‘Gather your patience.’ Backed-up traffic disruptions at Christmas Tree Lane in Fresno

Christmas Tree Lane went dark early one night last weekend as the Fresno Police Department dealt with traffic congestion and road rage as cars waiting to enter the 2-mile holiday display backed up for miles.

“I don’t think anybody has expected this traffic load,” lane coordinator Dean Alexander said Monday. He got the call to turn off the lights around 10 p.m. Saturday.

The lane usually remains lit and open to traffic until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

The problem was excess traffic backed up from the entrance on North Van Ness Boulevard onto westbound East Shields Avenue and then onto southbound North Blackstone Avenue. Some drivers tried to cut the line by flipping U-turns from northbound lanes.

Fresno police typically block parts of Shields on the lane’s busy nights, diverting traffic to access the lane from southbound Blackstone before turning onto westbound Shields.

In past years, Alexander has seen traffic on Blackstone backed up one block north from Shields, to Ashlan Avenue.

“And that’s one in a blue moon,” he said.

On Saturday and again on Sunday, traffic on Blackstone was backed up all the way to West Shaw Avenue, a distance equal to Christmas Tree Lane itself.

“A lot of things are happening this year that are impacting us,” Alexander said.

The lane’s two annual walk nights, when the lane is closed to traffic and tens of thousands traditionally attend, were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. That, along with the fact that schools are not in regular session and there are few other entertainment options available this year, has affected the number of people coming down the lane.

“There’s nowhere else to go,” he said.

The season has already been marked by a fatal crash with a train on Christmas Tree Lane’s opening night while a family was waiting in line to enter amid traffic along westbound Shields.

Lane remains open through Christmas

As of Monday afternoon, Christmas Tree Lane remained open through Christmas Eve, though organizers will be monitoring things over the next few days. They are worried that it could get shut down for the season if visitors can’t act appropriately.

In a post on its Facebook page, the lane organizers urged those waiting to get on the lane “to gather your patience, show respect for others.”

“Caring for everyone in our community is especially important this year. Without our community and the care of those around us the lights will go out.”

For those still wanting to see the lights, Alexander suggests getting to the lane early (it opens to traffic at 6 p.m.) and going on a weekday when crowds tend to be smaller.

Traffic aside, things seem to be going smoothly along the lane. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office received a call about someone possibly throwing beer bottles at other vehicles, but there was no evidence once deputies were on the scene, spokesman Tony Botti said.

The lane does appear to be extremely busy, he said, and the sheriff’s office is looking at whether it needs to add additional deputies to patrol.

The sheriff’s office is also asking the public for patience.

“All we can ask,” Botti said, “is that every be courteous and respect each other.”