As you will have seen in the Vice-Chancellor’s message on Friday 20 April 2012, on Tuesday 22 May we will play a key part in the build-up to London 2012 when the Olympic Torch begins the Bath leg of its journey on our campus.
Spectating
All staff are invited to spectate from 3:00 to 4:00pm, provided you do not have other essential duties.
The Torch convoy will arrive prior to 3:00pm and park up for preparation in East Car Park, which will be closed to unauthorised personnel during this period.
At 3:30pm the Torch procession will start from the junction outside the Sports Training Village and travel along Convocation Avenue and Norwood Avenue before turning right on to Claverton Down Road towards the city centre.
To afford the best view and ensure the smooth running of the event, please make your way to the sides of Convocation Avenue (as indicated in blue on the map) by 3:15pm.
To celebrate the Torch procession the Department of Sports Development & Recreation are also organising an Ancient Olympia event on St John’s Field with a range of cultural and sporting activities for local schoolchildren, from wrestling to chariot racing.
Travel
The road closures required for the procession will cause some travel disruption. Throughout the closures please keep traffic movement to a minimum to prevent unnecessary further disruption.
If you are expecting visitors, please reschedule the visit. If the visit cannot be rescheduled, you must advise any visitors they will need ID to access the diversion route onto campus (please see below).
Please use the following information when planning your journey.
Car and cycle
- Norwood Avenue, Convocation Avenue, the bus terminal and the two parking bays to the east of East Car Park will be closed to all vehicles from 2:00pm to 4:00pm.
- Claverton Road will be closed from 2:30pm to 4:00pm, with no access from Brassknocker Hill, Bathwick Hill or Widcombe Hill.
- Bathwick Hill will be closed from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.
- The South Car Parks will be closed while Norwood Avenue and Convocation Avenue are closed.
- A section of the East Car Park will remain open throughout the day, apart from 3pm to 3:30pm when the vehicles will be preparing for the procession.
- A diversion route staffed by our security team will be available for some vehicles via the Quarry Road entrance, underdeck and North fire road.
Bus
First will operate a normal service to the top of Bathwick Hill, returning to town via North Road and Cleveland Walk. This service will operate until the road is closed at around 14:30. The service will then be suspended until the road reopens and normal service resumed.
Wessex Connect has yet to give alternative routes or schedules for the day.
Given that there may be visitors coming to campus by bus for the event, you should plan to travel in the morning.
Walking
There will be pedestrian access to campus throughout the day, just be aware that those roads on which the torch will travel could attract a large number of spectators.
Exams
Students will be sitting exams on campus so please remember to keep noise to the normal minimum in exam areas. The silent study areas in the library will also be strictly enforced.
We will also send further detailed guidance to all students sitting exams at these times, and to staff involved in those assessments, in the week commencing 7 May 2012.
Further information
We will bring you more information as we have it on the Olympic Torch staff webpage and the University’s Internal Homepage.