Mother’s Day festival traffic raises concerns in Lumberton

LUMBERTON, Miss. (WDAM) - On May 14, traffic conditions were hectic on Highway 13 in Lumberton due to a Mother’s Day blues festival.

Traffic backups caused headaches for drivers and people on their way to the event; however, some people who attended said they feared for their safety.

“I didn’t feel safe at all because there could have been a bad accident sitting in the middle of the road,” said Jasper Howard, festival attendee.

While the event brought out plenty of visitors, the aftermath of the event was apparent as leftover chairs and trash scattered the area left behind from the day before.

“They had them in two lanes of traffic, had them driving in the ditches, they had them doing all sorts of unsafe things,” said Ruthie Long, festival attendee.

According to the Lumberton Police Department, the traffic issues that occurred were out of their control.

Some Lumberton residents were glad to see a big event in town, but Long said she will not be returning to this festival next year if the conditions are the same.

“If they had it here next year, would I come back? No ma’am, not, again because that was so ridiculous,” Long said. “It was so unorganized, and the plans were not well.”

Event organizers provided a statement:

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