Traffic and travel for Waterside Half Marathon amid ‘unprecedented demand’

There’s advice for both participants, as well as motorists and pedestrians in the area ahead of the big race on Sunday morning

A bumper field of almost 4,000 runners are putting the finishing touches to their preparations for what will be the biggest every Waterside Half Marathon in Derry on Sunday.

Traffic and travel advice has been issued both for those taking part, and for motorists and pedestrians in the area ahead of the big race.

Race organisers Derry City and Strabane District Council say they have ambitious plans to grow the Waterside Half into one of the biggest athletics participation events in Ireland.

Traffic and travel for motorists and pedestrians

Runners will depart from Ebrington Square at 9.30am and motorists should note that from 8.45am to 10am the following roads will be closed: Limavady Road from Ebrington to Dales Corner, Kingslink Road to Craigavan Bridge, the Craigavon Bridge Lower Deck to Foyleside Roundabout.

From 9.15am to 12.30pm there will be one lane closures on A2 Clooney Road (from Temple Road to the Foyle Bridge), and on the Foyle Bridge (Eastbound). There will be a 20 mph speed limit on these roads while runners pass.

Although not part of the race route, runners and spectators travelling to the event should note that, due to ongoing NI Water Infrastructure works, the Madams Bank Road will be closed between the Rockfield and Steelstown Road junctions on the weekend of the event with diversions and Queen’s Quay will continue to remain closed to north bound traffic.

Residents along the route can help alleviate congestion by parking vehicles off the road for the duration of the race.

Greenway users, particularly those with dogs, should be aware that the network will be congested on Sunday morning as runners pass through, the peak period for runners is approximately from 9.30am – 1pm.

The affected greenways are St Columb’s Park Greenway, Strathfoyle Greenway, Bay Road Park and Queen’s Quay.

The Peace Bridge will be closed to pedestrian traffic from 9am – 1.00pm however runners can use it to access the start line if they wish to park in the city side where there are more spaces available than the Waterside.

Traffic and travel for participants

The Peace Bridge will be closed to pedestrian traffic from 9am – 1.00pm however runners can use it to access the start line if they wish to park in the city side where there are more spaces available than the Waterside.

A free shuttle bus will operate from Whittaker Street ( Guildhall Layby) to Ebrington from 10.15am – 1pm.

The Main Event Car Park is located a 10 minute walk from the start line at Foyle College with additional parking available at Oakgrove Primary School, Duke Street Multi-story and Old Bridge House.

On the city side, there are paid carparks available in the multi-stories at Foyleside and Quayside Shopping Centres while, along the quay, the Strand Road Council Offices Car Park and Queen’s Quay Car Parks are open to the public and are free of charge on Sunday.

As the event is on a Sunday morning it may be prudent to allow a little extra time to reach Church services on time.

Passengers intending to take the 9.38am train service to Belfast are also advised to allow extra time for their journey if they are traveling to the NW Transport Hub by road and to familiarise themselves with the road closures.

The drop off point for the NW Transport Hub is Simpsons Brae which is accessible from Spencer Road.

Unprecedented demand

Festival and Events Manager at Derry City and Strabane Council Jacqueline Whoriskey confirmed that they will deploy a two waved start on Sunday for the first time to allow them to manage the increased numbers out on the course.

“Demand for places for this year’s Waterside Half has reached unprecedented levels,” she said. “It is a reflection of the huge numbers of people in the City and District who are now taking part in running and is a ringing endorsement of the event.

“In order to accommodate as many runners as possible we have introduced a waved start for Sunday, where runners who expect to complete the course in two hours or less will start in Wave One, and runners who expect to finish between the two and three hour mark will start shortly after in Wave Two.

“The plan for the implementation of this is explained in your Race Instructions and there is a video on the event website and social media pages explaining exactly how we will coordinate it on Sunday morning.”

Established in 1981, the Waterside Half Marathon had humble beginnings when around 200 runners took part in a straight out and back run to Campsie from the Limavady Road.

The finish line has moved from Gransha, to the St Columb’s Park Running track and finally to the Ebrington site in recent years which has proved particularly popular with runners.

“We redesigned the course last year to incorporate the Pennyburn Footbridge and Craigavon Bridge so there are now five bridge crossings when you include the Foyle Bridge and two crossings of the Peace Bridge,” Jacqueline explained.

“It’s a figure of eight course that mainly straddles the river and incorporates a lot of the city’s greenway network which helps keep traffic disruption to a minimum.

“We want to continue to grow the event in the years ahead but it’s important that we do that in a way that is prudent and makes it a safe and enjoyable experience for runners.

“The waved start will certainly help with that ambition and we would encourage runners to familiarise themselves with the race instructions and for everyone travelling in and around the city on Sunday morning to familiarise themselves with the parking and traffic arrangements to help things run as smoothly as possible on Sunday.”

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