Perplexed commuters dashed east on the 16th Street mall, turned north on Broadway and weaved around a phalanx of road barriers and traffic cops in a prolonged traffic tango.

For thousands of people who work in downtown Denver, festival season is a veritable road-rage incubator.

“I’ve seen a lot of road rage. I’ve seen people do all sorts of things,” said Thomas Vaughn, a Taste of Colorado staffer directing traffic at Broadway and the 16th Street Mall on Friday morning. “People have driven east on the mall and then north on Broadway, right in front of the police. I don’t get it!”

Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel employee Alex Rodriguez said he had to park so far away from the hotel at 1550 Court Place that it took him 30 minutes to walk to work.

“It just took forever to get across Colfax,” said Mark Lucero, who works in Denver’s treasury office at the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building.

He quipped that he may just stay in the city’s underground parking garage all night, a “hostage” to the event.

What Vaughn said really peeved him was that other traffic officers were sending cars in the wrong way, jamming the streets with confused drivers.

“I’m here policing and trying to do my job too,” he said, exasperated.

RTD Street Supervisor Vince Sheeder said an increase of Civic Center Park events including protests, races, parades and festivals have made people accustomed to traffic adjustments.

“Obviously we have to put a bunch of buses on detours,” Sheeder said. “Some folks get kind of mad about it but once you explain it everybody kind of comes around. They don’t like it but the understand.”

Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, denverpost.com/coldcases or twitter.com/kirkmitchell