2013 Food Lion SPEED STREET
Final After-Action Report
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Speed Street has provided local residents,
race fans and families a fun festival
environment in the heart of Charlotte for
nearly 20 years. According to event
organizers, an estimated 400,000 people
attend the festival over the three day
period.*
26% on Thursday
30% on Friday
44% on Sunday
*2011 Survey data
The CharMeck JIC
Hours of operation were 5 p.m. to midnight Thursday and Friday, May 23 and May 24. JIC
hours on Saturday, May 25. Were 3 p.m. until midnight. City departments represented
in the JIC were: Corporate Communications & Marketing, CATS, CDOT, CharMeck 311,
Charlotte Fire Department, Shared Services, and Neighborhood & Business Services. The
Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office and the Salvation Army also provided staff for a total of
30 people. CMPD Public Affairs was the liaison between the Command Center and the JIC.
Below are highlights from departments working in conjunction with the JIC to provide
updates on services provided throughout the three days of Speed Street.
City Services Updates
CharMeck 311
311 extended hours of operation until midnight on each day of Speed Street operations.
Types of calls included inquiries about the Gold Rush schedule, operating hours of Speed
Street, and the schedule of events.
Public Safety
MEDIC
According to Medic, call volume for service to Speed Street has been lower compared to
past years. The following data reflects the activities of the Medic teams over the three days
of Speed Street.
Thursday, May 23: Medic responded to two calls within the event venue. One of those
calls resulted in a patient being transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Friday, May 24: Medic responded to a total of 8 calls inside the Speed Street event area.
Those calls resulted in 5 transports to area hospitals. One patient was transported with
injuries described as life threatening. Four were transported with non-life threatening.
Saturday, May 25
Medic made 3 transports from inside the Speed street venue for Saturday.
Charlotte Fire Department
Mobile Operations Center and Mobile Command Post staged at Tryon and Stonewall for
duration of event. Setup occurred on Wednesday, May 23 for Operations Thursday through
Saturday to coincide with Speed Street scheduled events.
 Incident Command (3 CFD) posted in the CMPD Command Center 1700-0100 Thursday
through Saturday;
 Incident General Staff (3 EM, 2 CFD, 2 CMPD, 1 MEDIC, 1 JHE) post inside the MOC
1000-2359 Thursday through Saturday to manage all CFD Operations
 EM staff monitored weather throughout the event; monitored ATV cameras for
situational awareness; maintained complete event documentation in E Team; and
monitored mobile radiation detection sensors
 4 Fire/EMS Teams on ATVs deployed throughout the Speed Street footprint on Tryon and
MLK for Fire and EMS responses from 1030-2330 Thursday through Saturday
 2 Fire/EMS Teams on foot to augment Fire and EMS response during higher demand
hours, 1830-2330, Thursday through Saturday
 1 Hazmat Team to cover entire footprint from 1030-2330 Thursday through Saturday;
maintained safe site system for air monitoring throughout footprint of event
 2 Hazard Assessment Teams (HAT) composed of Fire Hazmat Tech and Police Bomb
Tech to cover the entire footprint from 1500-2330 Thursday through Saturday
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
The goal of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department during this year’s Speed Street
event was to maintain a safe environment in the center city for participants to attend.
The strategic operations plan was successfully implemented during the days of these
events. Partnerships with the Charlotte Fire Department, MEDIC, the Mecklenburg County
Sheriff’s Office, our federal partners and Global Men who Care were critical in the
operation’s success.
Event operations were coordinated from the CMPD command center. The command center
was operational from 5:00 p.m., on May 23, 2013, through 3:00 a.m., on May 26, 2013.
The CMPD would like to thank the community for their diligence in participating in the “See
Something Say Something” campaign. The CMPD responded to 13 calls for service from the
community concerning unattended packages that were ultimately determined to be nonthreatening items.
There were a total of 19 adult arrests and 10 juvenile arrests in the center city area
recorded during command center operation hours.
A preliminary breakdown of adult arrests over three days of operations include:
Alcohol Related
Drug Related
Disorderly Conduct
Assault on Officer
Resisting Arrest
Simple Assault
Impeding Traffic
Trespass
Outstanding Warrants
4
2
4
2
2
1
1
2
1
*The officers assaulted did not sustain any serious injuries. The 10 juveniles
arrested include charges of:
Disorderly Conduct
Trespass
Affray (fighting)
Resisting Arrest
Impeding Traffic
2
2
1
3
2
In addition, three juveniles were processed for curfew violations
CATS
LYNX Ridership
Thursday
Ridership numbers indicate 19,817 riders were served. 31.5% above average an average
Thursday.
Friday:
Lynx operated two car trains all day on Friday every ten minutes between 3:00 p.m. and
12:30 a.m. Ridership numbers indicate 28,582 riders were served, 82% above an average
Friday.
Saturday
LYNX continued to operate two car trains all day on Saturday and operated every ten
minutes between 2:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. Ridership numbers currently are not
available. Trains are still in service as of 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning.
Bus Operations
Bus Operations with the assistance of CMPD continued to manage the traffic flow in and out
of the transit center. Bus service ran smoothly with just a few minor delays on Saturday
night. CATS will be providing bus service directly to Charlotte Motor Speedway on
Sunday. Service begins at 1:00 p.m.
CDOT
To help manage large scale events uptown, CDOT staffed the Traffic Operations Center
during the event; monitored available and bagged parking meters; set up very visible
detour signage in addition to having staff and crews on stand-by to help with extra
maintenance, operations and communication needs.
Electronic messaging boards were also used to provide
traffic information. These boards are utilized for large
uptown events, hazards, emergencies and severe weather.
Electronic messaging boards were also used to provide
traffic information. These boards reutilized for large uptown
events, hazards, emergencies and severe weather.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities (CMUD)
CMUD deployed one water station in the area of Trade and Tryon. The water station
operated from 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. for all three days of the event. Estimated counts
from CMUD staff indicate that traffic at the water station averaged 50 guests per hour, for
all three days of the event. Based on those estimates, the water station served over 1200
visitors during Speed Street.
Solid Waste Services
Special Collections and Assistance
Friday, May 24


Containers were collected 5 times during the day/night shifts.
Due to the Thursday evening storm, many of the cardboard boxes (garbage and
recycling) were soaked and were disposed of as cardboard recycling. Replacement
cardboard boxes for garbage and recycling were distributed on Friday. Friday's early
morning winds prevented the placement of garbage and recycling cardboard containers.
Containers were able to be placed later Friday afternoon.
Saturday, May 25


Containers were collected 5 times during the day/night shifts.
Crews cleaned the streets/areas around venue sites - North Tryon, College, Bar District,
Fifth, Fourth Ward and West Trade.
Garbage (cardboard boxes)
Garbage (rollout carts)
Recycling (Coke barrels at Coke stage)
Recycling (cardboard boxes)
Recycling (rollout carts)
Barricades
Cones
Number of crews (varies by shift)
Friday
2:00 PM
210
99
35
175
42
341
139
11-15
Saturday
2:00 PM
210
0
0
175
0
0
0
11-15
Tonnage totals are not available until the conclusion of the event. Tonnage totals
will not be available until Monday, May 27.
Speed Street Communication Activities
The City of Charlotte began communicating its messages regarding Food Lion Speed Street
beginning with a press briefing held on Thursday, May 9th. The event was designed to
inform the public of the City’s effort to prepare for Speed Street, which was declared an
Extraordinary Event by the City Manager.
Agencies represented at the briefing included
CATS, CDOT, Charlotte Fire Department CMPD,
Solid Waste Services, and Community Relations.
The event kicked-off the City’s Speed Street
communication activities, which continued
leading up to and throughout the three-day
event.
Key Messages Communicated Regarding Speed Street Festivities
 The City has created a special website, UptownEvents.CharlotteNC.gov, which is
updated regularly with the latest road closures, parking information, an interactive
street map, and City and County service updates to assist residents and visitors.
 The City of Charlotte has vast experience in managing large-scale events.
 Safety is always a first priority as demonstrated in past events when inclement
weather has been a factor.
 Public transit (CATS LYNX Light Rail) is a convenient alternative to travel to and from
Speed Street to avoid traffic congestion and parking fees.
 Motorists should allow for additional commute time starting Wednesday afternoon
and all day Thursday and Friday.
 During weekday work hours, uptown workers should arrive early and leave early if
possible.
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Commuters should utilize the I-277 loop/exit closest to their location
Commuters traveling in an east/west direction are advised to use Trade, Fifth and
Sixth Streets.
Commuters can access parking facilities regularly before 9 a.m.
CMPD will be enforcing the curfew and enforcing proper behavior earlier and
emphatically; working in partnership with event organizers and Men Who Care
Global.
The City will remind the community about the “See Something, Say Something”
campaign, which educates the public on reporting suspicious packages, strange
behavior or anything out of the ordinary.
CharMeck 311 will extend its hours-of-operation to midnight on Friday and Saturday.
The Joint Information Center (JIC) brings together City and County agencies to
provide the residents, visitors, and the media with the latest information related to
City/County services and Food Lion Speed Street.