Motorists will have to use a little more ingenuity and have a
little more patience when trying to get around downtown Hollister
for Independence Rally 2003.
Motorists will have to use a little more ingenuity and have a little more patience when trying to get around downtown Hollister for Independence Rally 2003.
To make traffic easier for the thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts who will be attending the July 4 to 6 event, the Hollister Police Department will be closing off several downtown streets to automobile traffic.
Because of an anticipated large influx of rally goers who are expected to take Thursday, July 3, off and ride into town that evening so they can get a jump on festivities, Police will shut down Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and South streets between Monterey and Sally streets at about 5 p.m. Thursday so that vendors can begin setting up, said Capt. Bob Brooks with the HPD.
The street closures will include shutting down San Benito Street from Fourth Street on the north to South Street. Both East and Sally streets will also be closed between Fourth and South, Brooks said.
“The main drag at about 2 a.m. on the third (of July) and streets should open up by 11 p.m. on Sunday,” Brooks said.
The street closures allow police to put into place a traffic pattern called a “loop” on San Benito Street between Fourth and South streets. Motorcycles that stay within the traffic barricades will be allowed to circle the four-block, barricaded enclosure from north to south. It will also let rally officials set up a stage for music and other events at the intersection of Sixth and East streets because they won’t be allowing any cars inside the barricaded area.
Cars won’t be the only things kept out of the downtown area.
“There will be no skateboards or bicycles allowed inside the barricade,” Brooks said “No animals will be allowed downtown. No dogs, no snakes or other pets.”
Brooks also advised parents not to bring small children in strollers downtown.
“This is not a good place for strollers, there’s not a lot of places to maneuver and there’s a lot of noise for small children,” he said.
Motorists will either have to make a use of Monterey Street or Prospect Avenue when traveling north and south through town.
A series of four-way stops will be set up along Fourth Street from Powell to San Benito streets.
“The stop signs make it easier for local traffic and emergency units to flow across Fourth Street and it prevents Fourth Street from becoming one long drag strip,” Brooks said.
Police also advise residents who want to attend any of the rally festivities to park along Monterey or West streets as an easy, one- or two-block walk to downtown.
Motorcycles will be allowed to park along the sides of San Benito Street and some motorcycle parking along Fifth Street between East and Sally streets for the motorcycle games.
