Did TfL experience increased demand during Lovebox/Citadel festival held 14 & 15th July 2017 and Field Day/Mighty Hoopla festival held 2nd & 3rd June in Victoria Park? How much additional demand was associated with each event – specifically: • Number of people using your service? • Number of calls taken? • Number of incidents responded to? • Number of violent incidents? • Number of injuries sustained by any means? How much additional resourcing was required in terms of: • Preperation & planning? • Extra staffing? • Capacity measures? • Infrastructure improvements? Did TfL have concerns about the safety of either event for: • Festival attendees? • Local residents? • Other public transport users? What was the cost to your service of meeting the additional demands created by: • Lovebox 14/7/2017 • Citadel 15/7/2017 • Field Day 2/6/2017 • Mighty Hoopla 3/6/2017

---

Our ref: FOI-2604-1718/GH

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 9 December 2017 asking for information about major events in Victoria Park.

Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy. I can confirm that we do hold the information you require.

Did TfL experience increased demand during Lovebox/Citadel festival held 14 & 15th July 2017 and Field Day/Mighty Hoopla festival held 2nd & 3rd June in Victoria Park?

Yes

How much additional demand was associated with each event – specifically:

•Number of people using your service?

Ticketing data suggests the following additional passenger demand for LU services:

• 2 June             Bethnal Green 2,000 additional          Mile End 3,000 additional

   

• 3 June             Bethnal Green 9,000 additional          Mile End 18,000 additional

   

• 14 July            Bethnal Green 7,500 additional          Mile End 15,000 additional

   

• 15 July            Bethnal Green 8,000 additional          Mile End 15,000 additional

•Number of calls taken? 

None

•Number of incidents responded to?  

•Number of violent incidents?  

•Number of injuries sustained by any means?

This information would be recorded and held by the British Transport Police.

How much additional resourcing was required in terms of:

•Preperation & planning?

The local authority provided us with useful information including dates, licensed attendance and opening and finishing times, and any concerns were discussed at planning meetings. There is always a crowd control plan in place and staff are well versed from year to year. No additional resource is required for preparation and planning, as this is dealt with as ‘business as usual’.

•Extra staffing? 

Additional staffing was put in place, (circa 8 extra for the early shift and 14 extra staff to cover the end of the event). However the cost of any extra staffing is not recorded in a way which is readily accessible, and to provide this information would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.

Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with requests if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other information would exceed the appropriate limit. In this instance, we estimate that the time required to answer your request would exceed 18 hours which, at £25 per hour (the rate stipulated by the Regulations), exceeds the ‘appropriate limit’.

•Capacity measures?

No additional train services are put in place.  A queueing system is implemented outside the station, managed by stewards employed by the event organiser, to ensure the safety and comfort of our customers. Station staff maintain regular dialogue with the stewarding company to effectively regulate passenger flows on the day of the event

•Infrastructure improvements?

Whilst stations are not specifically designed to operate on a full time basis with the volume of customers that use them during major events, we work with event organisers, the local authority, other transport operators, the British Transport Police (BTP) and Metropolitan Police to ensure crowd control measures (i.e. managed queueing systems) are put in place to ensure the safe and comfortable movement of our customers.

Infrastructure improvements are not feasible without rebuilding the whole station which would be expensive and would likely result in the station having to close for up to two years. The small benefit on a handful of nights would not justify the cost and inconvenience to everyday customers that a lengthy and disruptive construction period would cause.

Did TfL have concerns about the safety of either event for:

•Festival attendees?

•Local residents?

•Other public transport users?

No.  Due to the recurring nature of events at Victoria Park, staff are well versed in controlling crowds and ensuring the safety and comfort of our customers.

What was the cost to your service of meeting the additional demands created by:

•Lovebox 14/7/2017

•Citadel 15/7/2017

•Field Day 2/6/2017

•Mighty Hoopla 3/6/2017

The only cost that London Underground would be responsible for is for additional staff to allow the station to operate in “event mode”. All costs relating to the queuing system, stewarding and wayfinding are picked up by the event organiser. 

If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me.

If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Graham Hurt

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

Back to top

---