GREEN BAY, Wis. (NBC26) — The only typical part of holiday travel around Northeast Wisconsin this year might have been Santa Claus’ flight on his sleigh.
“It definitely wasn’t a normal holiday period,” state patrol Sergeant Andrew Hyer said.
Police around Northeast Wisconsin say in a common year without the Coronavirus pandemic, there would at least be a slight uptick in traffic due to the holiday season. But they say this year, that hasn’t been the case at all.
“The travel’s a little bit less than what we would see in these periods,” Hyer said.
Green Bay Police Lieutenant Nate Allen says the usual holiday bustle is down in Green Bay.
“[They’re] not the heavy numbers of traffic that we did see in the past years,” Allen said. “Most of it’s probably because of the pandemic and Covid and people kind of staying put this year.”
With less traffic, state patrol says Northeast Wisconsinites have at least stayed off the naughty list.
“We’ve had a pretty safe holiday season so far,” Hyer said. “[There were] No major incidents over the weekend [and] no major crashes or other issues that we’ve had to deal with. So everything’s been pretty safe out there. And that’s the way we like to see it.”
And with New Year’s Eve approaching, police urge drivers to take caution.
“If there are those opportunities, people don’t have to risk drinking and driving,” Hyer said. “There’s lots of opportunities for people to celebrate, have a good time, and then get home safely. And that’s what we want.”
If people plan on drinking, Allen says it’s better to hitch a ride.
“Have a good weekend… have a good New Year’s,” Allen said “But with all the alternatives out there, like Lyft and Uber, utilize those to get to and from where you’re going and be safe and have a good time.”
