SINGAPORE: Mr Lim Biow Chuan told concertgoers to have fun at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which begins this weekend.
However, he also asked them to use the public transport options available to get to and from the concert, since there isn’t enough parking for everyone.
Over 300,000 tickets have been sold for the concert dates from March 2 to 9, with around 50,000 people expected to come nightly.
Not only is a great deal of traffic to be expected, but residents living near the National Stadium, the Eras Tour venue, may have a hard time when people park illegally, which Mr Lim expressed concerns about in a Feb 29 Facebook post.
“Many of us are excited about the coming Taylor Swift ERAS Tour. There are 6 shows held at Singapore’s National Stadium, all fully sold out.
For those coming for the show, please take public transport. There are simply insufficient parking lots in the Stadium area. Please do not park illegally as you will inconvenience other residents living in the nearby area,” he wrote.
The MP added that there were concertgoers who parked illegally at season parking lots or along the roadside when Ed Sheeran held his concert last month.
Sheeran’s performance at the National Stadium on Feb 16 drew over 60,000 attendees, said AEG, the company that brought Swift and Sheeran to Singapore.
And while the large number of attendees at Sheeran’s concert set a new record for the venue, “it caused inconvenience to residents hoping to return home early to rest but could not find a season parking lot within their own HDB car park,” added Mr Lim.
He said that more HDB and LTA enforcement officers will be deployed to deal with drivers who are parked illegally and improperly and that HDB will also have wardens at car parks to control the traffic.
“When the car parks are 85% full, access will be granted solely to season holders,” Mr Lim said, adding: “As Sports Hub advised, to avoid being delayed by possible traffic congestion, opt to travel by public bus or MRT.
This way, you’ll get to catch every precious second of the event. And as huge crowds are expected at major events, do arrive early — around 30 to 60 minutes before event time. Please enjoy yourself at the concert!”
In a later post, Mr Lim reminded everyone that Grab will offer free services for Eras Tour attendees. The company announced that the shuttle bus service will be available on all six concert dates (March 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9), starting from the end of each concert.
Grab’s busses are set to leave the National Stadium once full.
“Concertgoers will be able to hop on the shuttle bus from Pickup Point A to journey through two routes ending at Redhill, Jurong East, Boon Keng, and Toa Payoh MRT Stations,” Grab said. /TISG
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