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OMG!!! How many times do we have to go through this?????
I shall explain ONE last time for those who didn't get it the first 20 times.
The route was changed to start out at lewisham road for 2 reasons.
1. because it was the start point of the carnival years ago
2. Russel Street car park coming under the DTIZ programme, a new route had to be found SOONER rather than later. It is totally irrelevant that the car park is still sitting there, we have to put our plans into gear, for a more permanent route as soon as we can rather than wait until we had no option.
Pray tell how we make the route shorter??????? Missing out market Square would be a disaster, as would missing out the town.
There are NO other places suitable to assemble the parade than where we are now. They have ALL been looked into, and we have major issues surrounding some of the other options that might have been available, such as Sea front, Elms Vale, Connaught park, Netto car park, blah,blah,blah.
The route we have now is THE ONLY suitable route.
People are never happy no matter what you do. Only this week a woman has complained we missed out London Road.
Sorry peeps, but we have health and safety to think about with that one. I will not allow innocent participants to be pelted with coins, and then you have the extra policing to consider.
To suggest people do not travel into Dover to watch carnival. Well to be fair can you blame them??? Are there any shops still open at 6pm at night??? We wanted to go at 3pm and we all saw what hassle that caused because there was 1, yes 1 complaint. The idea of carnival is to generate tourism, and going at 6pm at night does not do that, but I fought and fought, to no avail.
What else would you like me to do??? We do the best with the tools we are given.
If I sound crabby over this then it is because I am. We have just given Dover its best carnival in 15 years, and still it isn't enough.
