Hundreds of irate weekend fete goers were forced to sit in their vehicles for as long as five hours or head back home following Saturday night’s/Sunday morning nightmarish traffic pile-up along the roads heading to two major fetes in west Trinidad.
So bad was the traffic situation that some artistes billed to perform at the highly anticipated Alternative Concept 3 at Pier 2, never reached the venue while some came late.
Alternative’s lead act, Machel Montano himself experienced difficulty arriving at his own fete – and the time had to be extended to facilitate late arriving patrons.
And today hundreds are left holding their expensive tickets, wondering who will give them a refund.
From as early at 9 p.m., the pile-up began near Movie Towne (along the Audrey Jeffers Highway) and ended at the Base nightclub in Chaguaramas.
The other major fete, “Kama Sutra”, also left several patrons feeling a little short changed.
But with both venues a stone’s throw from each other – a situation like Saturday night according to ACP Mobile Nazamul Hosein who spoke to the Express yesterday, could not be avoided. Attempts to reach parties connected to both fetes were futile.
The Express was told however that the situation was so bad that by 4.30 a.m. yesterday patrons were still arriving at the Alternative Concept 3 even as Machel and the Xtatik crew began wrapping up their performances.
The police on duty at the concert realising the gravity of the traffic situation allowed the show to go on for approximately half an hour to facilitate late coming patrons, who had paid between TT$125 and TT$260 for tickets.
It was a night for improvisations however and some maxi-taxi drivers took alternative routes through the Diego Martin Highway on to Morne Coco Road, slipping out to Westmoorings and through quiet back streets of Glencoe.
Some less skilled maxi-drivers opted however to break the long lines and with full loads careened around corners only have to brake suddenly when an on-coming car approached.
Those who didn’t know the back roads however remained trapped in highway traffic.
