As Tiger Stadium’s lights fade into Saturday night skies, drivers’ headlights beam through campus area streets, keeping postgame thoughts illuminated for hours in streams of traffic.Contraflow, fender benders and road rage around campus during home games are all as much parts of game day tradition as chanting “Tiger Bait” and tailgating with friends. And when Tiger Stadium empties for the evening, more than 92,000 fans clog the streets. “It’s absolutely insane,” said Bryant Stark, biology freshman. “I make every effort to not drive after football games.”Stark, who lives off College Drive, said he always tries to stay at a friend’s house after games to avoid getting stuck in traffic. About 450 officers from the LSU Police Department, Baton Rouge Police Department, Sheriff’s Office and other state agencies manage traffic, parking and security details at the games, said Maj. Lawrence Rabalais, interim Chief of LSUPD. Rabalais said it’s much easier to manage traffic before kickoff because fans arrive anywhere between 7 a.m. and noon for tailgating and pregame festivities. The Tigers’ opponents also have a lot to do with traffic. Rabalais said high-profile games like Alabama and Florida attract the most fans, whether they go to the game or not. According to LSUPD estimates, about 150,000 people were on campus for the Florida game in 2007 — the most ever. The same amount of people are expected this season, Rabalais said. Extra officers will be added for the game against Florida on Oct. 10 — especially if ESPN GameDay comes to town. Rabalais said the officers who work game days are either normally off duty on Saturdays or are working overtime. This consideration allows for normal police coverage in Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas while beefing up security at the University. On average, three or four traffic accidents occur on campus at each home game, Rabalais said. “One crash or one stalled vehicle will stall traffic for an hour,” Rabalais said. Two minor accidents were reported on campus during the last two home games, said Maj. Helen Haire, LSUPD spokeswoman. “Considering the volume of traffic on game day, two accidents is doing pretty good,” Haire said. The Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation issued about 60 parking tickets for the last two home games, said Director Gary Graham. Rabalais said the best thing for fans to do is carpool or take shuttles to the game and be patient.Traffic procedures changed for fans leaving Tiger Stadium after home games this season, the LSU Athletic Department announced in a Sept. 9 news release.Both lanes on River Road between the southern-most exits of the Levee Lots and Brightside Drive flow south. Drivers in the left lane will be forced to turn east on Brightside, and right-lane drivers will have to continue south down River Road.Any drivers who use the north exit of the levee lots are forced to go north on River Road, and drivers who use the south exit will be forced to go south.Drivers exiting the Hayfield Lot on Gourrier Avenue will be directed to go west to River Road. Both lanes will be contraflowed to the west, and drivers must turn south on River Road. Any car in the Hayfield Lot wishing to go north will have to drive through the Levee Lots and use the northernmost exit of the lot.
Cars leaving the Alex Box Stadium lots will be directed east toward Nicholson Drive. Drivers in the right lane will be able to go straight to Burbank Drive or south on Nicholson, while drivers in the left lane can go straight to Burbank or north on Nicholson.Traffic going south on Nicholson will not be contraflowed this year because construction has ended on Burbank Drive. Rabalais said whether the new routes are effective remains to be seen. “There’s an educational process involved,” he said. “It takes a while for the fans to get used to it. In due time, I think [the routes] will be an advantage.”—-Contact Kyle Bove at [email protected]
An average of three to four traffic accidents occur on campus at each home game
September 20, 2009