Formula 1: Making a Mess of London

The glamour of the F1 motor racing circus came to town – and with it there was gridlock and crawling traffic jams.

For thousands of adoring fans, it was a spectacular display as the elite drivers zoomed their way along cordoned-off Whitehall up to Trafalgar Square, showing off their super-fast cars. But for tens of thousands of ordinary Londoners it was a curse as workers, shoppers and tourists were caught up in the diverted traffic and snarled up streets of the city centre.

For many City office workers, negotiating the barriers erected to protect onlookers from the speeding cars was a nightmare as they struggled to get back to offices after their lunch-breaks or reach destinations for appointments.

Legal secretary Helen Coulter was exasperated that she was having to hike her way to the High Court at the end of the Strand because buses were diverted. “I’ve got to get to the court before 2pm to pass an important message. Instead of relying on a cabbie or a bus, I have to walk because of this,” she said pointing at the barriers.

Taste of the future?

The July 12 event was designed to promote the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday. But there was just the twist of intrigue: with Silverstone’s owners announcing they were pulling out of hosting the Grand Prix, was this an opportunity for London to show its own attractions for hosting the event?

No one would say so openly but many of the onlookers – including security staff – seemed to think so. “Yeah, It’ll be just like Monaco, nice narrow, ordinary streets with thrills and spills all over the place, “ said petrol-head fan Marcus Williams.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has made no secret of his joy at attracting the F1 circus to the city. Or his view that London would be a great venue for future events, including hosting the British Grand Prix.

A statement from Liberty Media, owners of the F1 club said:” We invited teams and drivers to join us at F1 Live London and we had a fantastic response from all the teams and 19 of the drivers.” The biggest no-show was Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, who was on a two-day break. Nonetheless, the statement, continued:”

Today will be a great day for London’s Formula One fans, seeing race cars close up, sharing the passion for F1 ahead of the British Grand Prix.” They were right. Fans of the sport and fast cars were agog. “ Great isn’t it?” enthused Bryan Whitlock from Fulham.

Costly policing

But it was not for everyone. Buses travelling from one end of the city to the other were diverted. Cabbies cursed and fumed as the gridlock worsened. “Bloody stupid to have it smack, bang in the middle of London on an ordinary working week,” shouted Mark Allen from his stationary taxi.

And the cost of hosting the Formula 1 circus, which Allen pointed out was a function put on by the private firm that owns Formula One? No one would say. Not the Mayor’s office nor Liberty Media. Nor the cash-strapped Metropolitan Police, which had dozens of vehicles parked up in streets surrounding Trafalgar Square. “We never discuss policing numbers or cost,” said a police spokesman at Scotland Yard’s press bureau.

So the cost and inconvenience stayed in the shadows, obscured by the screeching tyres, screaming engines and whooping crowds of onlookers.

 

by Bob Graham

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