CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB)–Whether they’re arriving in planes, trains, or automobiles, total solar eclipse tourists are starting to arrive in WNY.
“It’s exciting to see so many tourists come into town and being able to showcase Western New York to all of them.” said Elizabeth Carey, Director of Public Relations, of AAA of CNY & WNY.
“We missed the first eclipse we were going to go see in 2017, in Oregon, so she was determined to see it this time,” said Jason Knittel and Amy Riley, who traveled in from Los Angeles, for the eclipse. “Really excited, hopefully it’s not cloudy.”
For Lizitte and Dax Ashcraft, from Lakewood California, it’s their first time in the area.
“We came to Buffalo to see the eclipse and it’s right by Niagara Falls, so while we’re here, we’re going to visit Niagara Falls too,” said Lizitte Ashcraft, “We know the next ones not going to be until 2044, so we wanted to make the most of this one and make it a big adventure.”
Flights will be landing all weekend with tourists on board, and AAA says on Tuesday, a lot of flight out of Buffalo are full.
The NFTA also calls this weekend, a “perfect storm” for crowds at the airport, as many travelers are flying back from spring break as well.
Along with a busy airport, local experts are saying the roads will be busy.
“People are going to be on the Water’s edge a lot, a lot of state parks,” said New York State Trooper James O’Callaghan, Public Information Officer, Troop A,” We want to make sure traffic wise they’re safe as possble but also those areas are as safe as possible while this event is going on.”
Trooper O’Callaghan says State Police are bringing in more than 100 troopers to the area to assist Niagara Falls Police and Buffalo Police, as they predict a lot of people will be near the water and state parks to view the eclipse.
“One of the things we tell drivers, if you’re going into these areas, is that you might be stuck in traffic, depending on where you are going.” said O’Callaghan, “Make sure your car has a full tank of gas, snacks in the car, especially if you have your family and kids, have water, snacks and different things.”
One way to avoid driving in the congestion, NFTA recommends using public transport to get to areas on the day of the Eclipse.
“The less cars on the road, the better, so if you can kind of carpool, or even catch one of the buses, that’s something you should be able to save money,” said Kelly Khatib, Public Information Officer for the NFTA, “Public Transportation is a lot cheaper if you are coming into town, and you need a car. Numbers are showing that there’s about a 300% increase. That’s just a lot in just the price alone.”
She recommends using their MetGo system, where you can ride with NFTA for $5 dollars a day, and says they have routes to popular eclipse viewing destinations. To find out more information visit their website here.