Tulsa Police Working To Control State Fair Traffic, Parking

When it comes to parking for the Tulsa State Fair, Officer Gregg Comfort has his work cut out for him. 

"It's always busier on opening weekend, so we focus on each night and more on the weekends because the population grows on the weekends and we stay late and monitor all the areas around the fairgrounds and neighborhoods," said Comfort. 

With thousands of people attending the fair this weekend, that means thousands of cars will be congesting Expo Square and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Fair-goer Brian Hendrix parked on a curb in a nearby neighborhood, which he said was the best option he had.

"There are not a lot of parking spots left, and I have my mother-in-law who is handicapped," Hendrix shared with News on 6. "So we thought we would park on the street just to save a little money." 

With TPD, officers are working around the clock to keep people safe. Comfort said they have not towed any cars this weekend, but he has come close--especially in the neighborhoods where people park in homeowners drive-ways.

One homeowner said she caught a man parking in her drive way.

"He came and parked in front of my drive way and he ignored me and kept walking to the fair," the homeowner explained. 

To make matters worse, many people park too far from the curb, which is illegal. Therefore, Tulsa police wants to remind everybody to park no more than 12 inches from the curb. Comfort said he and other officers take parking seriously to make sure roads are clear in case of an emergency. 

The good news, fairgoers have a lot of legal parking options. Lowe's across the street provides half of their parking lot for free parking. 

And of course, there is paid parking close to the fairgrounds.

When you are at the fair, be sure to check out the News On 6 booth in the River Spirit Expo Center.