Don’t drive to Salem for Halloween, take the T instead, mayor says
Too many of Salem’s visitors are coming by car and overwhelming the city’s parking, its mayor says, so the MBTA has increased its commuter rail service to Salem for the final two weekends of the season.
“With historic crowds visiting Salem this Halloween season, we’re pleased to offer additional commuter rail service during Haunted Happenings between Salem and North Station, as well as between Salem, Beverly and Newburyport,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak.
Seven inbound trains from Salem to North Station were added, along with six more outbound trains, four from North Station to Salem, and two from Salem to Beverly and Newburyport.
There will be at least two inbound trains per hour after 6 p.m., according to the T and its rail operator, Keolis Commuter Services.
Mayor Kim Driscoll urged visitors not to drive to Salem, where there are only about 4,000 downtown parking spaces available and another 1,300 spaces at free satellite lots. People should travel by train, ferry or broomstick instead, she said.
“Coming to Salem this weekend?” Driscoll said. “Please leave your car at home. We’ve welcomed over a half million visitors to Salem since Oct. 1, a significant increase from prior years. While we love sharing our city with visitors around the world, we don’t love all the cars.”
Coming to Salem this weekend? Please leave your car at home. We've welcomed over a 1/2 million visitors to Salem since Oct 1st-a significant increase from prior years. While we love sharing our city with visitors from around the world, we don't love all the cars!
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instead pic.twitter.com/r9lAgE65Fy
— Kim Driscoll (@MayorDriscoll) October 21, 2022
Last Saturday, Oct. 15, more than 100,000 people visited downtown Salem, and larger crowds are expected in the final two weekends before Halloween, according to the city website.
If visitors must drive, they should not expect to find parking downtown on October weekends, since garages and lots fill up early.
Better options include using satellite or MBTA garage parking, or leaving their car in the T garage in Beverly, where they can take the commuter rail to Salem.
“Visiting Salem in October is fun, but trying to find a place to park in October is not,” Driscoll said. “We strongly encourage visitors to plan ahead and take public transportation to Salem.”
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/5ST9BXf
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