Police are warning motorists to be safe and for punters to behave appropriately during this weekend's Supercars event in Newcastle.
General duties and highway patrol officers will run a high-visibility policing operation from tomorrow until Monday for the third Newcastle 500.
Police will be on the lookout for anti-social behaviour, alcohol-related violence and road safety breaches, with officers from across the Northern Region expected to be in town to bolster police ranks.
"Police will be out in numbers over the weekend targeting speeding, drink-driving, mobile phone and seat-belt offences, to ensure everyone arrives at their destination safely," operation commander Assistant Commissioner Max Mitchell said.
"Motorists are urged to drive to the conditions and allow extra travel time as there will be heavy traffic and delays on major and local roads headed into Newcastle, particularly as crowds arrive on Friday and Saturday, and leave on Sunday and Monday."
Police praised crowd behaviour after last year's Newcastle 500, saying most racegoers behaved appropriately.
Though there were two notable arrests that police pointed out at the time - a 20-year-old woman who threw paint at racetrack signage and a 40-year-old man who exposed his buttocks to officers.
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According to Keolis Downer, pre-purchased tickets to the Supercars event include public transport access.
Those commuters do not need to pay to use the city's light rail line, but the Newcastle transport operator is reminding those who do not have a Supercars ticket that they need to tap on and off with an Opal or debit card to use the service.
The light rail line will terminate at Queens Wharf, rather than Newcastle beach, during race weekend.
"Additional services will be running to Queens Wharf, alongside extra bus and ferry services," Keolis Downer CEO Mark Dunlop said.
