longwater roundabout.

At the roundabout, public vehicles will be directed to approach via the 1st exit over the A47, following the Blue route into the Blue or Green car parks.

At the Longwater roundabout, any on-site traffic, dog show, vice presidents, horseboxes and stewards will take the 4th exit on to the A47 towards Easton roundabout, then following the Red route.

Purple Route – B1108 Westbound

Vehicles travelling form the city on the B1108 will be directed to take the 2nd exit at the A140 roundabout onto the B1108 Earlham Road travelling westbound.

At the roundabout with the A47, vehicles will be directed to approach via the 2nd exit crossing over the A47. At the next roundabout, vehicles will be directed to approach via the 3rd exit onto the 47 westbound. Here vehicles will be directed to follow signage for the Blue route into car parks.

Blue Route – A47 Westbound

All westbound show traffic on the A47 will be directed prior to Longwater roundabout to keep in the left hand lane and then turn onto the A47 slip road.

At the Longwater roundabout any public show traffic including members and disabled visitors will be directed to approach via the 1st exit onto Long Lane.

Long Lane traffic will be directed to turn right onto the Unnamed Road and then directed left or right into car parks.

This will allow all through traffic to occupy the right hand lane of the A47 and pass the event.

Any on-site traffic, judges and stewards, dog show, vice presidents, coaches and horse boxes will be directed further along the A47 towards Easton roundabout, the approach the event along the Red Route via Dereham Road.

Yellow Route – North east bound

Vehicles on the B1108 eastbound will be directed to turn left at the junction of Watton Road and Stocks Hill Lane. Traffic will then continue along Stocks Hill Lane towards New Road and Harts Lane juntiont, where traffic will be directed left onto Harts Lane.

At the next junction, vehicles will be directed to turn left onto Marlingford Road and then right into Yellow car park.

Any on-site traffic, judges and stewards, dog show, vice presidents, coaches and horse boxes will continue past the Stocks Hill junction towards the A47, travelling eastbound to follow the blue route.

To exit the show, all routes will reverse except the Yellow Route, where vehicles will be directed onto Marlingford Road and then onto Bawburgh Road towards Marlingford. Vehicles will then travel onto Barford Road, onto Chapel Street and left onto Cock Street where they will then have the option to turn right onto the A1108 westbound or left towards the A47 away from the showground.

A number of surrounding roads will be restricted to one-way traffic on show days. These are:

Dereham Road, Easton (one-way westbound), Marlingford Road, Easton (one-way westbound from the exit of the Yellow car park), Bawburgh Road, Easton (one way from the Easton College entrance south to Marlingford Road) and Long Lane, Bawburgh (one-way southwards from the entrance to the Blue and Green car parks onto Hart's Lane junction).

Meanwhile, preparations are already well under way for the show and it is hoped the unsettled weather won't cause any major problems.

The showground has recovered well from the battering it took after the heavy rain during the Game and Country Fair and the ground is now drier and in good condition as the huge number of marquees and stands start to go up.

Jim Bacon, of Norwich-based Weatherquest, said the weather was likely to remain unsettled early next week with some showers and blustery weather mixed with sunshine.

He said: 'It looks like it will stay unsettled, and they will have to prepare for some water under foot, but hopefully there will be enough breeze to dry it out.'

Mr Bacon said that while there may be rain during the show itself, there was no indication of heavy thundery showers, and the warmer summer sunshine could help any puddles to evaporate fairly quickly.

The ever popular EDP and Evening News goody bags will be on sale at our stand, number 217, and around the showground.

There are two different bags – costing �3 and �2 – and include a range of items including copies of the two papers, a show guide, fruit, sweets, a drink and chocolate.