Forget the journey: a day spent on the Roodee is all about the arrival

The Roman city of Chester was not designed with 21st century traffic in mind. Roodee regulars have uncovered myriad ways of avoiding congestion on racedays but first-time visitors are at the mercy of sudden road closures and random signage on how to reach the racecourse.

Traffic flows at major sporting events are a bone of contention these days. It isn’t long before those lacking local knowledge get the impression they are being directed around in ever-decreasing circles.

It’s frustrating, even if we all understand the reasons for it. There’s Health and Safety, which seems to have become a catch-all phrase designed to silence anyone with a sensible counter-argument but, more pertinently, there are the needs of local residents to consider. It’s unreasonable for their city to become gridlocked for three days just because racing is on.