For me, this is post number 162 - which, as a sports fan, I know is the number of games a major league baseball team (normally) plays in a season. That association, in turn, prompted me to think of the following question: regarding the roads around stadiums, how is the traffic flow handled on game days? This mostly applies to after the game, because before the game, people arrive on a gradual basis over a span of several hours, whereas afterwards, they tend to leave the parking lots all at once - something on the order of thousands, if not tens of thousands, of vehicles, all leaving at the same time. From personal experience, I know that in order to streamline the flow of exiting vehicles, officials (most often parking lot security, local police, state highway patrol, or some combination thereof) will often block certain traffic movements around the exits to the lots, funneling traffic in a given direction, so as to reduce conflict points - and thus, reduce bottlenecks and expedite traffic flow. (Inevitably, there will always be traffic jams anyway.)
I guess my question is as follows: how long does this altered traffic pattern tend to be in place after the game (or concert, or whatever the event) before the officials step aside and allow normal traffic flow on the nearby roads to resume? I suppose it carries on for however long is needed to clear the lots, which I'm sure varies greatly based on certain factors - such as how many people attended the event, as well as the layout of the lots themselves - but, in many cases, can probably take about an hour if not more.
Regarding this question, what are your experiences regarding traffic patterns on game days? (And if anyone on this forum has actually directed traffic themselves after a stadium event, that's even better!)
So, 2020 is an outlier, but for Notre Dame football games, traffic flow is directed by law enforcement until about 90 minutes after the end of the game.
Bills Stadium in Orchard Park, NY, would be an interesting case study. I know very little about it from a functional level, having never been there in person, but I know from traveling to/through the area that there's always horrible congestion after home Bills games, and it's not in a particularly commercial area, so congestion often flows onto residential streets like this one (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.7767473,-78.799245,3a,75y,271.33h,85.97t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1se51r7NJkN0vpR2siCgHPkg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3De51r7NJkN0vpR2siCgHPkg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D350.294%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1).
Traffic has three main access points to the freeway: I-90/NY 179, US 219/NY 179, and US 219/US 20A. (Testing my memory here, but I think the US 20A approach usually has restricted access or closures of some kind.) You can usually almost watch the bottlenecks moving in real time in the hours after the game. First the surface streets jam up, then the approaches to US 219/I-90, then US 219 itself where it joins I-90, then I-90 EB (heading north), and ultimately, the Williamsville toll booth, and the entire Thruway all the way to Rochester. When there's a 1PM kickoff (which is almost always), the actual stadium area is usually cleared out by about 5:30 to 6PM or so, but you'll see congestion lingering on the Thruway as far east as Pembroke and Batavia until 7PM or even later.
It's funny, back in the day before I started paying attention to the Bills, I could come around the corner from I-290 onto the Thruway and instantly be able to tell whether it was a home game Sunday based on the traffic levels, and know within a minute whether they won or lost based on how hot-headed the drivers were! :-D
BYU's Cougar Stadium has 4-lane streets around it. When the game ends, police set up those streets for 1-way flow. Over 60K fans can exit the stadium area in about an hour.
Want to see the opposite? Go to Reser Stadium, home of the Oregon State Beavers, where the crowd will be about half of what BYU draws. One 2-lane road runs to the south of the stadium. It can take hours to get out of that area. For an university known for engineering, no one there seems to grasp the problem and solve it.
Rick
There are actually questions about this on professional engineering licensure exams, because the ending to a large concert or sporting event is the largest single shock to the demand of a transportation network. I've poked around a bit looking for a practice exam question, but haven't found one yet. All I know is that there were at least 2 when I took the actual P.E.
It's not just sports events. In my area, there is a very complicated traffic plan to get people out of the area after the fireworks displays on July 4. Of course, the big one in Downtown Washington requires all sorts of coordination, but the small local suburban ones will also have the police reverse flow on many streets that emanate from the fireworks site.
There are some sports facilities that have automatic signaling to deal with the flow, like reversible lanes.
Here is an old setup in Inglewood, CA:
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9431356,-118.3439071,3a,75y,201.18h,85.02t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1stVxHQ-seHhyJjmLupE9Mhg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
I'm not sure if this is still used in light of the new football stadium, but it was definitely there to help with traffic back when the Lakers used to play at the Forum and after a major horse race at the now defunct Hollywood Park.
Automatic signage outside the Tacoma Dome. (https://goo.gl/maps/ktwoVPeeNzcNcN9z8)
In Seattle, they turn the I-5 reversible Express Lanes north of downtown to northbound after events. One problem is during Sounders day games and Mariners night games. They turn the Express Lanes north after the Sounders match reasoning that their traffic demand is more sudden, and higher. Traffic southbound on I-5 whenever the Express Lanes aren't turned that way is always horrible, but it is worse when Mariner fans are trying to stream into town. I was on a bus stuck in traffic, and my leg was going completely numb sitting there waiting and doing nothing. I could have picked a different bus into town along Aurora, but I didn't.
For I-94 and the Stadium Freeway near Miller Park in Milwaukee, it usually takes 3-4 hours. Of course, "normal flow" for that area on weekdays is only a ten minute bottleneck instead of a 45 minute bottleneck like on game days.
For most of the stadiums I'm familiar with, they clear out in about 2 hours: Blacksburg, Morgantown, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem and Columbia. At Duke (Durham), things usually clear out in about an hour because of the smaller crowd size. But the worst is in Knoxville after a 3:30pm kickoff, where you can expect folks to hang out on the strip around campus for at least 4-1/2 to 5 hours after the game (it usually takes more than 3 hours to clear out Neyland at other times, so I park several miles away on the other side of downtown and walk out).
Quote from: mrsman on October 16, 2020, 01:42:49 PM
It's not just sports events. In my area, there is a very complicated traffic plan to get people out of the area after the fireworks displays on July 4.
The worst I've ever seen was at the televised Bicentennial event at Kings Island in Ohio. After letting out at midnight, parking lot traffic didn't move for six hours and we didn't get out for another 90 minutes or so. We were no where near the end of the line, so I suspect that some folks got stuck for another hour.
Leaving the Air Force Academy after football games can be a bit of an adventure. Depending on the lot you're parked in, you're either steered towards the North gate exit or to the South gate exit with Stadium Blvd adjusted for an additional traffic lane to help the flow. For big games, such as Army or Navy, it can be an adventure getting out. When the Avalanche and Kings played a game at the stadium earlier this year, it was taking people HOURS to get in and out of there. Getting in generally takes longer since the stadium is on an active military installation and if there are any security concerns, they will do vehicle searches before letting you proceed onto Academy grounds. All things considered, they do a pretty good job getting folks in and out. Just make sure you hit the bathroom before you leave otherwise because you can never be sure.
Outside Buffalo Bills Stadium. (https://goo.gl/maps/h9ovgUksuXFKzTpY9)
We went to a nascar race in Phoenix, AZ, and there solution was to turn every road to the track one-way. They also directed priority parking and general parking different routes. All stoplights from the track to the I-10 were turned off, and police blocked cross traffic. They also posted VMS messages to help direct traffic.
Quote from: webny99 on October 15, 2020, 07:35:34 PM
Bills Stadium in Orchard Park, NY, would be an interesting case study. I know very little about it from a functional level, having never been there in person, but I know from traveling to/through the area that there's always horrible congestion after home Bills games, and it's not in a particularly commercial area, so congestion often flows onto residential streets like this one (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.7767473,-78.799245,3a,75y,271.33h,85.97t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1se51r7NJkN0vpR2siCgHPkg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3De51r7NJkN0vpR2siCgHPkg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D350.294%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1).
Traffic has three main access points to the freeway: I-90/NY 179, US 219/NY 179, and US 219/US 20A. (Testing my memory here, but I think the US 20A approach usually has restricted access or closures of some kind.) You can usually almost watch the bottlenecks moving in real time in the hours after the game. First the surface streets jam up, then the approaches to US 219/I-90, then US 219 itself where it joins I-90, then I-90 EB (heading north), and ultimately, the Williamsville toll booth, and the entire Thruway all the way to Rochester. When there's a 1PM kickoff (which is almost always), the actual stadium area is usually cleared out by about 5:30 to 6PM or so, but you'll see congestion lingering on the Thruway as far east as Pembroke and Batavia until 7PM or even later.
Slight bump here, but wanted to add some data for context. With the Thruway traffic data for 2022, I ran an analysis of pre- and post-game traffic levels for I-90 WB in the AM and I-90 EB in the PM for the 1PM game on Oct. 9th. This data compares the game day volumes to an average of the four closest non-game day Sunday volumes.
Sunday AM Traffic on I-90 WB, Syracuse to Rochester
| Count Location | VPH (5AM-11AM) | VPH over Avg. | Peak VPH | Peak VPH over Avg. | Total (5AM-11AM) | Total over Avg. | Est. Game Traffic% |
| MM 294.6 | 809 | 184 | 949 | 367 | 4853 | 1105 | 22.7% |
| MM 340.5 | 857 | 212 | 1129 | 497 | 5139 | 1272 | 24.7% |
| MM 358.2 | 756 | 288 | 1028 | 566 | 4537 | 1729 | 38.1% |
Sunday AM Traffic on I-90 WB, Rochester to Buffalo
| Count Location | VPH (5AM-12PM) | VPH over Avg. | Peak VPH | Peak VPH over Avg. | Total (5AM-12PM) | Total over Avg. | Est. Game Traffic% |
| MM 369.3 | 977 | 381 | 1524 | 821 | 6836 | 2668 | 39.0% |
| MM 379.1 | 1421 | 612 | 2292 | 1327 | 9946 | 4285 | 43.1% |
| MM 418.2 | 1473 | 626 | 2456 | 1455 | 10310 | 4382 | 42.6% |
Sunday PM Traffic on I-90 EB, Buffalo to Rochester
| Count Location | VPH (4PM-12AM) | VPH over Avg. | Peak VPH | Peak VPH over Avg. | Total (4PM-12AM) | Total over Avg. | Est. Game Traffic% |
| MM 418.2 | 1598 | 518 | 2965 | 1256 | 13035 | 4375 | 33.6% |
| MM 379.1 | 1636 | 591 | 2807 | 1386 | 13086 | 4730 | 36.1% |
| MM 369.3 | 1133 | 388 | 2003 | 1010 | 9067 | 3104 | 34.2% |
Sunday PM Traffic on I-90 EB, Rochester to Syracuse
| Count Location | VPH (5PM-12AM) | VPH over Avg. | Peak VPH | Peak VPH over Avg. | Total (5PM-12AM) | Total over Avg. | Est. Game Traffic% |
| MM 358.2 | 939 | 298 | 1681 | 709 | 6575 | 2086 | 31.7% |
| MM 340.5 | 1075 | 239 | 1825 | 499 | 7527 | 1676 | 22.2% |
| MM 294.6 | 1031 | 185 | 1409 | 391 | 7219 | 1294 | 17.9% |
Traffic is especially egregious in downtown Québec City when the Festival d'été happens. Thankfully, the bus service somewhat compensates for this. I would say something about the Nordiques to be more on topic, but we all know they're never gonna come back.
At Atlanta Braves games it returns to normal somewhat quickly, usually within 1 to 1.5 hr. There are 2 main factors that allow for this:
1. The parking areas are spread out in most directions away from the stadium and have access to get on different interchanges on both I-75 & I-285. E.g. a south lot driver going to 285 E doesn't really interfere with an east lot driver going to 75 S.
2. Due to nearby development, it is common to go to a bar or restaurant after a game instead of leaving immediately, which reduces the traffic leaving right after the game.
For Mariners, Seahawks, and Sounders games: it's chaotic but there's traffic control out directing and using temporary setups (such as dual turns where normally there's none). A bit annoying having to wait in a massive glob of pedestrians for some cars to block the box, though.
The winning move is, of course, not to play. If I have my car with me, I'm parking close to a light rail station or within rental bike distance. With the latter, I can get back to my car in 15 minutes from stadium exit to garage; a few minutes later and I'm on the express lanes.
I am most familiar with I-95 south of Boston before and after home games of the New England Patriots. I have learned to avoid the area at those times, but informally it can take 2-3 hours for traffic to clear. Obviously it is worse on US-1.
I do wonder if stadiums set away from downtown areas, like the Bills in Orchard Park and the Patriots in Foxborough, lend themselves to greater traffic issues because not only do a greater percentage of attendees have to travel long distances to reach the game, there also isn't as much infrastructure to handle a large influx of traffic.
Quote from: webny99 on September 21, 2023, 09:31:44 AM
I do wonder if stadiums set away from downtown areas, like the Bills in Orchard Park and the Patriots in Foxborough, lend themselves to greater traffic issues because not only do a greater percentage of attendees have to travel long distances to reach the game, there also isn't as much infrastructure to handle a large influx of traffic.
In my admittedly unscientific observation, one major issue is how many different realistic options there are for people to leave. FedEx Field has relatively poor traffic flow despite being just off the Beltway, in part because the Beltway is the lone major highway running past the location and several of the other routes (notably Sheriff Road) go in a direction, and through certain neighborhoods, that a lot of people want to avoid. The problem becomes noticeably worse for any event other than an NFL game for the quite understandable reason that the NFL season-ticket holders are familiar with the layout and have figured out what routes to take, whereas people who go there once every five years for a concert or an international soccer exhibition game will most likely put blind faith in a sat-nav or a mapping app. The Metrorail is less useful than it was at old RFK Stadium because the stop is a lot further away (a mile walk from the stadium) and because trains don't always run late enough at night to be a viable option, depending on the particular event.
Quote from: webny99 on September 21, 2023, 09:31:44 AM
I do wonder if stadiums set away from downtown areas, like the Bills in Orchard Park and the Patriots in Foxborough, lend themselves to greater traffic issues because not only do a greater percentage of attendees have to travel long distances to reach the game, there also isn't as much infrastructure to handle a large influx of traffic.
There is a commuter rail stop at Gillette Stadium from South Station that serves the stadium for Patriots games, and tickets for that rain are usually sold out. US-1 and I-95 are adequately designed, but traffic can get quite hairy on event days, and state police often have to direct traffic.
I'm sure many residents of Foxboro and surrounding towns would also agree, as their police have to block side streets during Patriots games and big concerts to prevent cut-through traffic, and it must be hard to travel anywhere.
Of course, football may be different from other major sports because of tailgating, which more or less requires vehicles.
Quote from: webny99 on September 21, 2023, 09:31:44 AM
I do wonder if stadiums set away from downtown areas, like the Bills in Orchard Park and the Patriots in Foxborough, lend themselves to greater traffic issues because not only do a greater percentage of attendees have to travel long distances to reach the game, there also isn't as much infrastructure to handle a large influx of traffic.
I can speak from my experience of being part of a Philadelphia Phillies season ticket package from 1992-1995. I went to about 10 games a year, plus sometimes I went to hockey games, concerts etc.
Now the actual locations of the stadiums/arenas have completely changed in the intervening years, and the actual locations at least some of the potential parking areas have changed for the same reason, but the general location of them have not, and they are set away from downtown. So I believe what I say here, while dated, is still generally valid.
There are several interstate interchanges in the immediate area for I-95 and I-76 as well as one other means of egress I used to use. They are all in different directions from the stadiums/arenas and can serve traffic going in different directions.
Southbound: I-95 interchange with Broad Street (on south side of complex)
or Pattison Avenue westbound to Platt Bridge (heading west from complex, then turning south)
North or northwest bound: I-76 interchange with Broad Street (on north side of complex)
or Pattison Avenue westbound to 26th Street north to I-76 west (which is really going north here) (heading west from complex, then turning north)
North or northeast bound (staying in PA): I-95 interchange with Packer Avenue (near Walt Whitman Bridge) (east or northeast of complex)
Eastbound to Walt Whitman Bridge (to all NJ points): I-76 interchange with Broad Street (on north side of complex)
I believe there is another way to get to I-76 east at the east end of the complex (closer to the bridge), but I don't know the details.
To go westbound, you would either go southbound or northwestbound first -- it depends where you were headed.
Anyway, with I-76 to the north of the complex, and I-95 both south and east of the complex, there were several ways to get out of the area.
When I was very young, I was coming from Delaware and would approach/leave using SB methods listed above.
When I was part of the season ticket package, I lived north of Philadelphia. At that time the baseball stadium was just to the east of Broad Street (which is where a 14th Street would be). I would park at a lot at 7th Street. When I left, I would drive over to the Packer Street interchange of I-95 (which was around 2nd Street, and very near the Walt Whitman Bridge), and head north.
The newer baseball stadium is a few blocks to the east (around 9th? and Pattison -- not sure about the numbered street). I moved away before it opened, and so I don't know how I would park in that area now. Of course, since I have moved away, I may not necessarily be trying to head northbound like I used to in the '90s.
I can't really answer the question about how long the lots took to clear because I always tried to have an easier means of egress than being stuck in the "official" parking lots, and so I was always out of the area relatively quickly.
It's been a while, but my recollection of University of Georgia football games is that traffic control doesn't last more than an hour after the game. They're actually much more concerned about keeping cars that haven't paid for a parking pass away from campus before the games.
After the game traffic tends to be dicey near the stadium for about an hour, mostly due to pedestrians. The parking is very spread out throughout the campus and surrounding areas. The real heavy traffic is mostly on campus, or on the important 2-lane roads leading away, like S Milledge Ave. While traffic control generally works for about an hour after the game, there's very little done off campus to redirect traffic. I have no idea what repeat national championships have done to affect that, as I haven't been back to a game since 2017.
As I recall, the traffic problems really start on the 10-Loop and Ben Epps Parkway as you approach GA-316 and US-78/GA-8. Most of the people at the games are coming from Atlanta, so the GA-316 expressway always gets jammed up. A lot of people know about GA-8, so it's usually crowded but it's rarely terrible. US-78 varies from "just crowded" to "world's longest parking lot."
A lot of people also like to go into downtown Athens to continue the festivities, especially after a big win (or drown their sorrows after a sickening loss). That helps to reduce the headaches.
Quote from: Ted$8roadFan on September 21, 2023, 01:34:48 PM
Quote from: webny99 on September 21, 2023, 09:31:44 AM
I do wonder if stadiums set away from downtown areas, like the Bills in Orchard Park and the Patriots in Foxborough, lend themselves to greater traffic issues because not only do a greater percentage of attendees have to travel long distances to reach the game, there also isn't as much infrastructure to handle a large influx of traffic.
There is a commuter rail stop at Gillette Stadium from South Station that serves the stadium for Patriots games, and tickets for that rain are usually sold out. US-1 and I-95 are adequately designed, but traffic can get quite hairy on event days, and state police often have to direct traffic.
I'm sure many residents of Foxboro and surrounding towns would also agree, as their police have to block side streets during Patriots games and big concerts to prevent cut-through traffic, and it must be hard to travel anywhere.
Of course, football may be different from other major sports because of tailgating, which more or less requires vehicles.
There's also a train that runs from Providence to Gillette on game days
Quote from: webny99 on September 21, 2023, 09:31:44 AM
I do wonder if stadiums set away from downtown areas, like the Bills in Orchard Park and the Patriots in Foxborough, lend themselves to greater traffic issues because not only do a greater percentage of attendees have to travel long distances to reach the game, there also isn't as much infrastructure to handle a large influx of traffic.
The Palace of Auburn Hills parking lot had an exit directly onto the ramp from M-24 to I-75 (I assume with police providing traffic control when it was used after events). The exit can still be seen (https://maps.app.goo.gl/zortXP2UHgfXzmb67), though it's it's permanently blocked now. During the Detroit Pistons' glory years there, traffic on I-75 and probably also on M-24 was considerably heavy with some backups.
Same with a major concert at Pine Knob Music Theater in Clarkston, although I think that's been somewhat relieved with improvements at the I-75/Sashabaw Road interchange.
I don't recall much active police presence (i.e. officers attempting traffic control and not just sitting in their cruisers) for events at Comerica Park, Little Caesars Arena, and the Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit. Whatever presence was there was pretty much useless as there was no coordination. I don't know about traffic control for Lions games and other events at Ford Field.
Former sign on southbound M-24 about two miles before the Palace:
(https://i.imgur.com/vZgOzH7.jpg)
Citi Field in Queens can be a little unpredictable. I think the last time I was there, the Grand Central was practically clear half an hour after the game ended, but sometimes it can be a couple hours, especially if it's rush hour-- eastbound gets screwed by the Van Wyck, westbound by the BQE and Deegan. Of course, if the Mets are being blown out, traffic starts early. The most traffic I've ever witnessed on a singular roadway has to have been the eastbound Grand Central after the 7th inning of a game the Mets were down 11-zip. Bumper to Bumper, standstill, from at least the Van Wyck backed up all the way to at least Northern Blvd. That had to have been backed up for several hours afterwards, especially since the Van Wyck was worse than usual itself!
For the Twins, it usually takes about an hour for the ramps to clear out for nights and weekend games. The three main downtown ramps direcly tie into I-394, and the worst part of leaving is the choke point where I-394 westbound drops to one lane across I-94.
Weekday afternoon games however are much more horrific due to the game letting out around the time rush hour starts. That can take 2 hours or more, and I generally try to avoid going toi those games because of that.
I can't speak for US Bank Stadium, because I've never attempted to drive to a Vikings game and always opted to take the light rail from Bloomington.
Traffic can be a nightmare around Wrigley Field, since there is only one Cubs parking lot nearby: the so-called Camry Lot at Clark, Grace and Racine, slightly north-northwest of the park. Sure, there are a couple other lots, but I believe they're for residents only. However, this problem is offset by the El-Train station nearby. At Soldier Field and Chicago Stadium/United Center, the problems have never been as serious, because there's easily much more parking available.
As a student at UMass Amherst, I went to a football games at McGuirk/Alumni Stadium...this was before the U decided to compete in the big leagues. I would always walk, despite my dorm being on the other side of campus. Traffic around campus was horrific enough during move in/move out. I can't imagine how long getting around would be on game days.
Quote from: Henry on September 29, 2023, 07:46:56 PM
Traffic can be a nightmare around Wrigley Field, since there is only one Cubs parking lot nearby: the so-called Camry Lot at Clark, Grace and Racine, slightly north-northwest of the park. Sure, there are a couple other lots, but I believe they're for residents only. However, this problem is offset by the El-Train station nearby. At Soldier Field and Chicago Stadium/United Center, the problems have never been as serious, because there's easily much more parking available.
Won't have to worry about traffic next week.
In Philly - for Eagles games, there are specific traffic patterns after the games that are set up to direct traffic. After going here: https://www.lincolnfinancialfield.com/parking/ , then by clicking on any lot or link, it will show you the direction you will need to travel to get to the various highways. As a result, within about 90 minutes after a game, the area in these parking lots have cleared out. Some people do tailgate post-game - we've become one of them quite often - and will wait for most of the traffic to clear out.
I know there's something not perfect about the map - I park in Lot P for the Eagles game, and the maps show there's only one other lot that should be using 7th Ave after a game...but they're also letting traffic in from elsewhere which slows it down. The upside is since all the traffic is moving towards Packer Ave, we can use all 5 lanes - the 2 NB lanes, the center turn lane, and the 2 SB lanes, to head north towards Packer. The downside is at Packer, they have the 2 SB lanes blocked so we have to merge into 3 lanes anyway at that point. The cop that supposed to manage the intersection just sits in his car rather than controls the light, so that doesn't help either.
It also depends a lot on the police running the intersections. At the main intersection we cross to go to a game, there used to be 4 cops that had it down pat. 1 controlled the light; the other 3 were within the intersection. They would yell at drivers doing something stupid by yelling "Are you drunk?" and other things as cars tried doing what they shouldn't be doing. Pretty hilarious...especially after drinking for 5 or 6 hours ourselves and having a roadie crossing the street to get to the game. They also realized that adding in their own 3rd phase of the light for diagonal crossing helped out immensely getting close to game time.
This year the cops are different, and their skills at the intersection show it.
Phillies, Flyers & Sixers games have much fewer cops around the ballparks, especially after the game. For the Flyers and Sixers, it's not too bad. For the Phillies, it's manageable, but we have to go based on the normal light cycles rather than having them over-ridden, so it slows traffic down especially on near-sellouts.
Also after Eagles games, Subway rides are free - Unibet sponsors free rides for everyone leaving the Pattison Ave Station (called something else now), so that helps with encouraging people to use mass transit, and reduces the wait to try to get into the station.
Quote from: tmoore952 on September 21, 2023, 03:11:10 PM
The newer baseball stadium is a few blocks to the east (around 9th? and Pattison -- not sure about the numbered street). I moved away before it opened, and so I don't know how I would park in that area now.
The new ballpark is actually just next to where the old ballpark was; half of it is in the parking lot of the old Vet. They built a road around the ballpark to give it some sort of downtown feel: Phillies Drive & Hartranft Street, although it's rarely open, and never open during a sporting event.
One thing to remember is in most cases, cops helping direct traffic are on paid overtime by the teams. The cops usually aren't there being taken away from their normal duties. So, if there aren't police helping patrol the traffic, don't blame the city - blame the teams for not paying the OT to allow the cops to be there.
Quote from: Ted$8roadFan on September 30, 2023, 08:14:59 AM
As a student at UMass Amherst, I went to a football games at McGuirk/Alumni Stadium...this was before the U decided to compete in the big leagues. I would always walk, despite my dorm being on the other side of campus. Traffic around campus was horrific enough during move in/move out. I can't imagine how long getting around would be on game days.
Heh. Move-in days are horrible in the area, but because of that big lot, game days were never a big deal before they tried upping their football.
Even in the House that Calipari Cheated to Build, traffic for games is quite localized, even on campus. It's not like the Pleasant Streets back up because of games at the stadiums.
I'd say traffic on University was worse for departing the 4th of July fireworks rather than games.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on September 30, 2023, 09:02:14 AM
One thing to remember is in most cases, cops helping direct traffic are on paid overtime by the teams. The cops usually aren't there being taken away from their normal duties. So, if there aren't police helping patrol the traffic, don't blame the city - blame the teams for not paying the OT to allow the cops to be there.
I think in some places, they're required to be present and required to be paid overtime.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on September 30, 2023, 08:57:22 AM
In Philly - for Eagles games, there are specific traffic patterns after the games that are set up to direct traffic. After going here: https://www.lincolnfinancialfield.com/parking/ , then by clicking on any lot or link, it will show you the direction you will need to travel to get to the various highways. As a result, within about 90 minutes after a game, the area in these parking lots have cleared out. Some people do tailgate post-game - we've become one of them quite often - and will wait for most of the traffic to clear out.
I know there's something not perfect about the map - I park in Lot P for the Eagles game, and the maps show there's only one other lot that should be using 7th Ave after a game...but they're also letting traffic in from elsewhere which slows it down. The upside is since all the traffic is moving towards Packer Ave, we can use all 5 lanes - the 2 NB lanes, the center turn lane, and the 2 SB lanes, to head north towards Packer. The downside is at Packer, they have the 2 SB lanes blocked so we have to merge into 3 lanes anyway at that point. The cop that supposed to manage the intersection just sits in his car rather than controls the light, so that doesn't help either.
It also depends a lot on the police running the intersections. At the main intersection we cross to go to a game, there used to be 4 cops that had it down pat. 1 controlled the light; the other 3 were within the intersection. They would yell at drivers doing something stupid by yelling "Are you drunk?" and other things as cars tried doing what they shouldn't be doing. Pretty hilarious...especially after drinking for 5 or 6 hours ourselves and having a roadie crossing the street to get to the game. They also realized that adding in their own 3rd phase of the light for diagonal crossing helped out immensely getting close to game time.
This year the cops are different, and their skills at the intersection show it.
Phillies, Flyers & Sixers games have much fewer cops around the ballparks, especially after the game. For the Flyers and Sixers, it's not too bad. For the Phillies, it's manageable, but we have to go based on the normal light cycles rather than having them over-ridden, so it slows traffic down especially on near-sellouts.
Also after Eagles games, Subway rides are free - Unibet sponsors free rides for everyone leaving the Pattison Ave Station (called something else now), so that helps with encouraging people to use mass transit, and reduces the wait to try to get into the station.
Quote from: tmoore952 on September 21, 2023, 03:11:10 PM
The newer baseball stadium is a few blocks to the east (around 9th? and Pattison -- not sure about the numbered street). I moved away before it opened, and so I don't know how I would park in that area now.
The new ballpark is actually just next to where the old ballpark was; half of it is in the parking lot of the old Vet. They built a road around the ballpark to give it some sort of downtown feel: Phillies Drive & Hartranft Street, although it's rarely open, and never open during a sporting event.
The beginning paragraphs sound extremely annoying. Police presence is supposed to help with the traffic flow, not hinder it.
Glad to see that they're doing better now, though.
But a lot of this stuff doesn't really need police, though. Modern traffic controls and systems can be used to time the signals appropriately and to even do a better job with some of the lane control.
For the different sports stadiums (and to an extent the concert venues as well, the Hollywood Bowl in particular has terrible traffic), do people notice that traffic is worse at the beginning or the end of the event. Certainly, the end is terrible as everyone tends to leave at the same time, but at the beginnings there is a lot of queing as everyone has to stop to pay a parking fee. Plus, for many evening events, the start of the event will coincide with the end of the evening rush hour.
This goes back to what bothers me with the stadiums in the DFW area.
The Dallas Stars (Hockey) and the Dallas Mavericks (Basketball) both play at the American Airlines Center. That is served by nearby Victory Station which is operated by DART Orange and Green Lines, thus alleviating some of the traffic pressures and limited parking in the area.
However, the Texas Rangers (Baseball) and Dallas Cowboys (Football) are in Arlington. AT&T Stadium has a capacity of up to 105,000 attendees including standing room only attendance. That city has no public transportation system, and parking can range from $20 to $125+ per vehicle for an event.
Quote from: mrsman on October 02, 2023, 08:41:21 AM
For the different sports stadiums (and to an extent the concert venues as well, the Hollywood Bowl in particular has terrible traffic), do people notice that traffic is worse at the beginning or the end of the event. Certainly, the end is terrible as everyone tends to leave at the same time, but at the beginnings there is a lot of queing as everyone has to stop to pay a parking fee. Plus, for many evening events, the start of the event will coincide with the end of the evening rush hour.
In Buffalo at least, it's normally worse in the immediate vicinity of Bills stadium before the game, and worse on the outbound roads after the game, because much of the traffic hits the highway at once rather than being spread out as it is before the game.
Quote from: ZLoth on October 02, 2023, 11:33:56 AM
This goes back to what bothers me with the stadiums in the DFW area.
The Dallas Stars (Hockey) and the Dallas Mavericks (Basketball) both play at the American Airlines Center. That is served by nearby Victory Station which is operated by DART Orange and Green Lines, thus alleviating some of the traffic pressures and limited parking in the area.
However, the Texas Rangers (Baseball) and Dallas Cowboys (Football) are in Arlington. AT&T Stadium has a capacity of up to 105,000 attendees including standing room only attendance. That city has no public transportation system, and parking can range from $20 to $125+ per vehicle for an event.
That is extremely frustrating. I wonder if there is a legal barrier in providing dedicated bus service.
Even if Arlington does not have its own transit system, would DART be allowed to provide an express bus connecting Downtown Dallas (and the light rail) via I-30 HOV lanes to the stadiums?
I can't speak for TX, but here in the DC area many suburban transit systems do operate express buses to a Metro station or all the way into DC, even though DC is outside of their service area. They cannot operate as local transit in DC, meaning that a passenger cannot both embark and depart within DC limits.
And in the opposite direction, up until last year when the silver line was extended, WMATA provided bus service all the way to Dulles Airport. None of the local buses in that area are within WMATA service area, yet WMATA was allowed to service the airport, since it is an important destination.
So I guess there may be legal barriers to providing something like this, in competition with some very expensive private shuttles.
https://gametimetransportation.com/product/nfl-fan-bus-att-stadium-transportation
Quote from: mrsman on October 02, 2023, 06:24:34 PM
Quote from: ZLoth on October 02, 2023, 11:33:56 AM
This goes back to what bothers me with the stadiums in the DFW area.
The Dallas Stars (Hockey) and the Dallas Mavericks (Basketball) both play at the American Airlines Center. That is served by nearby Victory Station which is operated by DART Orange and Green Lines, thus alleviating some of the traffic pressures and limited parking in the area.
However, the Texas Rangers (Baseball) and Dallas Cowboys (Football) are in Arlington. AT&T Stadium has a capacity of up to 105,000 attendees including standing room only attendance. That city has no public transportation system, and parking can range from $20 to $125+ per vehicle for an event.
That is extremely frustrating. I wonder if there is a legal barrier in providing dedicated bus service.
Yes, there is, and it's a city decision. Texas has a statewide 6.25% sales tax, but cities can apply an additional 2% sales tax. If the city wants to participate in the DART system, then 1% of that available 2% sales tax has to be dedicated to participate in DART.
DART does have light rail to DFW airport directly, and a light rail/shuttlebus to Love Field.
Quote from: webny99 on October 02, 2023, 06:23:34 PM
Quote from: mrsman on October 02, 2023, 08:41:21 AM
For the different sports stadiums (and to an extent the concert venues as well, the Hollywood Bowl in particular has terrible traffic), do people notice that traffic is worse at the beginning or the end of the event. Certainly, the end is terrible as everyone tends to leave at the same time, but at the beginnings there is a lot of queing as everyone has to stop to pay a parking fee. Plus, for many evening events, the start of the event will coincide with the end of the evening rush hour.
In Buffalo at least, it's normally worse in the immediate vicinity of Bills stadium before the game, and worse on the outbound roads after the game, because much of the traffic hits the highway at once rather than being spread out as it is before the game.
I caught up to that lump of drunk idiots this past weekend heading eastbound on the Thruway. Very frustrating traffic, especially when you throw semis into the mix that insist on passing other semis in the midst of the drunk idiots.
Quote from: ZLoth on October 02, 2023, 06:35:45 PM
Quote from: mrsman on October 02, 2023, 06:24:34 PM
Quote from: ZLoth on October 02, 2023, 11:33:56 AM
This goes back to what bothers me with the stadiums in the DFW area.
The Dallas Stars (Hockey) and the Dallas Mavericks (Basketball) both play at the American Airlines Center. That is served by nearby Victory Station which is operated by DART Orange and Green Lines, thus alleviating some of the traffic pressures and limited parking in the area.
However, the Texas Rangers (Baseball) and Dallas Cowboys (Football) are in Arlington. AT&T Stadium has a capacity of up to 105,000 attendees including standing room only attendance. That city has no public transportation system, and parking can range from $20 to $125+ per vehicle for an event.
That is extremely frustrating. I wonder if there is a legal barrier in providing dedicated bus service.
Yes, there is, and it's a city decision. Texas has a statewide 6.25% sales tax, but cities can apply an additional 2% sales tax. If the city wants to participate in the DART system, then 1% of that available 2% sales tax has to be dedicated to participate in DART.
DART does have light rail to DFW airport directly, and a light rail/shuttlebus to Love Field.
A shame. In some areas, a bus can be provided, even without being in the service area, because the bus isn't there to service the people of Arlington by providing regular bus service there -- it is to provide service to the people of Dallas (and other DART communities) to connect them to where they want to go that is outside their service area, but an important destination nonetheless.
Quote from: Rothman on October 02, 2023, 06:43:41 PM
Quote from: webny99 on October 02, 2023, 06:23:34 PM
Quote from: mrsman on October 02, 2023, 08:41:21 AM
For the different sports stadiums (and to an extent the concert venues as well, the Hollywood Bowl in particular has terrible traffic), do people notice that traffic is worse at the beginning or the end of the event. Certainly, the end is terrible as everyone tends to leave at the same time, but at the beginnings there is a lot of queing as everyone has to stop to pay a parking fee. Plus, for many evening events, the start of the event will coincide with the end of the evening rush hour.
In Buffalo at least, it's normally worse in the immediate vicinity of Bills stadium before the game, and worse on the outbound roads after the game, because much of the traffic hits the highway at once rather than being spread out as it is before the game.
I caught up to that lump of drunk idiots this past weekend heading eastbound on the Thruway. Very frustrating traffic, especially when you throw semis into the mix that insist on passing other semis in the midst of the drunk idiots.
Lucky you :D I've dealt with that a few times and the left lane clogging and micro passing is so bad you're better off just sticking to the right lane to avoid the constant speeding and braking cycles... but then people inevitably cutting in from the right is what causes/exacerbates those cycles. It's a no-win 40 mile slog.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on September 30, 2023, 08:57:22 AM
In Philly - for Eagles games, there are specific traffic patterns after the games that are set up to direct traffic. After going here: https://www.lincolnfinancialfield.com/parking/ , then by clicking on any lot or link, it will show you the direction you will need to travel to get to the various highways. As a result, within about 90 minutes after a game, the area in these parking lots have cleared out. Some people do tailgate post-game - we've become one of them quite often - and will wait for most of the traffic to clear out....
Quote from: mrsman on October 02, 2023, 08:41:21 AM
The beginning paragraphs sound extremely annoying. Police presence is supposed to help with the traffic flow, not hinder it.
But a lot of this stuff doesn't really need police, though. Modern traffic controls and systems can be used to time the signals appropriately and to even do a better job with some of the lane control.
It was a bit annoying, especially at the beginning. But the regulars are used to it now. There's actually a bigger purpose in mind here - it forces the vehicular traffic flow away from the pedestrian traffic flow. As everyone leaves the stadium, the 'box' around the Linc is nearly free of vehicles, allowing pedestrians to more freely walk to their cars without interference. The traffic patterns force traffic outwards away from the stadium and the lots where they tend to be able to flow more freely.
The cops at the intersections also help keep the intersections free of both traffic that would be blocking the box when they're ready to change the light (at least when the cops are competent). And keeps it free from jaywalking peds (again, when the cops are competent).
Quote from: mrsman on October 02, 2023, 08:41:21 AM
For the different sports stadiums (and to an extent the concert venues as well, the Hollywood Bowl in particular has terrible traffic), do people notice that traffic is worse at the beginning or the end of the event. Certainly, the end is terrible as everyone tends to leave at the same time, but at the beginnings there is a lot of queing as everyone has to stop to pay a parking fee. Plus, for many evening events, the start of the event will coincide with the end of the evening rush hour.
Overall, just before the event, it's bad. The 'regulars' know when to get there, what the price is, has their cash/card ready, etc. And they either get there early, or know how to get to their lots. One of my theories is that many of the latecomers expect to pull up 15 minutes before the game without a problem. They try to get in the closest lots, which are filled. They don't have their money ready having ignored every sign telling them the amount, then they give the attendant grief because parking is too expensive as if he or she will be able to do anything about it. Obviously this isn't everyone, but there's enough people that it slows things down.
(Note: This occurs at toll booths also. Car pulls up and asks how much is the toll, as they have ignored all the pricing signs. Tell them the amount, then they have to dig out their wallet or purse to look for money, and they finally pull out their money. Then they'll tell you tolls are too expensive, and where they're from they don't have tolls, except the state probably does have tolls. When they finally pull away, the next person pulls up, wonders why I'm so slow. Then they proceed to ask how much the toll is as they ignored the pricing sign right next to them while they were waiting, then they dig out their wallet or purse looking for money...)
Tailgating for the Eagles games, where lots open up to 7 hours before gametime, the traffic during the first 4 hours will generally ebb and flow. The final 3 hours before the game starts seeing more jammed traffic which is a combination of people needing to find lots that aren't filled, and pedestrian crossing times increase as more people are crossing streets towards the game.
In the playoffs, the issue is exacerbated as there's more groups of 2 going to the game which means more cars, and fewer regulars when means people are not familiar with the traffic patterns. This is especially true for baseball. For football, there's actually a good amount of regulars going to the game so the issue isn't as bad. Plus, from experience, if the home team wins, people tend to stick around longer. Tailgating 2 hours after a game...with work the next day? Ah, it's a good thing I can work at home the following day.
Here's another factor also: In playoff games, unless it's a huge blowout loss of the home team, fans are staying till the end. Instead of several thousand fans slowly leaving in the later innings, the fans stay till the final pitch. That's 45k or so fans leaving at the same time. Leaving takes a lot longer than normal.
Quote from: mrsman on October 02, 2023, 06:24:34 PM
Even if Arlington does not have its own transit system, would DART be allowed to provide an express bus connecting Downtown Dallas (and the light rail) via I-30 HOV lanes to the stadiums?
Arlington briefly had a bus line operated by DART with city funding: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Arlington_Xpress
Regarding bus shuttles and the like, I recall there was a controversy involving FedEx Field. WMATA initially provided shuttle buses from the Landover stop on the Orange Line (prior to the Blue Line extension to Largo opening) for $5 roundtrip, but beginning in 2008 a federal regulation prohibited publicly funded shuttle service from public transit agency when a privately operated service is willing do the job and that was apparently deemed cost-ineffective (news reports said the fare would have needed to be $20 roundtrip to make the service viable), so people wanting to take the subway now walk a mile from the Morgan Boulevard stop to the stadium.
In Denver, Empower Field at Mile High is adjacent to I-25. Usually the Broncos home games are the late game, so they kick off 2:15-2:30 local time and end around 5:30 local time. On 9/10 I ran into stop and go traffic on NB I-25 in the vicinity of the stadium at 7pm, whereas everything else up to that point had been free-flowing.
For Coors Field, there's usually a surge for about an hour after the game on Park Avenue and some of the surrounding streets in LoDo, but rarely do I find much impact on I-25 itself or other freeways.
FedEx Field has been mentioned several times in this thread, so I'll chime in with my experience from the game last night - it was great! We arrived roughly a half-hour after lots opened and zipped right in - being in one of the lots north of the stadium meant exiting the beltway at exit 17 (versus 16 for the east-side lots & 15 for the south-side lots) and turning left onto Brightseat Rd, which gets a temporary triple-left for gameday traffic instead of the normal double-left from MD 202. Leaving was surprisingly easy too - we parked close to the exit within the parking lot and were directed out onto Sean Taylor Rd within a few minutes of reaching the car. The light at Sheriff Rd was deactivated with all traffic being forced straight towards MD 202, then at MD 202 cones were set up to allow a triple-right towards the beltway. I think we were on the beltway within 10 minutes of getting in our car, which is honestly impressive for leaving a sold-out game. The beltway was busy with a slight slowdown at the merge point north of exit 17, but started gradually thinning out past exits 19 & 22.
I did see an announcement on social media before the game that the Commanders & WMATA reached a deal to keep the Metro open later than usual to allow for fans heading home after the game.
I fell asleep by halftime, but the media accounts this morning say a large portion of the crowd left early last night in view of what a stinker of a game it was. If so, that surely contributed to ease of leaving.
Quote from: 1995hoo on October 06, 2023, 10:43:49 AM
I fell asleep by halftime, but the media accounts this morning say a large portion of the crowd left early last night in view of what a stinker of a game it was. If so, that surely contributed to ease of leaving.
The only notable early exodus I witnessed was when the Bears put the game away with about 4 minutes left in the 4th - a sizable chunk of Commanders fans left at that point (leaving Bears fans such as myself to spend the last few minutes together celebrating the first win in almost a year), but up to that point I thought it remained fairly packed. But yes, even that small head-start by Commanders fans likely helped matters, and the fact that the beltway would otherwise be fairly quiet at 11:30 PM on a weekday.
There was a notorious traffic backup before a NASCAR race in Sparta, Kentucky in July of 2011. Thousands of fans were turned away from the track, people were parking their cars on the side of the interstate and walking, 15 mile backups on I-71... it turned into a complete shit show.
If the lousy performance of our college and pro football teams continues this year, stadium traffic may become less of a problem over time.
Quote from: jmacswimmer on October 06, 2023, 10:52:38 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on October 06, 2023, 10:43:49 AM
I fell asleep by halftime, but the media accounts this morning say a large portion of the crowd left early last night in view of what a stinker of a game it was. If so, that surely contributed to ease of leaving.
The only notable early exodus I witnessed was when the Bears put the game away with about 4 minutes left in the 4th - a sizable chunk of Commanders fans left at that point (leaving Bears fans such as myself to spend the last few minutes together celebrating the first win in almost a year), but up to that point I thought it remained fairly packed. But yes, even that small head-start by Commanders fans likely helped matters, and the fact that the beltway would otherwise be fairly quiet at 11:30 PM on a weekday.
The most rememberable early departure I recall was a Dec 5, 2005 Monday Night thrashing of the Seahawks over the Eagles. Temps were about 30 degrees with a chillier wind chill and a chance of snow. Seahawks were up 35-0 at halftime. Nearly the entire stadium emptied out after the 1st half. To the Eagles credit - they were prepared. Escalators were set to send fans down towards the exits; stadium personnel were at their posts near the exit gates; police were stationed where they normally are on the roads. Basically, everything that would be expected at the end of the game; they just moved everything up to halftime.
2 cousins were at the game, and were 2 of the very few that stayed till the end. As they left, they slowly slid into a police car on 95's Girard Point Bridge. Cop cursed them out but told them just to keep going.
This is one of the very few games I've left early; I almost always stay till the end.
Usually the traffic around Nissan Stadium in Nashville isn't too terribly bad for Titans game days, or at least the interstates. A lot of fans coming from the east side will take the Music City Star commuter rail, and some from either the east or north sides will go to the Opry Mills/Opryland complex and take either a river taxi or the General Jackson Showboat. There are other transit options via the WeGo busses as well from other parts of town. Otherwise it's a lot like a daily commute into the city, where the parking garages all fill up. And Predators game traffic is usually only bad within 9 or 10 blocks of Bridgestone Arena, and rarely backs up along the interstates. But I always tried to get to either venue at least an hour and a half prior to the kickoff or puck drop.
Quote from: webny99 on October 02, 2023, 06:23:34 PM
Quote from: mrsman on October 02, 2023, 08:41:21 AM
For the different sports stadiums (and to an extent the concert venues as well, the Hollywood Bowl in particular has terrible traffic), do people notice that traffic is worse at the beginning or the end of the event. Certainly, the end is terrible as everyone tends to leave at the same time, but at the beginnings there is a lot of queing as everyone has to stop to pay a parking fee. Plus, for many evening events, the start of the event will coincide with the end of the evening rush hour.
In Buffalo at least, it's normally worse in the immediate vicinity of Bills stadium before the game, and worse on the outbound roads after the game, because much of the traffic hits the highway at once rather than being spread out as it is before the game.
One BIG exception to this: TNF and MNF games. Game traffic mixing with weekday rush hour traffic lends to predictably bad results.
There's currently miles of slow traffic on I-90, I-190, I-290 approaching I-90, and the Peace Bridge entering the US. Looks like nearly an hour from Clarence to Orchard Park, which is normally a 30 minute trip.
Purdue student here who walks to games as opposed to driving because I'm on campus, so I know this:
The roads immediately around Ross-Ade Stadium/Mackey Arena are blocked off on game days.
I don't really see much traffic issues on I-65 during game days, but I think that's just me.
Streets on campus fill up, especially Stadium Avenue and Jischke Drive.
People are directed onto the US 231 bypass to Cherry Lane / Jischke Drive for stadium parking, or directed along Sagamore Parkway and Northwestern Avenue to stadium parking. There are shuttles from the Jischke Drive parking area to the stadium.
Most of the students walk to the games, which relieves some of the car traffic.
Syracuse shuts down a section of Almond St for SU games and other events at the JMA Wireless (f/k/a Carrier) Dome. I believe it's to allow free flow from the off-ramp from I-81 SB at Adams/Harrison.
I know CPD has an actual manual for traffic management on Ohio State football days. I'm not sure about the Blue Jackets/Crew/Clippers, but I'd have to imagine there is; the three facilities are on the same road, separated by about 0.6 miles. None of the places have huge parking lots, though, so the walking (or scooters, etc.) might spread things out a bit to mitigate vehicle traffic somewhat. It's never taken me more than about 20 minutes to get out of a Blue Jackets game. For the Crew, I parked about a mile away and just rented a scooter. OSU is a whole different story, but again, I've usually parked far enough away that the walk took care of some of the wait in traffic. I can't remember it taking more than an hour to get out there.
For the Independence Day fireworks, it's a mandatory day for us (I'm a bus driver). They estimate somewhere around 4-500,000 people downtown for that. We basically just line up buses and shuttle to various park & ride lots. It can take quite a while, though. I'd say at least a couple hours to clear everything out.
Arlington should be rightly criticized for lack of public transportation, but they got the traffic plan right. Even for Cowboys games, it's easy in and easy out with the traffic design and available road network. For a typical Rangers game against the Rays that draws 30K, traffic is almost negligible.
NASCAR races at Texas Motor Speedway is a different matter. It takes at least 3 hours for traffic to clear, maybe more like 4-6 for a Cup race.
Quote from: Rothman on February 19, 2024, 11:08:18 AM
Syracuse shuts down a section of Almond St for SU games and other events at the JMA Wireless (f/k/a Carrier) Dome. I believe it's to allow free flow from the off-ramp from I-81 SB at Adams/Harrison.
I've seen state troopers shut down parts of Exit 5 on 460 going into Blacksburg once the game's a good way through, I'm guessing maybe for that?? (not 100% sure)
I do remember though my parents not wanting to drive around Southgate on game days back when there was a traffic light on 460, but they've removed it a few years ago now
Ive been to Mechanics Bank Arena in bakersfield for the justin moore concert and i liked disney so i saw disney on ice their too. and OMG what a nightmare. the only places to park is behind the entire stadium and at the convention center lot And this is on N and Q Streets and oh youre not ready for this https://www.google.com/maps/@35.3712124,-119.013216,341m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu it has a crossing and people are scrambling just to find a spot people have parked in the parking garage thats meant for the admin building of kern so chaotic. at least theirs a ped bridge for the peds but holy cow its chaos