NEW DATA FINDS 80 PERCENT OF EVENTGOERS LEAVE EARLY TO AVOID PARKING LOT CHAOS

Survey says traffic is responsible for ruining the experience of attending live events

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit (LA ART), a proposed aerial gondola system from Union Station to Dodger Stadium, in collaboration with Wired Research, today announced the results of a recent survey conducted to discover how traffic impacts enjoyment and opinions of attending live events.

One of the most surprising results was despite high ticket prices for wildly popular events like the recent World Series games or the conclusion of the Taylor Swift Eras tour, many Americans (80 percent)* admit to sneaking out of events early to help alleviate anticipated stress and frustration of leaving the venue or parking lot, often missing their favorite artist's encore song or that game-winning run. Of those who left early, one in three regretted it and felt like they missed out on the full event experience with nearly a quarter (22 percent) feeling like they didn't get their money's worth. Millions of Americans (74 percent) also expressed they would attend events more often if they knew a traffic nightmare wasn't waiting for them before or after the experience.

"Based on our findings, and our own shared experiences, we know that traffic is one of the biggest frustrations people face when it comes to attending events," said David Grannis, Executive Director of Zero Emissions Transit, the non-profit organization leading the effort to bring the gondola to Los Angeles.  "On top of these challenges, people also worry about what negative impact attending these events could have on our communities. This is one of the many reasons why we're excited to bring a solution to life for those in Los Angeles with our proposed aerial gondola system."

Additional findings revealed nearly all Americans (95 percent) have attended a live event at least once. The vast majority (83 percent) get there by driving and traffic is a common frustration—almost every attendee (95 percent) reported sitting in traffic on the way there and while waiting to pull into the venue's parking lot. In fact, about three-quarters of eventgoers say that the frustrations of getting to the event itself takes away from the joy of the occasion.

While everyone may look forward to an exhilarating in-person musical performance or catching their favorite sports team play, nearly half (44 percent) are concerned about the impact on the environment attending can cause due to the number of cars on the road traveling to and from the venue itself.

The LA ART gondola project is a proposal to build an aerial gondola system connecting Los Angeles Union Station to Dodger Stadium, with a seven-minute ride that's free to ticketholders, aiming to reduce emissions and take 3,000 cars off the road on Dodgers game days. The gondola system will provide an alternative mode of transportation in LA to avoid traffic that is better for the environment. The system is expected to begin construction in 2026 and will be completed ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics. For more information, please visit laart.la.

*Online survey conducted by Wired Research to 1,012 nationally representative Americans ages 18 and over, with a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent.

About LA ART
Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit (LA ART) is a proposal for a zero emissions aerial gondola system to connect Los Angeles Union Station, Chinatown, and Dodger Stadium in 7 minutes. LA ART is a project of Zero Emissions Transit, a supporting non-profit of Climate Resolve. The gondola system is expected to begin construction in 2026 and be completed and operating in 2028.

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SOURCE Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit