Roads to be closed for return of elite cycling event to Dudley
A number of roads will be closed to safely facilitate the return of elite cycling to Dudley town centre.
The Dudley Grand Prix circuit race event will be held on Friday July 12 as part of Black Country Festival celebrations.
The event, which is part of the men’s and women’s national circuit series, is expected to attract famous names from the world of cycling including British Olympic champions.
Affected residents and businesses have received letters informing them of the road closures, which will be in place from 00.01 to 23.59 on July 12.
Roads and streets affected are The Broadway, Paganel Drive, Priory Road, Ednam Road, St James’s Road, Parsons Street, Wolverhampton Street, The Inhedge, Priory Street, Court Passage, Stone Street, New Street and Tower Street.
On-street parking and home deliveries will not be allowed on these roads during the closure, although some streets will only be partially closed. More information is available at https://www.dudley.gov.uk/gp-cycling.
Buses will continue to operate on July 12. To facilitate this, The Broadway and Union Street will be made temporarily one-way. In addition, current one-way orders on Castle Street and New Street will be reversed.
There will be a number of crossing points for pedestrians, and all council-owned car parks in the town centre will be free all day for those wishing to attend and watch the races.
Nicholas McGurk, director of environment, said:
“This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase Dudley on a national stage.
“We are making all of our car parks free on the day and would urge as many people as possible to come along and watch what promises to be a great spectacle with plenty of thrills and spills.
“To ensure the safety of cyclists and spectators we do need to make a number of road closures, and we have written to residents and businesses affected well in advance to advise them of the restrictions. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
The event will be opened at 4pm with a social community ride running for an hour to allow young families the chance to ride the racecourse. It is sponsored by Fieldings Auctioneers and anyone who wants to take part can sign up at https://www.dudleygrandprix.com/communityride.
From 5pm until around 5.50pm there will be under 12s, under 14s and under 16s racing sponsored by Jewson, with the regional amateur race starting at 6pm.
The women's national circuit series finale is due to get under way at 7pm, with the event concluding with the men's national circuit series finale starting at 8pm.
The start and finish of all races will be on Priory Road by Dudley College.
Dudley Grand Prix is funded by West Midlands Combined Authority and the Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund.
For more information, go to www.dudleygrandprix.com.