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Going to Incubus? Backyard adds parking options
Just in time for Saturday’s sold out Incubus show, the Backyard is making a number of tweaks intended to make getting to the venue less of a hassle.
After receiving complaints from concert-goers, Tim O’Connor, president of venue owner Direct Events, said he’s been working with traffic consultants to find ways to unclog adjacent roads and speed the parking process.
“We think we’ve made it a lot better,” he told the American-Statesman Friday. “We admit we’ve had some issues in the past, but we’re taking steps to make things better. We want everyone to have a good experience.”
The venue has just under 3,000 on-site parking spaces, O’Connor said.
He’s rented a parking garage at the nearby Hill Country Galleria shopping center, which can hold 400-plus additional cars. Five 71-passenger buses will be used to shuttle fans from the garage to the Backyard, which is about a mile away.
Industry figures show each car, on average, should have about 2.6 passengers.
The Backyard can hold about 7,500 people, though O’Connor said most shows are undersold to keep things comfortable for fans.
Parking fees are no longer being collected at entrances to keep cars off adjacent roadways, O’Connor said. Instead, customers now pay attendants after they’ve entered the lots.
Officers are being used to direct traffic and to control traffic signals at choke points along Texas 71 and RM 620, and crossing guards have been hired to help people who walk to shows, though O’Connor said that’s not something he recommends due to the number of vehicles in the area.
Also worth noting if you’re attending shows at the Backyard: Fans are being asked not to smoke. Like elsewhere in Central Texas, O’Connor said grass and trees at the Backyard are highly susceptible to fire due to drought conditions plaguing the area. Extra steps are being taken, he said, to keep patrons safe.
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By pranqster
September 30, 2011 11:23 PM | Link to this
so comments are allowed on this pointless blurb (you do realize incubus fans are illiterate, no?), but on any article about a significant news piece they are disallowed? BIG, FAT, FAIL. the statesman is well on it’s way from being a bad newspaper to an irrelevant, has-been local news site. good riddance.
By pranqster
September 30, 2011 11:24 PM | Link to this
so comments are allowed on this pointless blurb (you do realize incubus fans are illiterate, no?), but on any article about a significant news piece they are disallowed? BIG, FAT, FAIL. the statesman is well on it’s way from being a bad newspaper to an irrelevant, has-been local news site. good riddance.
By Stan
October 1, 2011 11:12 AM | Link to this
Wow, the anonymous cowards are getting desperate, posting on music blog posts to stir their hate.
Weird. Get a life.