Solution: resume tailgate AFTER each game.
Traffic Flow
- Thread starter geek4cy
- Start date
I didn’t see it anywhere in the University’s email, but I was told at the end of last season the city was cracking down hard on no lining up on University Bvld to get into the lots. If that’s the case still, it’s going to be a disaster getting in and a disaster getting out I have a feeling. Don’t have an answer for getting in, but getting out my group has just been restarting the tailgate and waiting an hour afterwards to leave. Saturday leaving Ames is going to be interesting.
Wait a couple of weeks when those filthy Hok fans roll into town in a cloud of meth and feces. It’s always a mess.
They have been trying to push WAY too much traffic down Elwood and on to Hwy 30. They also need to do be directing traffic at S4th and Duff intersection and the S14th and Duff intersection. It's nor rocket science, they just aren't consistent with how the move the gameday traffic.
Yeah not even close. Kinnick is a god damn disaster.
It's really not though. It's not hard to cut north or south after you get away from the stadium.
I should have clarified, i meant in the lots when people are trying to go both ways against the grain,etc. (and of course it seems more and more are "i'm going to get mine" attitude vs following some simple "every other person into the line" order
But yes, once out there are many ways to get the direction you need to.
They certainly could do a better job, but really, how much better is it going to get? You are trying to move 60K people away from a town that usually has what, 70K? In a town that only has 2 ways to get any direction from the stadium. A bottleneck is going to happen no matter what and the more people who realize that, plan accordingly and enjoy relaxing after the game instead of rushing to get out of the lots, would help a lot to alleviate the issues after games.
I get re-tailgating isn't an option for everyone. There are those, "Have to get to a kids birthday party/childs game, etc." If those who don't have something though, would not be in a rush, it makes things a lot easier. Even on late night games, we just plan on relaxing for at least an hour or two after the games. We love the afternoon games because we just plan on making dinner in the lots. I've never complained about the traffic, because I've never had to deal with it.
Traffic control certainly does deserve some of the hate, but let us not forget about those people who just refuse to follow the rules and just go with the flow and end up slowing everything down from everyone. The only time I've ever had to wait after our post-game relaxing session, was because some person decided they were going to argue with the cops for 15 minutes because they were forcing them to go to Highway 30 and they didn't want to go that way. Ames isn't big, just follow traffic and turn when you can to loop back around to where you need to go. The amount of time this person spent arguing with the cops, theyd have been at their destination if they just followed directions.
All that being said, it certainly would be nice if ISU/Ames would settle on a plan, stick to it and publish it for everyone, so they know what's going on.
I’m doing that Saturday. Red West at the mall drops you off at Lincoln Way and Beach Red East picks you up at Lincoln Way and Beach and drops you back off at the mall.
So much could be improved by just directing traffic more. It seems like half the time outside of one or two intersections right around the stadium there is no police presence or they are just standing there. Keep the damn traffic moving and it would solve a lot.
They make getting out harder because the city or university refuse to close some streets down by the stadium for 90 minutes after the game to two lane traffic. Do that, and it would make things a lot easier. The people that live in Ames know better to run down by there on game day, so they avoid the area.
All the grass lots and vet med, most exit 16th street to the east, no getting on University. Close the street to two way traffic from the lots up to Grand. This gets rid of a lot of the traffic on the east side.
All lots beside the stadium and to the south, must exit going South on University, towards highway 30. If you want to go North, then get on 30 and either go to Duff or S. Dakota and work you way up that way.
Everyone to the North, must exit going North, to Lincoln way, and then up, you want to go South, them up to 13th street and over to the interstate that way.
It's not hard, and the direction you leave the stadium is predetermined by where you park. If you want to allow the people in the lots right north of the stadium to go South, that would not allow that many more cars.
It would also help a lot if they stopped people walking to the GA lots to cross the street at university and 16th, either force them to walk up to the new bridge and cross, or build a bridge there for them to cross.
All the grass lots and vet med, most exit 16th street to the east, no getting on University. Close the street to two way traffic from the lots up to Grand. This gets rid of a lot of the traffic on the east side.
All lots beside the stadium and to the south, must exit going South on University, towards highway 30. If you want to go North, then get on 30 and either go to Duff or S. Dakota and work you way up that way.
Everyone to the North, must exit going North, to Lincoln way, and then up, you want to go South, them up to 13th street and over to the interstate that way.
It's not hard, and the direction you leave the stadium is predetermined by where you park. If you want to allow the people in the lots right north of the stadium to go South, that would not allow that many more cars.
It would also help a lot if they stopped people walking to the GA lots to cross the street at university and 16th, either force them to walk up to the new bridge and cross, or build a bridge there for them to cross.
Use all 4 lanes on University to get people to 30 and let it flow from there.
Brent/WeWill should just have a post-game party after each home game. Charge a small fee that goes toward the NIL, keep some of the people off the roads longer…maybe get the cheerleaders and/or men’s and women’s bball players to sign stuff for the kids. Win/win!
Or…maybe the university can charge people extra to have exit priority. Can’t leave for 20 minutes unless you have a special hanging tag. Just bleed us dry every way they can. I think I like the first option better…
Emergency services won't sign off on that was what someone who helps handle gameday LE told me.
Exactly - wonder which one has more spots within a half mile of the stadium..
This! Especially the traffic headed East on 16th towards Duff gets bottlenecked at Duff because of the stoplight. Just keep it flowing as much as possible and it would empty out a lot quicker. They shutdown some of the ramps at the hwy 30 and University exit to get traffic out of there quicker already. And the problem is that how they direct traffic and empty out the lots doesn't seem to be consistent every week either so some weeks it goes a lot smoother because they actually try to keep the flow going as much as possible and us some logic in how they do it.
Already dreading Cy-Hawk next weekend as it's always a mess trying to get parked to tailgate. I've sat on Duff and 16th for nearly 2 hours 1 year recently because they refuse to open up the lots early when things start to backup. At some point they just need to bite the bullet and open them early for public safety reasons because it starts to back up onto 30 as well when this happens. It doesn't matter what time you say lots open, people are still going to arrive early to get in line and there really is no good way to enforce that because people will still find a way to impede traffic until they open them.
I remember the days when Vet Med was GA parking and would allow overnight GA bus and RV parking too. For Cy-Hawk week they would go ahead and just stage everyone in the G4/G5 lots Friday night and start filling G3/G2 around 2-3am for an 11am game when the lots opened at 5am and once those were full start filling G4/G5 so that University and 16th was not a complete mess by the time the lots officially opened. I think they allowed only RV and buses to park at Vet Med Friday night and still stay there but with no more GA parking for those its doesn't matter now. They had a set of rules they handed out when you pulled in that you had to abide by in order to be in the staging area like you could not grill or setup any tailgating stuff outside of your vehicle and had to have a sober driver. Would be nice if they came up with some kind of unofficial strategy to manage the traffic that comes into town early so it's not such a cluster when they try to hold their ground on not opening a minute sooner than 6 hours before no matter what.
