The traffic headaches resulted in an immense amount of stress for the many fans who attended this Paul McCartney concert Saturday in Winston-Salem.The initial time of the concert the concert was scheduled for 8 p.m. but it was later delayed, causing the show to begin closer to 9 p.m.Several concert goers contacted WXII 12 News after experiencing discontent with the traffic situation prior to the show. “My wife and me sat in traffic for more than thirty minutes trying to make it to the Paul McCartney concert. WSPD and the event’s staff slacked off and were unable to park all the patrons prior to the show’s delayed that was scheduled to begin. Additionally, they did not have enough parking for concertgoers of all ages,” TJ Lockwood wrote to WXII 12 News.Katelyn Henderson had the same thing: “We waited for 3 hours for parking to tickets to the Paul McCartney concert in gridlocked traffic. Then, (we) had to simply drive back home. The carelessness of this incident is abysmal. We walked by empty parking lots while being forced to move around. I’m stunned that I paid more than $1,000 for tickets, but did not get to see it. “Jim as well as Linda Stanford drove from the Raleigh area to attend the Saturday’s concert. They say they saw the same traffic light located at Indiana Avenue and Patterson Avenue turn green and red 15 times.Jim says to WXII 12 News when he spoke with Winston-Salem police during the concert and they said there was no infrastructure needed to manage such events. Jim stated that he and his wife won’t go back at the Triad following tonight’s event. “We’ve been to huge gatherings where there are hundred thousand people but we’ve never witnessed such a thing. It was horribly awful. We were at the intersection of Indiana and Patterson for around 45 minutes, just stumbling until we reached that red light. It’s been a mess,” Jim said.Saturday around 9:10 p.m., Winston-Salem police issued the following statement: Winston-Salem Police Department recognizes the increase in traffic at and close to Truist Field (475 Deacon Bv) because of concert. Paul McCartney concert. Wake Forest University issued a press release earlier in the week that contained information about the concert, including the increased traffic. In addition, a severe storm moved across the region, which led to delays in parking cars. Winston-Salem Police Department Officers will be on site and will continue to deal with traffic problems throughout the concert.The department will forward any concerns, “concerning traffic issues,” to Wake Forest University.Officials from Wake Forest University have not answered the request to comment.On Wednesday coliseum personnel informed the public that Wake Forest University Athletic Department coordinated traffic initiatives together with North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Winston-Salem Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Winston-Salem Police Department. Coliseum personnel said they had added additional officers and also added messages on Interstate 40, U.S. Highway 52 and U.S. Highway 421 that connects to Winston-Salem. This is an ongoing story. Be sure to check back for information on updates.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —
The traffic headaches caused a lot of frustration for many of the fans attending Saturday’s Paul McCartney concert Saturday in Winston-Salem.
The scheduled start time for the show had been 8 p.m. however, the concert was later delayed, causing the concert to begin at 9 p.m.
Advertising
Many concertgoers reached out to WXII 12 News after experiencing discontent with the traffic situation prior to the concert.
“My wife and I were in the car for over thirty minutes trying to make it to the concert tonight.” Paul McCartney concert. WSPD and the event staff were not on the ball and were unable to park all the patrons prior to the delayed show starting. Additionally, they did not have sufficient parking to all concert-goers.” TJ Lockwood wrote to WXII 12 News.
Katelyn Henderson had similar complaints: “We waited for 3 hours to park at the Paul McCartney concert in gridlocked traffic. Then, (we) had to simply drive back home. The poor management of this event is shocking. We walked by empty parking lots while being taken around. I’m stunned that I paid more than $1,000 for tickets, but I didn’t get the event.”
Jim as well as Linda Stanford drove from the Raleigh area to attend the Saturday’s concert. The couple claims they watched the same traffic signal, located at Indiana Avenue and Patterson Avenue turn green 15 times.
Jim informs WXII 12 News when he talked to Winston-Salem police officers at the event. They told the city that it doesn’t have the infrastructure needed to handle large events like this. Jim told WXII 12 News that he and wife won’t return back at the Triad following tonight’s event.
“We’ve attended these huge occasions where there are hundred thousand people but we’ve never experienced such a thing. It was horribly awful. We sat on the corner of Indiana and Patterson for around 45 minutes, stumbling until we saw an red signal. This has been an absolute nightmare” Jim said.
On Saturday, around 9:00 p.m., Winston-Salem police released an official statement as follows:
The Winston-Salem Police Department is aware of the increased traffic at the vicinity of Truist Field (475 Deacon Bv) because of the Paul McCartney concert. Wake Forest University issued a press release earlier in the week that contained information about the concert, which included the increased volume of traffic. Also, a storm swept across the region, which led to delays for parking vehicles.
Winston-Salem Police Department Officers will be present and will continue to deal with traffic problems throughout the event.
The department referred any questions, “concerning traffic issues,” to Wake Forest University.
A representative from Wake Forest University have not answered a request for comments.
The following day, coliseum employees informed the coliseum staff that Wake Forest University Athletic Department coordinated traffic operations together with North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Winston-Salem Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Winston-Salem Police Department. Coliseum personnel said they had added additional officers and communications throughout Interstate 40, U.S. Highway 52 and U.S. Highway 421 to Winston-Salem.
This is a new story. Keep checking back for news updates.
We understand how important it is to choose a chiropractor that is right for you. It is our belief that educating our patients is a very important part of the success we see in our offices.
