Gardaí make Electric Picnic appeal as traffic 'very heavy' en route to Stradbally

Laois Gardaí have appealed to the public to be patient, stick to the official routes and above all drive safely as they make their way to the Electric Picnic in Stradbally.

Laois Offaly Gardaí are leading the traffic management operation and policing of the event which is set to be attended by more than 70,000 people.

Gardaí in the Portlaoise HQ confirmed traffic on all routes to Laois and the festival site was 'very heavy' by lunchtime Friday, September 1.

As a consequence, they urged people on route to the Picnic to prepare for delays and be patient in their approach to the site in the centre of Stradbally.  They pleaded with the public to stick to the official routes to the campsites and Stradbally.

In the wake of several road deaths in Laois and Tipperary in recent days, they urged all people travelling by road to put safety first on their way to Laois and Stradbally. 

While they have a traffic plan and plenty of experience managing the traffic, some Picnicners travelling by route may not be familiar with the official routes and might decide to use shortcuts.

Gardaí warned against this and urged the public to use the interactive traffic map to get to the Picnic this year and turn off their sat navs.

Use new Electric Picnic interactive map and not sat nav to get to Laois say garda

The Electric Picnic runs from September 1 to 3 at Stradbally Hall.