Hope the university has the traffic issue solved..........

[futaba.79]

in all my years of parking on campus, I've never experienced a debacle like the Auburn game. I watched the hopelessly overmatched Event Group all but give up trying to direct traffic. I didn't see a police officer until I was off campus.

Now we have a night game that won't end until around 10. How about it admin, have we solved the problem or should I park in town and walk?

 

[pDigital32Dawg]

I suspect traffic will be improved this weekend

There are 3 factors that will not come into play this Saturday that were affecting traffic during the Auburn weekend.
1) ESPN Gameday is not on campus this weekend, which I imagine brought thousands of people to campus in itself (I have no numerical proof, simply a hunch).
2) Ole Miss has a home game this time against Auburn. You won't have any of their fans visiting Starkville this weekend
3) Forecasts show that rain should be a non-factor this weekend. Rain caused issues with cars parked in the grass lots the previous game.

 

[RocketDawg]

It only took us about 3 hours to clear campus. And they forced us to go a different route than normal, which is usually a breeze. We basically drove all over campus to get to the highway. And at one point, at the archaeology columns, we sat still for at least 30 minutes, and that was all lanes ... no movement by anyone whatsoever. And it was only about 5,000 extra fans from last year's norm.

 

[Fighting Irish.sixpack]

Here is my issue with paying to park in the parking lots........................

Is the fact that I got to the Auburn game 2 hours before kickoff and all of the parking spots were gone.

2 things:
1. They are allowing people with trailers who only buy one parking pass to park and take up two spots.
2. The Event Group people are easily bought off by people without passes who allow them to park in the parking lots from some under the table money. I counted 7 cars in one row in my lot that did not have a pass in the window, 3 of which had Alabama plates.

You can complain all you want to the athletic department, but nothing will be done. I had a friend of mine complain about the lack of a guard at the red light by McKee hall prior to the A&M game. We put a guard there to move traffic for A&M and Auburn, but the guard stood on the side of the road and did nothing. What good is a useless body going to do there??

 

[Xenomorph]

After Auburn, my brother (who parked near the highway patrol station) was 70 miles away sitting at his house before I even got to move out of my parking space in my lot by the intramural fields. Like you, I've never seen anything like it. I felt sorry for anybody who had little kids in the car with them.

 

[RocketDawg]

Is the fact that I got to the Auburn game 2 hours before kickoff and all of the parking spots were gone.

2 things:
1. They are allowing people with trailers who only buy one parking pass to park and take up two spots.
2. The Event Group people are easily bought off by people without passes who allow them to park in the parking lots from some under the table money. I counted 7 cars in one row in my lot that did not have a pass in the window, 3 of which had Alabama plates.

You can complain all you want to the athletic department, but nothing will be done. I had a friend of mine complain about the lack of a guard at the red light by McKee hall prior to the A&M game. We put a guard there to move traffic for A&M and Auburn, but the guard stood on the side of the road and did nothing. What good is a useless body going to do there??

Having Alabama plates doesn't mean anything necessarily ... lots of MSU fans from Alabama. I have Alabama plates but do display my parking pass.

I think that guard by McKee not doing anything caused a lot of the problems, at least on that side of campus. He made us turn down toward the stadium on that road, but was letting those coming up the road go on out to the Highway Patrol station. As a result, we went miles out of the way in stopped traffic.

 

[PiedmontDawg]

Someone drop some knowledge for me: I'll be attending the UPig game (first game attended at DWS since Bama 2011) in and out same day. Where would be the best spot for parking if I want a hassle free departure back to 82 East towards BHM? And, how early should I arrive? Is the research park and ride a decent option?

 

[57stratdawg]

What was truly insane about the whole situation is it took us over an hour to get from (roughly) Allen Hall to the Junction at 9:30pm. Once we got through the Junction, there wasn't a car on the road. We were expecting to have to cancel dinner reservations, but it only took 5 minutes to get from the Junction to the Veranda. Never seen anything like it.

That's why I thought there must have been a wreck on the South side of campus somewhere for traffic to be so disproportionately backed up compared to everywhere else we went.

 

[4State]

Research Park

Someone drop some knowledge for me: I'll be attending the UPig game (first game attended at DWS since Bama 2011) in and out same day. Where would be the best spot for parking if I want a hassle free departure back to 82 East towards BHM? And, how early should I arrive? Is the research park and ride a decent option?

The Research Park Shuttle is a good option. You'll have to walk from Hump to the Stadium and back (actually down by the RV Parking). Research Park cost $20 bucks which is Highway Robbery considering on campus cost $20 bucks also. But on campus parking will be crazy this week.

The drive back to B-ham will be better since we have the Tupelo exchange. Just remember to slow down when you cross the state line. Reform/Gordo Police will be out AKA Speed Trap City!!!

 

[Sutterkane]

It's what happens when you expand by 6-7k and don't add any parking. Actually didn't we lose parking? Add College Gameday, us being #3, them being #2, probably one of the biggest games ever in the stadium if not the biggest, and outside of the rain a pretty nice fall afternoon.

Time for a damn parking garage. You can't expect people to walk a mile to their vehicle in the dark. I was on campus for over 10 hours for a 4 hour game and made it to my seats none too early.

 

[Mjoelner]

I think that the number of people on campus has caused the extra problems. If they have changed a traffic route that would also be a contributing factor.

When the weather is good, I always park/tailgate in Bully Grass. It is usually a piece of cake to get out of there quick. As I always tell people, I'm sitting at the Veranda half way through a cold one before they interview Mullen in the locker room. But, after the USM game, it was a circus. I think that since it was a blowout, people started leaving early therefore the traffic jam started early and I got caught in it that night. I don't even know if Bully Grass was open for the Auburn game and I didn't want to take a chance so I parked behind the Stennis Institute. Even with thousands more people on campus for that game, it took longer to walk from the stadium to my truck than it did to get out of there. And no, I'm not pulling a Wallace. I'm staying until after the Alma Mater. I must have hit it just right on the Auburn game because I thought traffic was moving pretty good until friends showed up at the Veranda about 3 hours later saying they had just made it off campus.

I think a lot of it just boils down to a crapshoot with timing. So far this year I've parked in my quick get-away spot and was stuck in traffic on campus for an hour and I've parked halfway to Lowndes County and I'm off and gone in a minute and a half after getting to the truck.

As far as the guy saying there are cars parked there without passes, I may be one of them. If you beat them there, you don't pay. I've offered before once they showed up and started collecting money and they told me that they didn't want my money and more power to me for beating them there. A bigger problem with that is that I know for a fact that some of those guys take money and let people without BDC passes park in those lots. I know they clear those lots with tow trucks the mornings of the games but I don't know what they do about it later in the day when the lot starts filling up.

 

[KurtRambis4]

To be fair, that was probably

the biggest crowd on campus, eVER

 

[dotcomdawg]

we need to introduce contraflow for two hours after the game. All lanes heading off of campus, nothing coming in.

 

[RocketDawg]

Another option is if you turn at the Highway Patrol station (can't remember the name of the road), there's some Boy Scout lots that still had spaces open when I came in last week. It's just short of the Campus Book Mart and on your left, so not a terribly long walk to the stadium. I saw one for $10 and a couple more for $15. I got there about 2 hours+ before the game, and I'd suggest getting there no later than that. Should be a big crowd this weekend. It should be reasonably easy to get out of there after the game ... no traffic lights between you and Columbus.

 

[seb304]

Someone drop some knowledge for me: I'll be attending the UPig game (first game attended at DWS since Bama 2011) in and out same day. Where would be the best spot for parking if I want a hassle free departure back to 82 East towards BHM? And, how early should I arrive? Is the research park and ride a decent option?

Similarly, you could park in the paid lots on the North side of campus between Sessums and North Hall. The traffic over there is usually the quickest off campus because it flows right onto 182.

 

[archdog]

It's what happens when you expand by 6-7k and don't add any parking. Actually didn't we lose parking? Add College Gameday, us being #3, them being #2, probably one of the biggest games ever in the stadium if not the biggest, and outside of the rain a pretty nice fall afternoon.

Time for a damn parking garage. You can't expect people to walk a mile to their vehicle in the dark. I was on campus for over 10 hours for a 4 hour game and made it to my seats none too early.

Add that to people coming back on campus to get their tailgating gear.

 

[PiedmontDawg]

Awesome, thanks everyone for the input. All of the above seem logical for departure on to 82. Hadn't thought of lots off E Lee, I lived in those townhomes in front of Chadwick Place one year. I think I'd do that or lot adjacent to Griffis.

 

[AssEndDawg]

And it was only about 5,000 extra fans from last year's norm.

I heard estimates that there were tens of thousands of people on campus who didn't even go into the game. That is not normal for us...