Wednesday 13 January 2009
Festival fans are being encouraged to take the bus instead of their cars from this weekend to help keep the city moving smoothly.
And festival organisers suggest public transport will also help music fans keep their cool and avoid parking hassles and traffic jams.
Festival director Steve Bartlett says seven different bus routes will operate for the festival, linking major festival venues and the CBD with South and West Tamworth, Oxley Vale, North Tamworth, Nemingha, Calala and the Longyard areas, and operating on day and night timetables.
Mr Bartlett says the special festival bus shuttles are designed to move fans between major festival places and residential and accommodation places and free up parking and traffic routes.
“The festival creates a huge traffic management issue for the city and the more we can encourage people to take the bus rather than drive themselves, I think the more smoothly everything will run. We know festival fans want to kick back and enjoy it all and avoiding having to drive helps them do that. The buses are running to a timetable that basically can get them wherever they want to go fairly easily and quickly and without the headaches of trying to do it yourself.”
The festival bus zone will operate in Kable Ave behind Target again this year. Tickets are available there or from bus drivers.
One of the traffic hotspots will be the Longyard area, including the AELEC, TRECC, hotel and Big Golden Guitar tourist places and Mr Bartlett is appealing to fans to use the festival shuttles to attend acts in that precinct.
“We expect to have huge numbers of fans at the equine centre and the entertainment centre, especially on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday next week, and that will mean delays for motorists at various times.
“If people are more prepared to take the bus to go to events like the rodeo and TRECC shows, it will be better for everyone. It will make life easier, especially on the final Saturday night when we will have the rodeo final and the Golden Guitar awards happening and that will concentrate over 8,000 people in that area. Taking the bus instead will get them in and out of there more quickly and without as many hassles or headaches.”