Salinas >> As Classic Car Week approaches with its increased congestion and traffic, Peninsula residents who aren’t interested in attending its events are most likely scurrying to make out-of-town plans or devising alternate driving routes.
But one headache they won’t have to deal with when the automotive festivities begins Aug. 18 is the Highway 1 climbing lane project at Rio Road.
“That would be a nightmare bigger than I would ever want to consider,” said County Supervisor Mary Adams, confirming that the road construction will be completed by then.
Adams hosted an informational meeting Wednesday at the Laguna Seca Pavilion that also had representatives from the Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Pebble Beach Resorts and other county and law enforcement officials in attendance.
“Last week we received so many calls about the traffic at our office so I thought we’d get out in front of it so we could learn and hear and exchange information as well,” said Adams, noting that what used to be “car day,” “car weekend” and then “car week,” has now become a 10-day series of events.
“We’ll look inside what the Concours is, how it works and as a resident understanding what the challenges are,” said Adams. The first event of Classic Car week is the Monterey Pre-Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on LAug. 18. The events conclude on Aug. 26 with the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
“I don’t think there is any other event in the aggregate that is as big as the Councours-related event,” said Adams.
“It’s among the biggest weeks for visitors on the Peninsula … these people are spending a lot when they come here and increasing the impact of what they do economically,” said Peter Mounteer, marketing and events manager with the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce. Mounteer cited a 2014 survey done by the Visitors Bureau that showed out of the 85,000 total attendees of the entire event, 39,000 were from outside the United States and contributed $53 million in spending. Of those, almost 80 percent stayed overnight, with 45 percent of those staying an entire week.
“That has residual benefits – it allows more time for sight-seeing and spending more money that’s not just in hotels and restaurants,” said Mounteer, noting that hotels and restaurants typically generate the most money during Classic Car Week. “As we say in hospitality, the longer they stay the more likely they are to come back.”
Specifically, the 2014 survey showed that the event raised $5 million in tax revenue for local businesses, $1.5 million in transient occupancy tax and $3.5 million in sales tax revenues.
In terms of charity, the monetary amounts are high too.
In 2017, the Pebble Beach Company donated $1.7 million generated from the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance that went to organizations like the Boys and Girls Club of Monterey County and the Natividad Foundation.
“I’m going to put up with this for a week because the Boys & Girls Club gets money out of it,” said Bill Reichmuth, past president of the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP).
Reichmuth chimed in after Jim Rossen, a board director on the Carmel Highlands Fire Protection District, questioned whether there should be better coordination of the event and a cap set on the number of events.
“What’s happening is that all of a sudden there are too many restrictions because of complexities and the number of cars and events that are coming here,” said Rossen. “I’m looking for coordination so traffic does flow and we can get to events and because of the public safety aspect.”
Sgt. Christopher Pia of the California Highway Patrol said the big events such as the historic car racing at Laguna Seca and the Concours itself “seem to run smooth – it’s the others (events) that pop up and want to attach to those events that cause more problems. It is a big balancing act not only for CHP but for Carmel, Monterey and the Sheriff … and we’re doing our best.”
Visitors Bureau Communications Manager Jessica Keener noted the resources for both residents and visitors at the organization’s website seemonterey.com/carweek that can help. There, events are listed day-by-day with brief descriptions and links to other web pages and users will also find ideas on how to attend Classic Car Week on a shoe-string budget. The website will also include an interactive map and on July 26, the Visitor Bureau’s official Car Week guide will be released with events, road closures and shuttle schedules listed day-by-day. The Herald will also be publishing a special section with schedules and feature stories on Aug. 20.
Additionally, Paresh Patel, application division manager of the Monterey County Resource Management Agency described the new app dubbed Monterey County Connect that notifies users about a host of issues related to Classic Car Week.
“With the exception of Labor Day, Car Week is the last really big bash on businesses that depends on tourists,” noted Mounteer. “For many businesses it really rounds out the season and helps them get through the rest of the year. The $4.5 million in tax revenue goes directly into local governments so the benefit really is local even if sometimes it jams up the roadways.”
Carly Mayberry can be reached at 831-726-4363.
