Avoid Garlic Festival 'Carmageddon'

It may not be “Carmageddon,” but the roads around Gilroy will be seeing a lot more traffic with the 100,000 visitors to the Gilroy Garlic Festival this weekend.

What should you expect as a festival-goer, or how can you avoid the mess entirely? Traffic Committee Chairman Andrew Viale has some tips.

“As long as they follow the signs, it should be pretty easy,” he said.

Roads to avoid as a local:

• Santa Teresa Boulevard
• Luchessa Avenue
• Thomas Road
• Tenth Street, west of Princevalle Street

What to expect as a visitor:

• Driving from the north, electronic signs will direct visitors to exit at Masten Avenue off of Highway 101. If traffic becomes too severe at Masten, signs will then tell visitors to exit at Monterey Road.
• Driving from the south, electronic signs will direct drivers to exit at Monterey Road.
• From both directions, signs posted around the city will direct drivers to the festival parking area.
• Expect 45-minute delays from both directions, with the biggest delays on Saturday and Sunday.

Sneaky tip for locals (from your local editor):

• Don't forget the numerous pedestrian and bike paths that feed into Christmas Hill Park. Make a walk part of the day, and you can avoid the stress of cars entirely!
  

Patch is an official sponsor of this year's Gilroy Garlic Festival.