A traffic headache frustrated many attendees at Paul McCartney’s Saturday concert in Winston-Salem, as the concert’s original start time was 8 p.m. but was postponed, prompting the concert to start closer to 9 p.m. After getting frustrated with the traffic problem before the concert. “My wife and I sat in it for over three hours trying to get to Paul McCartney’s concert tonight. The WSPD and event staff dropped the ball and weren’t able to stop all the sponsors before the show was late. Moreover, they didn’t have enough public parking available for all concert-goers,” TJ Lockwood wrote to WXII 12 News. Caitlin Henderson wrote of similar concerns: “We waited for 3 hours for Paul McCartney’s concert in busy traffic. Finally, we (had to) just drive home. The mismanagement of this event is horrific. We passed several empty lots as we passed. Can’t believe I paid more than $1,000 Raleigh-area Jim and Linda Stanford missed a party on Saturday The couple say they saw the same traffic light, on Indiana Avenue and Patterson Street, go from red to green 15 times. Jim told WXII 12 News when he spoke to Winston-Salem Police at the event “They told him the city doesn’t. We have the infrastructure to deal with events of this magnitude. Jim said he and his wife won’t be back at Trinity after tonight.” It was just horrific. We sat at the corner of Indiana and Patterson for about 45 minutes along the red light, said Jim. It was a nightmare. On Saturday at approximately 9:10 p.m., Winston-Salem Police issued the following statement: Aware of the increased traffic in and around Trust Field (475 Deacon Bv) due to the Paul McCartney concert. Wake Forest University issued a press release earlier this week with information about The concert, to include increased traffic.The area was also hit by a thunderstorm causing parking delays.Winston-Salem Police Department officers will remain at the scene and continue to handle traffic issues for the duration of the concert, the department has sent any questions regarding traffic issues to Wake Forest University, and issued Officials from Wake Forest University the following statement on Sunday afternoon: Sir Paul McCartney’s Saturday party at Truist Field was a historic event for the Winston-Salem community and we appreciate the patience of the record-breaking crowd in the wake of a thunderstorm that caused some disruption to traffic patterns and the parking process Forest University appreciates the efforts of the Winston-Salem Police Department and the hard work and teamwork of all our local and international partners in safely producing this memorable event.On Wednesday, Colosseum staff said the University of Forest Sports Department Wake Forest coordinated traffic efforts with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), the Winston-Salem Department of Transportation (WSDO T) and the Winston-Salem Police Department. Coliseum employees said they added officers and dispatchers along Interstate 40, U.S. Highway 52, and U.S. Highway 421 to Winston-Salem.
The traffic headache caused a lot of frustration for many in attendance at Paul McCartney’s gala Saturday night in Winston-Salem.
The original concert start time was 8pm, but it was delayed, causing the party to start closer to 9pm
Several party attendees contacted WXII 12 News after being frustrated with a traffic issue before the concert.
“My wife and I sat in it for over three hours trying to get to Paul McCartney’s party tonight. The WSPD and event staff dropped the ball and couldn’t stop all the sponsors before the late show started. On top of that, they didn’t have enough public parking available for all goers Concert,” TJ Lockwood wrote to WXII 12 News.
Catelyn Henderson wrote of similar concerns: “We’ve been waiting for 3 hours for Paul McCartney’s concert in a traffic jam. Finally, we (had to) just drive home. The mismanagement of this event is horrific. We passed several empty lots while I couldn’t believe I paid more than $1,000 for tickets and I lost that.”
Jim and Linda Stanford drove from the Raleigh area for Saturday’s party. The couple say they saw the same traffic light, on Indiana Avenue and Patterson Street, from red to green 15 times.
Jim told WXII 12 News when he spoke to Winston-Salem Police at the event, they told him that the city did not have the infrastructure to handle events of this magnitude. Jim said he and his wife would not return to Trinity after tonight.
“We’ve been to these big events where there are a hundred thousand people and we’ve never seen anything like that. It was awful. We sat in the corner of Indiana and Patterson for only 45 minutes along the red line of light. It was a nightmare,” Jim said.
On Saturday around 9:10 p.m., Winston Salem Police issued the following statement:
The Winston-Salem Police Department is aware of the increased traffic in and around Trust Field (475 Deacon Bv) due to the Paul McCartney concert. Wake Forest University issued a press release earlier this week with information about the concert, to include increased traffic. A thunderstorm also hit the area, causing delays in parking.
Winston-Salem Police Department officers will remain at the scene and continue to handle traffic issues for the duration of the concert.
The department sends any questions “related to traffic issues” to Wake Forest University.
Officials from Wake Forest University released the following statement Sunday afternoon:
Sir Paul McCartney’s Saturday party at Truist Field was a historic event for the Winston-Salem community and we appreciate the patience of the record-breaking crowd in the wake of a thunderstorm that caused some disruption to traffic patterns and the parking process.
Wake Forest University appreciates the efforts of the Winston-Salem Police Department and the hard work and teamwork of all our local and international partners in safely producing this unforgettable event.
On Wednesday, Colosseum staff said Wake Forest University’s Department of Athletics coordinated traffic efforts with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), the Winston-Salem Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Winston-Salem Police Department. Coliseum employees said they added officers and dispatchers along Interstate 40, U.S. Highway 52, and U.S. Highway 421 to Winston-Salem.
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