There are a few things LSU students love to hate, and contraflow traffic makes it to the top of that list. Among contraflow’s top critics are members of The Golden Band from Tigerland.
After each home football game, members of the LSU Tiger Marching Band venture from Tiger Stadium to the Tiger Band Hall located across campus on Aster Street. At the Band Hall, members of the marching band, including the Golden Girls and Color Guard, review their pregame and halftime performances as a group. Once the videos end, these students begin their treks back to their dorms and apartments both on and off campus.
“I’ve had trouble with it probably every game,” said Golden Girl co-captain Maddie Hall. “It’s super frustrating.”
However, student senator Andrew Vaughn may provide some relief to Tiger Band members braving the mass exodus after home football games. Earlier this semester, Vaughn introduced the preamble to a resolution that would request LSUPD and BRPD to lift contraflow for students in the band, according to the resolution, SGR No. 7.
As a four-year Tiger Band veteran, Vaughn’s own experience with contraflow prompted him to compose the preamble to his legislation. During a previous football season, Vaughn headed toward Highland Road, but wasn’t able to turn toward campus. Instead, Vaughn said he followed contraflow traffic for over two hours before he was able to get back on the interstate toward campus.
“That was not pleasant considering I live less than a mile away from where I left,” Vaughn said.
Hall joined the Golden Girls three years ago as a freshman, and she said fighting contraflow traffic was more difficult when she lived on campus at Highland Hall. Hall now lives in an apartment complex on Brightside Drive, it sometimes takes her about an hour to get home during contraflow due to closures on River Road.
Vaughn submitted the preamble to the student senate as new business, but he’s waiting for a more crowded contraflow game day to file the rest of the legislation. Vaughn said so far this season, the band hasn’t experienced heavy contraflow traffic due to late and rainy games.
However, Matthew Chauvin, a member of the drumline, said he also lives on Brightside Drive and has lived there for the past two years. After the last home game against Ole Miss, Chauvin said it took him almost two hours to get home.
Hall said the band members usually don’t arrive at the Band Hall until about 30 to 45 minutes after the game and will stay to watch the video for another half of an hour. Occasionally, the band members get lucky and leave the Band Hall right as the streets open up, but at more high-profile games, the effects of contraflow exceed the hour before band members get on the road.
“It really just depends on the day how bad it’s going to be,” Hall said. “I imagine it’s probably worse for other students who get out earlier than us.”
Tiger Band members meet at the indoor practice facility on game day mornings for practice, Hall said. After practice, they drive over to the Band Hall to prepare for the game. The band members have stickers on their cars that allow them to bypass some road closures and blocked off areas.
