Locals get ready for Car Week traffic, regional airport welcoming many tourists
jose.romo
SEASIDE, Calif. (KION-TV) — Car enthusiasts are heading to the Peninsula for Car Week. Tourists traveling to the regional airport, as well as many others, are facing changes due to event-related road closures.
Engines are revving and car week is in full effect, yet traffic safety should remain at the forefront of people’s minds.
“Remember the number one reason for crashes that occur in California is speed, so the main thing that we want to really push for everyone is to be aware when you’re driving.”
With Car Week kicking off, CHP Officer Saul Perez says they are taking proactive measures to ensure the safety of drivers along the Peninsula.
“Our main thing that we’re really pushing forward to is patience, patience, and just making sure that you get to your destination safely,” he adds.
Officer Perez added that some new officers are making their first ride-alongs during this week, taking Car Week as an opportunity to learn from higher-ranked training officers.
“It’s a lot of pride serving my community,” says Saul Gomez, recent CHP academy graduate. “I know my dad works down the street; he’s worked there for 20, 30 years in agriculture. So I know the community, and it’s a good thing to be back.”
People in Seaside are seeing an increase in traffic with the numerous events drawing in more than 100 thousand tourists. Many of them prepare with alternative routes.
“It’s always congested this time of year with the big event in town, and I think the key for me is just kind of schedule your day or your event or your routes kind of around the heavily congested traffic time,” says Curtis Price from Seaside.
“Typically, we see about 160 aircraft parked here at the airport during that week, which is primarily a lot more than we normally will see, and we will often run out of space to park aircraft,” says Chris Morello, Interim Executive Director at the Monterey Regional Airport.
With traffic rolling along Highway 68, Monterey Regional Airport staff share that people should allow for ample time for arrival at the Monterey terminal.
“Not that it’ll be longer wait lines here once you get into the terminal, but definitely getting to the terminal could be a little bit more problematic because of the traffic, and we’re off of 68, off of Garden Road, there’ll be a lot of events going on in this area.”
Chris Morello with the Monterey Regional Airport adds that Sunday and Monday are usually the busiest days for air travel. She says, however, that’s not the case for commercial aircraft, as the majority of travel comes from general private aircraft aviation.