Monterey County braces for Car Week congestion

Some Pacific Grove residents, such as Jim Turley, are all in on Car Week action.

“It’s a whole bunch of well-off, well-behaved people showing off some really nice hardware. It’s fantastic,” Turley said.

But others wish they could get out.

“You are going to get all these super rich people and their super sports cars,” Pacific Grove resident Danny Maddox said. “Everybody is entitled and everybody’s just ‘get out of my way.'”

The Central Coast is expecting 85,000 people during for Car Week, bringing in more than $53 million to Monterey County, according to the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Whether you are a fan of Car Week or not, nobody likes being stuck in traffic.

“I would say just to expect your shortcuts are full and to walk and ride your bike just like everybody else, because it’s full,” said Rich Deal, a Monterey city traffic engineer.

This year, the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau is providing an interactive map to help people get around.

“If you click on the cars, it will tell you what the event is, when it is and if there’s any road closure associated with that as well,” said bureau CEO Tammy Blount.

The new feature includes more event details and tips about getting around and avoiding road closures.

“Usually, people that are going to events know exactly where they are going and when. It’s the rest of us driving around and going about our lives, getting to work or going out for dinner or whatever the case is,” Blount said.

Still, some people said they’ll just try to avoid it altogether.

“Walk; ride a bike; go, you know, plan on an extra hour to get a mile. I mean, drive at midnight, one of those,” said Pacific Grove resident Preston Flatley.

The interactive map includes all the events, start and end times, road closure information and tips. To view the map, click here.