Parking problems hampered Jubilee Parade

WHILE Ballymena’s massive Jubilee Parade was undoubtedly a huge success, bringing thousands of people onto the streets of the town, pertinent questions have been asked about the number of cars which were allowed to park on the narrowest sections of the route.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Jun 2012, 11:36 BST

From early morning, some streets in the town centre had cars parked on both sides with double yellow lines and other parking restrictions being widely ignored.

It soon became apparent that the passageway left as a result would could cause considerable hold-ups to the parade and this was vividly illustrated at the corner of Broadway and Ballymoney Street.

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Some vehicles only managed to pass through the gaps with great difficulty and there was confusion and some alarm when a gigantic inflateable dragon deflated with many people in the crowd being submerged under it!

The Times’ has received a number of calls from people asking why cars were permitted to park on the route.

“It was very obvious that the floats and inflateables barely had enough room to get up the street,” said one man. “It was chaotic at times and lessons should be learned for the future.”

Similar comments were posted on the Times’ Facebook Page.

Despite some difficulty, the parade did manage to wend its way to the Showgrounds in front of a vast number of spectators. They were not disappointed by the truly magnificent pageant which unfolded in front of their eyes with a mix of pomp and ceremony befitting the historic occasion.

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As the parade for the entire County it saw the borough welcome Mayors and floats from all over Antrim with special VIP Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant, Mrs. Joan Christie leading the parade along with Mayor of Ballymena Councillor Hubert Nicholl.

Dozens of colourful floats, featuring everything from a towering inflatable Big Ben to the distant drums of Africa, filled the town from one end to the other accompanied by a fabulous variety of music from various talented County-based bands.

It was a colourful, entertaining spectacle which filled the streets featured in the three-mile route from Ballee Playing Fields to the Showgrounds with music and lots of noise.

Many groups took part on foot, from Brownies and Guides to Irish Dancers and cuddly cartoon characters, and when the Parade reached the Showgrounds all were judged by the Lord Lieutenant and Ballymena’s First Citizen prior to a special awards ceremony.

This week’s Times has some superb pictures of the parade and other local events and we will have many more next week.

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