Concert fans urged to take a bus, carpool, take a taxi or ride bike to Saturday's show

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BY ALAN COCHRANE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

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Music fans attending Saturday's outdoor show by the Eagles are being encouraged ride a bus to the Magnetic Hill concert site, but be sure to remember where you parked the car.

Enlarge Photo

Greg Agnew/Times & Transcript

Workers at the Magnetic Hill concert site assemble the stage yesterday morning, getting it ready for this Saturday's Eagles concert.

City spokeswoman Jillian Somers says taking a bus remains the best and most efficient option for concert fans on Saturday. Other options are to use the car-pooling option, take a taxi, ride a bike, find a parking spot on privately-owned land or simply walk.

"Codiac Transit is adding extra buses to the fleet for concert day, and whatever bus you get on, just tell the driver you are going to the concert and they will get you to the right transfer point," she says.

Buses serving the Metro Moncton coverage area will feed passengers to a central transfer point, where they can transfer onto buses going directly to the concert site near the Magnetic Hill tourist attraction.

But parking your car before taking the bus remains a question. Somers suggests people from out of town park their car in a "publicly-sanctioned" spot near a designated bus route or at the home of a friend or relative. Parking at a shopping centre might not be a good idea because those lots are mainly reserved for mall patrons. The best idea might be to park at one of the city-owned lots downtown, which have free parking on Saturdays. That way it will be easier to find your car when you return around midnight. Another option is the Moncton Coliseum lot.

"Just make sure you keep track of where you parked, especially the street name, and if you're not sure tell the driver on the way back and they'll be able to help," she says.

In order to make use of the transit system to the event, passengers need to get on a regular public transit bus running that day, identify their destination to the driver, and the driver will ensure connections are made to get to the concert site. The bus drop-off zone will be at the entrance to the Magnetic Hill attraction on Mountain Road and will allow concertgoers to walk through the park directly to Gate 1. The pickup zone at the end of the concert will also be at the entrance to the Magnetic Hill attraction, across the street on Mountain Road. The road will be closed to through traffic and RCMP officers and medical officials will be on hand to ensure public safety. Big signs will be posted to direct pedestrian traffic from inside the concert site to the bus pickup area after the show.

Round-trip Codiac Transit bus concert tickets are $7.50. To avoid additional wait time on concert day, tickets can be purchased in advance at most Shoppers Drug Mart locations in Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe. Bus concert tickets will not be sold by transit drivers.

The expanded use of bus service is part of the city's effort to be environmentally friendly and minimize vehicle traffic flow on Mountain Road and other areas near the concert site through the day. Somers says the RCMP have laid down the law on safety around the concert site, which means the areas will be closed to vehicle traffic.

Another option is PickupPal, which is basically a car-pooling system that will allow drivers with an official parking pass to park at the Magnetic Hill Zoo, which will be closed on Saturday. Concert fans can register with PickupPal through the city's music festival website (www.magnetichillmusicfestival.ca) and purchase a $10 parking pass. No additional festival parking options will be available. Upon entry to the site on Aug. 2, drivers will be required to show the official parking pass and pay the $10 fee in cash only.

For those who wish to ride their bikes, there are new lock-up racks at Magnetic Hill. People can lock their bikes and then proceed to the entry gate. Because traffic will be strictly controlled around the site, taxi companies will also have limited access to the area on Saturday, before and after the show. Somers says taxis will have a designated drop-off area on Ensley Boulevard, near the McDonald's and the Frenchy's tent on Mountain Road near Magnetic Hill. Fans who take a cab to the area will have to walk from there. After the show, taxis will be able to use Ensley Road again, but will have to use the Homestead Road to come back into the city, which will add time and distance to the fare. "Yes it's going to be longer and more expensive for the customer, but we are following the RCMP's directive and we would rather have some inconvenience than risk safety," Somers says.