Parking staff, campus police say game-day traffic
safe
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Maurice O.
Ndole / The Collegian
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By Bradley Hart
The Collegian
Though parking at Fresno State
can be challenging under normal conditions, campus parking staff say they
are confident in maintaining traffic control and safety during games and
other events.
According to officials, controlling traffic during the games presents
a special challenge for campus police and requires the assistance of other
law enforcement agencies.
“It’s a huge challenge manpowerwise,” Lt. Allen Gaad
of the University Police Department said. “It takes a real effort
to manage.”
Gaad said officers from a number of state and local agencies assist in
traffic management and crowd control during football games and occasional
concerts at the Save Mart Center.
Fresno police officers, along with sheriff’s deputies and California
Highway Patrol officers, are also involved in traffic control operations
on a regular basis.
“Fresno police officers are under contract with [the university]
to assist the Fresno State PD,” said Lt. Anthony Martinez of the
Fresno Police Department. “It’s the campus police department
that designs and controls the (flow) of traffic around the football games.”
Parking for games is usually found in parking lots normally reserved for
student and faculty use. A field adjacent to the stadium is also available
for parking and tailgate parties.
Fans looking to park in university lots during games must pay about $5
per car.
In an effort to reduce traffic congestion and provide a safe area for
pedestrians to enter or leave the sports complex west of Cedar Avenue,
police officers often reserve Barstow Avenue for eastbound traffic only.
Officers often take control of traffic signals at the intersection to
better control the flow of traffic and create a safe walkway for pedestrians,
according to Gaad.
While parking for sporting events and managing traffic under normal conditions
is challenging, this season’s sports schedule created new problems
for safety officials.
With the advent of weekday evening football games, officials were faced
with the possibility of more than 60,000 people being on campus at one
time.
Two of the football team’s six home games this season were scheduled
for weekdays.
Gaad said that during those games, the goal becomes separating football
fans from students to keep traffic flowing smoothly.
During the last weekday game in late September, parking lots north of
Barstow were closed to students in the mid-afternoon and a special shuttle
service carried faculty members from lots near the Save Mart Center to
various points on campus.
While there were some problems before and during the game, Gaad said he
is pleased with the overall result.
“All things considered, everybody lived,” he said.
While a number of small accidents frequently take place around the football
stadium and the campus in general, Gaad said the police department has
a good safety record overall.
Gaad said the most important thing for drivers to do is be patient when
looking for parking or driving on campus at any time and particularly
during games.
“We’re doing our best and we’re open to suggestions,”
he said.
Another mid-week football game is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 10.
Parking administrator Lupe Shrum could not be reached for comment on the
university’s plans for the game.
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