There’s nothing like a pending problem to focus the mind. So when the rehab work on the Groat Road Bridge made it obvious there would be trouble getting to Hawrelak Park, organizers of the Edmonton Heritage Festival sat down with Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) officials and city traffic staff to brainstorm a solution.
READ MORE: Groat Road to undergo major three-year renovation
Festival boss Jim Gibbon confirmed Monday to Global News they ironed out the final details in the last couple of days.
“We were worried about Groat,” Gibbon said.
“It seems like with traffic and ETS and us working together, I actually think it’ll be faster than it was last year because of the changes to the bus routes.”
That’s because the horrors of last year were still fresh in Gibbon’s mind. It drizzled on the Saturday, and when Monday’s forecast calling for rain came out Sunday morning, everyone decided they’d go to the Heritage Festival Sunday afternoon. Then came the congestion.
“We had all those people come in the same day and they all came about the same time and it got a little bit crazy.”
He likens it to all of Winnipeg showing up for a long weekend.
The crowd that day — an estimated 147,000 people — overwhelmed the transit plan. In some instances, it took festival-goers more than two hours to get into the park.
“Last year, we felt we had a very good plan in place,” said Gary Lamont, a supervisor with Edmonton Transit special services.
“We were prepared to be busy but because of the weather pattern… thousands and thousands of people decided to come down to the park on Sunday and particularly Sunday afternoon. That basically overloaded our ability to get people out of the park.
“The police were working hard to direct traffic but it was basically gridlock so there was nowhere to send the traffic. As a result, our buses were caught and people were left on the buses for what we know was too long.”
WATCH: Record-breaking attendance at Heritage Festival results in buses coming to a standstill
The new plan includes a dedicated bus lane in and out of the park for ETS.
“There’s only two cross-over points there with cars so they don’t share the road at any point on that Emily Murphy Park Road. Anywhere that they cross is managed by individual police,” Gibbon said.
“So it’s a pretty solid plan and I’m really excited because I think we’re going to have better access than last year. If I didn’t believe it, I wouldn’t say it, so I’m pretty happy about it.”
There were also worries about Groat Road Bridge, where traffic is down to a single lane because of construction.
“Heritage Festival buses are not going to be travelling on Groat Road Bridge,” Lamont said.
“We’ve taken all the north-side park-and-ride locations and our collector routes and we’re bringing them in over the High Level Bridge to 87 Avenue, north on 116 Street. We’ve closed Emily Murphy Park Hill and this is going to be dedicated to transit only.
“We feel we’re going to be able to have pretty much a free flow for buses going into the park,” Lamont said.
Gibbon said Edmonton police will also be on point-duty.
“If traffic builds up, they’ll be able to increase the traffic heading north out of the park area — you know, skip a light or two for people coming the other way.”
“I’m very happy. I have to admit I was very nervous but I can honestly say I’m not nearly as nervous as I was while ago.”
Also new is how people pay to ride the bus. Passengers start the day with a round-trip fare at a reduced price.
“Normally, it’s $3.25. Now it’s $3 each way but on the way in, you pay $6… and then you don’t have to pay on the way home. The way home is free.”
“It’s going to be a $6 two-way fare which will get you a ride down to the park and out,” Lamont explained. “The big advantage here is… when people are trying to go home, they’re not digging, looking for change to pay their bus fare. We’re just going to open up the buses, front door and back door, and get the people on the buses as efficiently as possible – safely – and get them on their way home.
“We feel this is going to impact the long lines we’ve seen in the past,” Lamont said.
It will still be a crowded weekend and Lamont is convinced the best transportation to and from the event is still public transit.
“There’s going to be lots of congestion. It’s not going to go away. It’s a busy, busy event.
“The weather looks like it’s going to be great all three days. Maybe that’s an advantage — it helps spread people out — but it also means it’s going to be busy.”
READ MORE: Half a million people took in 2017 Heritage Festival in Edmonton
They’ve created a larger “kiss and drop zone,” Gibbon said. It’s expanded from five spots to nearly 40.
“Even that will be moving more quickly this year.”
They’ve also doubled the size of the bike paddocks. Gibbon said the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters will be manning it.
“Plus they’ll do light repairs on site and they’ll hold some bike repair clinics,” Gibbon said.
The Edmonton Heritage Festival begins at noon on Saturday, Aug. 4. It wraps up Monday, Aug. 6 at 8 p.m.
— With files from Emily Mertz, Global News