Traffic jam

Something happened the other night on the way to the Show Me Center. For the third year in a row, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's holiday concert drew a large crowd -- more than 5,000 ticket holders this year.

As with any large crowd at the Show Me Center, getting in and out of the parking lots is part of the experience. The Show Me Center has ample parking. But this year, many in the audience had their festive mood soured because of a massive traffic jam on Sprigg Street, the main artery leading to the Show Me Center.

At first, it appeared that a traffic accident near the intersection of Sprigg and New Madrid streets had tied up traffic, which made armchair observers wonder later why the police or Southeast Missouri State University's public safety department hadn't intervened to redirect traffic.

Later, however, the police department said the traffic accident did not block traffic and was not the culprit for the huge tie-up that caused dozens of concertgoers to miss the first part of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's dazzling show. A few TSO fans said they went home after sitting in traffic for nearly an hour.

Since this was not the Show Me Center's first experience handling a large crowd, there are still questions about why the traffic jam occurred and why there wasn't more intervention by uniformed officers from the city and university.

And some of the frustration of being stopped in traffic for so long in Cape Girardeau -- something motorists here rarely encounter -- is lingering as both city and university officials appear to throw up their hands and say they don't know what the problem was, nor are they considering any plans to avoid a repeat.

At a minimum, it would seem prudent for city and university officials to discuss the situation and see if there is anything that could be done to improve access -- and exiting -- Show Me Center events that attract large crowds. Many of the fans who go to the center for special performances are from out of town and are unfamiliar with city streets, making them less adventurous in seeking alternate routes when jams occur.

It's at times like this when a little bit of help in directing traffic would be most useful.