The TT and all the festivities surrounding it ensure a massive influx of visitors to Assen. To ensure that all this goes smoothly, the municipality has been preparing for months.
The beating heart of the operation is a safety center in Assen. From that center, about thirty people from the so-called multifunctional cooperation team keep a close eye on everything. The team includes the police, fire brigade, ambulance, traffic controllers and the organization of the TT Festival.
“They check whether everything is going well and whether the people in the field can do their job properly. For example, the police can direct people if there is a calamity somewhere. And the organization can keep an eye on the crowds,” explains Mayor Marco Out. . “It is a very large operation for the municipality of Assen and for many other parties. Preparations have already started since the previous festival.”
Not only the people in the center and in the field ensure safety in the Asser city center, but a lot of equipment is also used. In total, about 1800 crush barriers with a total length of 4.5 kilometers have been installed. There are also dozens of cameras in the city center.
Every morning, more than thirty field service employees clean the entire city center again. About twenty employees take care of all the crush barriers, road closures and bicycle sheds. Assen is receiving help from the municipalities of Tynaarlo and Groningen.
“A lot of tasks are coming to us as a municipality,” says Out. “That means securing the public space, but also cleaning up all the rubbish. There is a lot to do in the city.”
Last night was the first TT Night and about 20 thousand visitors managed to find the city center of Assen. The festival will continue until Sunday.