With the weather increasingly unpredictable, how has the trackway model moved with the times?
The major events have always de-risked this by ensuring they have a trackway solution across their site, but in recent years, the volume of requirement has increased. It’s not just the major events either. Most outdoor events will have some provision, and whilst it may be an unwanted expense, the impact of not installing sufficient trackway can have devastating impact. To try to balance the cost of installing large volumes of heavy-duty trackway as a contingency for bad weather, there are now more options in terms of cost-effective light-duty systems that can be deployed by hand by event crew and moved to whichever area on site they are needed.
To what degree is climate change playing a part?
Organisers have always been conscious of the risk of rain on their events but fewer take a risk on it not being wet at some point during their build, event or de-rig. The milder temperatures are also a factor in more out-of-season outdoor events being organised. These customers are also becoming more conscious of the impact their events have on the environment and there is an increased focus on minimising carbon impact. Our Carbon Calculator allows clients to calculate the carbon savings of using our services over older traditional methods of site access.
Wintertime demand is up again – how much track does TPA have in stock out-of-season?
We now stock over 300,000m2 of heavy-duty trackway panels, complemented by a fleet of 5,000 self-install trackway mats.
How/has the industry changed in its approach to wintertime projects?
There has been an increase in the volume, size and complexity of autumn and winter events, examples being celebrations for Halloween, Bonfire Night, Oktoberfest, Christmas Markets and New Year celebrations. The temporary access offering hasn’t changed significantly over time as the products and services are the same as for the summer events.
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Is there a wintertime any more, or are clients and suppliers increasingly catering for bad weather all year round?
The concept of a distinct winter season is indeed blurring. We’ve observed a notable increase in customers utilising our services year-round to ensure events can proceed, regardless of weather conditions.
What are the latest options in terms of lightweight and heavy-duty TPA trackway for winter events?
The newest products to the portfolio that fit at either end of our range are our 4m aluminium panel, which is the largest access panel in the UK market, and the FastCover mat, which provides quick-install ground protection for pedestrian and light vehicle use and is designed to be installed by hand with no separate fixings.
Organisers have to commit to leaving green spaces as they found them – in and out of season. How can TPA’s temporary access solutions help?
Our trackway systems enable our customers to reduce the risk and cost of land reinstatement which could severely impact anyone who chooses to go ahead without access systems in place. But the success of the provision of trackway access and ground protection is only as good as the on-site traffic and crowd management and unfortunately a negative weather event can quickly change the dynamic and the impact on these spaces.
How much has new technology helped to make TPA trackway easier to put in/take out from site, in the winter?
We now run a fleet with bespoke grab attachments for our heavy-duty systems which offers many efficiencies versus previous installation and recovery methods. We have also introduced this year two new installation vehicles with the Exter system that allows the operative to manoeuvre the vehicle from out of the cab which speeds up installation. Our “Self install” product group also allows customers to install our services themselves which can also bring further efficiencies for them.
There’s more information here about the products available for self install from TPA Portable Roadways
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