I can see banning large signs like the one that caused the crash. I don't think small signs like the ones that show support for a racer should be though.
They need to set up certain areas where spectators can be safely instead of spread out along the track. Like they did in the earlier years of the Grand Prix. Temporary stands can be put up. Contain the people in given areas and you have better crowd control.
Temporary Spectator stands
All other crashes were due to road conditions. That falls on the organizers.
It is the length of the stages (100+ miles) and day after day a different one.
Building stands is just not possible, just like securing the course with crush barriers along the whole stage.
Road conditions can't be controlled 100% either.
I think people on the other side of the pond in general underestimate what it takes to organize a road cycling course like the Tour De France.
There is so much to consider:
- 21 stages in 23 days: 3404 km (2115 miles) Estimated number of spectators along the route in total 12,000,000
- It is the third largest TV sports event in the world, right after the FIFA football world championships and the Summer Olympics.
- Towns where a stage starts and finishes pay good money fo be the starting point or the finish. So the organization has to find a suitable as safe as possible route from start to finish for every day.
Rotterdam was the city for the Grand Départ a few years ago. (first stage in the Tour: extra festive) all in all the city payed more than 10 million euro in total (including police, cleaning of the city afterwards, building temporary facilities etc etc and and and). Plus the costs that have to be payed to the organization.
Utrecht was the city for the Grand Départ in 2015: 1 million visitors in three days.
- 4500 people work for the Tour organization.
- 24.000 police men and women work a day or more for the Tour in total
- 1550 hotel beds needed every day (the organization pays for them) 20 times in different places
- 10 doctors and 5 nurses are available during the stages
- A few hours ahead of the cyclists there drives an advertising parade with 150 cars along the complete stage every day.
- 2000 journalists follow the course either on a motor, in a car or at the finish, or somewhere along the stage every day.
- 100 television stations cover the tour every day, a lot of them live from start to finish. Lots of them have reporters and technicians at the finish every day. That means at least 100 lorries around the finish. For instance the Dutch NOS covers all stages. Two commentators in the studio in NL, two reporters for interviews right after the stage in the finish zone with an own camera crew, a reporter on a motor in the stage for extra information. And in the evening there is a live talk show every evening near the finish place. And that is Dutch TV alone.
- French TV that produce the live footage has 4 motors with a cameraman in course, two helicopters in the air.
That whole circus has to be pulled down after the finish and ceremonies, transported to the next days finish and build up again. Imagine they had to do that with temporary stands along the stage as well every day.
- There are 22 teams with each 9 riders. Each team has their own bus/coach, cars, vans, chefs, medical staff, physiotherapists, mechanics, volunteers along the stage to provide drink and food for the cyclists. In total the teams transport 1,400 bikes during the Tour, 3000 wheels and 4,800 tyres. 22 complete bike workshops on wheels have to be transported and set up at the next hotel every day. Every used bike is totally overhauled during the night by the mechanics.
- And then there is the uncountable number of volunteers in each city, town and hamlet where the tour passes that make sure that no cars are parked on the track, brushing the track so that there are no stones or other debris on it, that all the needed signs are in place, that the most dangerous obstacles in the middle of the road are covered with hay bales, that no other traffic can enter the stage. Every intersection and crossing needs at least 2 volunteers and some a police officer as well. Every dangerous obstacle on the road needs a volunteer with a flag and a whistle to warn the cyclists.
And the list goes on and on. I only scratched the surface in my wall of text.
Organizing Wimbledon or Roland Garros is easy peasy compared to the Tour, Vuelta or Giro D' Italia.