With big-name acts coming to the Convocation Center, traffic problems will only get worse for the University Police.

Having nearly 6,000 people for the two-hour Bill Cosby show caused enormous traffic congestion on Annie Glidden Road, and University Police had its problems with it being the first big event at the Convocation Center.

“There were difficulties, but it was the first event. It’s a bit of a learning curve; we need to learn what will work,” said Lt. Matt Kiederlen, who is in charge of operations for UP.

The police used four electronic message boards and nine officers to direct traffic for the Cosby show.

“Some things will be done differently,” Kiederlen said.

The UP plans to direct traffic mainly for what it deems “short term, high capacity” events: shows like Cosby and the upcoming Counting Crows concert. Kiederlen said other events like the volleyball tournament, which was held this weekend, should not create as much of a jam because people will be filtering in and out throughout the day.

DeKalb city officials and police have expressed concern that no traffic light is being put up, though.

“Obviously Annie Glidden is a concern,” DeKalb Police Chief Bill Feithen said. “The city is doing their best to address these concerns. The city recommended to put up stoplights for a number of reasons.”

Such reasons include events like the volleyball tournament where a lot of people will be entering and leaving throughout the day. The traffic lights probably would need to be turned off for the “short term, high capacity” events so the University Police could direct traffic.

“[A stoplight] was recommended, but the Illinois Department of Transportation didn’t require it,” City Manager Jim Connors said. “IDOT has jurisdiction on Route 38, and they didn’t require NIU to put it in.”

IDOT won’t require the stoplight unless the numbers warrant it. This means IDOT sees no need for a stoplight unless a certain number of vehicles pass through the intersection in a certain period of time.

If University Police minimizes their learning curve as much as possible, a traffic light at the Convocation Center may not be a concern to city officials and police in the future.