Regina Leader-Post

Limited parking, lots of security for second test event at Mosaic

- CRAIG BAIRD cbaird@postmedia.com twitter.com/craigbaird

With Our Lady Peace, Johnny Reid and Bryan Adams getting ready to play Mosaic Stadium for the second test event, attendees to the concert on Saturday are being asked to take alternativ­e modes of transporta­tion to the stadium.

“The whole idea for the plan is for people to get to and from the stadium and not use their vehicles,” Mayor Michael Fougere said.

“Take public transit and taxis to get there. We tested this with the Rams versus Huskies game and it worked very well. The public was very happy with how it was used and they used more transit than ever before.”

With no public parking at Evraz Place for the concert, and Elphinston­e Street closed between Dewdney Avenue and Saskatchew­an Drive from 2 p.m. to midnight, Fougere is confident that residents will follow the plan to ensure everyone has a great experience.

“If you take public transit, take the shuttle, or take a taxi, you will find that with the closing of Elphinston­e, people can walk here easily and easier than if they were trying to find a place to park.”

Concert attendees can ride transit for free to the stadium if they show their event ticket to the driver. In addition, shuttles will run from 3:45-7 p.m. from Southland Mall, Northgate Mall, Victoria Square Mall, Normanview Crossing, the Delta Hotel and Victoria Park.

A bike valet service is being provided at the southwest corner of Confederat­ion Park.

There will also be plenty of security at the event, with 150 security officers patrolling the stadium for the concert, 50 more than the first test event.

“Security has to be vigilant from the time people come in the front gate, to the intelligen­ce gathering on an ongoing basis, so we are ready for any event,” said Rod Buckingham, game day security commander. “We introduced metal detectors last year. We increased that this year and we will continue to monitor that. It does result in getting quite a few items, some prohibited and some illegal.”

Prohibited items for the concert include outside alcohol, coolers, opened bottles or containers, air horns or sirens, laser pointers, rods, dowels and hockey sticks, as well as UAVs, umbrellas, selfie sticks and any unauthoriz­ed advertisin­g.

“You have to draw a line somewhere,” said Buckingham.

“It is more about the activity of the people than the item. There are certain standards across arenas and stadiums that we try to stay consistent with.”

For the upcoming Riders season, 200 cameras will be set up in the new stadium. In addition, a security officer will wear a visiting team’s jersey to ensure fans are treated well during games.

“People should all have fun. It is an entertainm­ent event,” Buckingham said. “If someone is ruining your good time, we just need to be prepared to deal with that. Generally speaking, the fans are pretty good here.”

For those attending, gates open at 4 p.m. and Our Lady Peace will begin their show at 6 p.m., followed by Johnny Reid at 7:30 p.m. and Bryan Adams at 9 p.m.

The concert will end at 11 p.m.

 ?? TROY FLEECE ?? Crews continue to prepare for the concert on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium. Gates open at 4 p.m. with Our Lady Peace beginning at 6 p.m.
TROY FLEECE Crews continue to prepare for the concert on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium. Gates open at 4 p.m. with Our Lady Peace beginning at 6 p.m.

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