This is one in a series of special Langley Advance Times stories about what to expect at this year鈥檚 Langley Good Times Cruise-In, happening this Saturday, Sept. 7, in Aldergrove. You can also check out this series in our special keepsake edition, which hit the streets on Wednesday and available in limited quantity at the car show.
A team of trained traffic control staff will work tirelessly Saturday 鈥� whatever the weather 鈥� to get tens of thousands of participants and spectators into Langley Good Times Cruise-In as safely and efficiently as possible.
鈥淏e kind. Be nice. Pay attention. Please don鈥檛 run us over,鈥� said Cruise-In director Holly Trytko.
鈥淚t does take time, and it鈥檚 a lot of traffic, so patience is very much appreciated as we do our best to get people in, out, and around the show,鈥� she said, ahead of the 2024 event.
Towards that goal, Trytko 鈥� who worked as a flagger for years and is now a traffic control planner 鈥� will be on scene well before 5 a.m. on Cruise-In day Saturday, Sept. 7, to personally oversee the efforts.
Admittedly, it鈥檚 a big job getting people into the show, so Trytko has been working for months ahead of time to coordinate traffic detours, connect with agencies such as TransLink and Coast Mountain to reroute buses, and coordinate sites for traffic control personnel.
For instance, one of her tasks is arranging the closure of Fraser Highway, between 264 and 272 Streets, for the full day. She arranges for traffic lights to be shut down for the day at those intersections, then puts flaggers in place to redirect thousands and thousands of motorists who come in that day.
With the eight-block section of Fraser Highway 鈥� through the downtown heart of Aldergrove 鈥� closed, it鈥檚 their job to detour traffic north to 32 Avenue or south to 29 Avenue (the latter she personally recommends as the fastest alternative).
More flaggers are also set up at those key intersections to keep traffic flowing and to avoid some of the bottleneck that arises when 80,000 to 100,000 spectators, and upwards of a thousand car collectors with their vehicles all converge on downtown Aldergrove for the day.
Again, she pleads with people heading to the show to be patient and attentive to the traffic control personnel.
Meanwhile, for those attempting to travel east or west through Aldergrove, she recommends avoiding the core completely. Instead, she suggested they take 16 Avenue or Highway 1 to their destination.
鈥淕o wide,鈥� she said. 鈥淭ry to avoid us completely.鈥�
While the display cars start arriving as early as 5 a.m., and are moved into spots along Fraser Highway starting at about 6 a.m., spectator traffic starts ramping up about 9, with peak traffic at about 11 a.m. to noon, explained Trytko, who enjoys being out there for the show.
There are a lot of bonuses to be involved with a charity car show of this magnitude, she said.
On the day of, one of her key roles is getting drivers registered then moving the collectors and cars into place for the show. It means she gets to see almost every custom, classic, and collector car coming to Cruise-In before almost everyone else. As a bit of a car enthusiast, that鈥檚 a definite plus.
She also appreciates that the show raises so much money for local charities 鈥� which is rewarding for all the volunteers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fun to give back to the community,鈥� she said, noting she served as a volunteer for three years before joining the Cruise-In board in 2020.
She noted that once on site, spectators need to realize there is limited street parking. So, alternatively, there is by-donation parking being set up at Aldergrove Community Secondary, 26850 29 Ave., and at St. Dunstan鈥檚 Anglican Church, at 3025 264 St. The church is asking for a minimum $10 donation for the day.
Langley Chrysler has once again arranged its courtesy shuttle van to travel back and forth between the parking areas and the main stage.
Designated vendor parking has also again been set up at Phil Jackman Park, and area merchants are being provided parking permits to ensure they get access to their shops.
