Although Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour may be the most popular event in town, there will probably be significant traffic backups in the days before the show. According to mobility provider StreetLight Data, which examined the traffic conditions surrounding Eras Tour events, road delays near concerts increased by 847%.
On the nights of the Eras Tour concerts between March and May 2023, StreetLight examined all nonlocal roadway segments within one mile of a stadium to arrive at its conclusions. An analysis of traffic between 5 and 6 p.m. was done to compare the vehicle hours of delay (VHD) during that period to the VHD on evenings when there was no Taylor Swift performance.
The findings showed:
For 25 concerts during the Eras Tour from March to May, vehicle hours of delay (VHD) have climbed by an average of 90% on the roads surrounding all nine stadiums.
State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, saw the worst traffic effects of the Eras Tour, with average delays increasing by 315%. The Eras Tour performances at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, came in second worst with an average delay spike of 288%.
Many of the Eras Tour concerts were held at the same stadium on multiple nights, which resulted in delays. However, the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, had the worst one-night delay, with a rise of 847% in vehicle hours.
Although StreetLight’s data reveals that the Eras Tour is terrible for local traffic, it may be fantastic for the local economy. However, this traffic nightmare had two exceptions:
Only 32% more people attended the Eras Tour concert at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Vehicle hours of delay fell to an average of 19% less on concert nights than other evenings when the Eras Tour performed at the New Jersey MetLife Stadium.
How, then, could two venues avoid such congestion—with one of those witnessing a decrease in traffic volume—if Streetlight’s data demonstrates that Eras Tour performances produce traffic nightmares?
“Notably, both Atlanta’s and New Jersey’s concert venues were given high marks for their emphasis on public transit options to the concert,” the firm notes. Instead of getting in their cars, concertgoers jammed Atlanta’s Metropolitan Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA).
Additionally, on Eras Tour dates, NJTransit provided additional train and bus service to the stadium, transporting 80,000 concertgoers who would have otherwise driven themselves.
To put it another way, city, and venue officials would be prudent to encourage fans to take public transport to concerts and to provide more public transport alternatives while the event is in town if Taylor Swift—or someone of her level of fame—comes to town again.