Deschutes County Fair adds parking crews, extra police to ease traffic after past congestion
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Deschutes County Fairgrounds has contracted a private parking personnel company to manage traffic and congestion for this year’s event.
A team of 25 people is dedicated to directing vehicles entering and leaving the fairgrounds. Additionally, the Redmond Police Department has assigned two units for traffic patrol to assist with the flow of vehicles in the surrounding area.
The decision to hire outside help was a deliberate response to attendee feedback, according to Jeff Curtis, Deschutes County Fair director. Curtis said the fair administration aims to ensure guests can enter and leave the grounds efficiently.
“Our efforts on parking this year are very deliberate,” Curtis said. “We listen to feedback that people want to get to the fair, have a good time and they want to get out in an efficient way. So we are attempting to make it an even better experience overall and getting them parked efficiently, filling the fairground’s parking lot, and doing it in a timely fashion is our mission.”
Curtis noted that the primary mission of the contracted staff is to fill the fairgrounds parking lot in a timely fashion. These efforts are expected to continue throughout the duration of the fair.
The Redmond Police Department has coordinated its efforts with the fairgrounds to manage the increased volume of vehicles. Officers are paying extra attention to the areas surrounding the fairgrounds specifically when the event closes for the day.
The changes come after traffic problems during last year’s FairWell Festival, when long backups and congestion prompted city officials to revise traffic plans for the remainder of the event. Those adjustments included opening additional exits, adding traffic control measures and encouraging drivers to use alternate routes.
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