Salem Offering Free Weekend Parking Shuttle Through Halloween

From The City of Salem:Mayor Kim Driscoll has announced that the City of Salem will again offer free satellite parking and shuttle service for the final two weekends of October, in an effort to encourage visitors to park outside of the downtown and lessen traffic congestion, and to provide residents of those neighborhoods with an alternative method to visit downtown.

Route A will run both weekends (October 20-21 and 27-28), picking up at the Salem High School parking lot, 77 Willson Street, and the North Shore Medical Center parking lot, 108 Jefferson Avenue. Route B will only run the weekend of October 27-28, picking up at the Salem State University O’Keefe Center parking lot, 225 Canal Street, and the North Shore Medical Center parking lot, 108 Jefferson Avenue. Cars parking at Salem State should not park in reserved areas designated by “M.”

Signage will be placed at all locations directing visitors to the available parking and shuttle stop locations. Both routes drop off near downtown on Riley Plaza: Route A on Mill Street and Route B on Margin Street.

Shuttle buses will circulate on both routes from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. on October 20-21 and October 27-28. Parking at both lots and the shuttle itself are free of charge.

“I’m very pleased that we are able to again offer this shuttle service for the busiest two weekends of October,” said Mayor Kim Driscoll. “Hopefully it will encourage visitors to not drive downtown during these weekends and help reduce the traffic and parking challenges we face in October. While taking the commuter rail or ferry is the easiest way to get to Salem this time of year, if you must drive here this weekend, I hope you’ll plan to park in one of the satellite lots and take a free, short shuttle ride into downtown instead.”

Last year, close to 9,000 passengers rode the shuttle over the final two weekends of October, displacing thousands of vehicles from downtown Salem.

Image via The City of Salem