Free shuttle to reduce traffic problems during music festival

Officials hope a free shuttle service and reduced fares on taxi rides during this weekend's City of Roses Music Festival would reduce downtown traffic.

The 10th annual festival is scheduled for Friday and Saturday and will feature a shuttle service to run people back and forth between the Show Me Center parking lot and downtown Cape Girardeau.

"The big thing downtown is there is a lot of traffic when there's an event, and there's not much parking," said Jeff Brune, director of the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority, which is providing the shuttle service sponsored by Kohlfeld Distributing.

The service runs between 4:30 and 10:50 p.m. Friday and from noon to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, he said. The shuttles will run about every 30 minutes.

To coincide with the shuttle service, Brune said the transit authority would also offer a 50 percent reduction of taxi fares for anyone traveling to or from the festival.

"Hopefully we'll keep some people off the streets who have too much to drink," he said, adding the authority and Mothers Against Drunk Driving sponsored the fare reduction.

The idea for a shuttle service and fare reduction came about at the same time while brainstorming with festival organizers on how the transit authority could get involved with the event, Brune said.

This would be the first year of the transit authority's involvement with the festival, and Brune did not know how many festival participants were estimated to take part in the shuttle service.

Anyone wishing to take a taxi to the festival can do so by calling the transit authority at 335-5533, extension 1, for a ride.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127

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Want to help?

What: The annual City of Roses Music Festival is still seeking volunteers to perform a variety of duties.

When: Friday and Saturday

* Where: downtown Cape Girardeau

* Information: If interested, call Mary Ann Forester at (573) 450-8940, e-mail her at cor@stephenk.net or visit the Web site: www.cityofrosesmusicfestival.com.