Fixing Parking

What Sucks?

For my money there is nothing better than the anticipation and planning that goes into attending an NFL game. I enjoy the actual competition - don't get me wrong - but one of the things that separates football from other sports is the scarcity and planning that goes into attending.

What should I wear? What should we eat? Who's meeting us? Who's got the playlist?

But not all these questions are fun to think about... and some of them downright suck.

When should we leave? Where do we park? I struggle with these two questions every single time.

"Okay, game starts at 1pm, that means stadium lots open at 9am, so we should get in line for parking by 830am, so we need to leave the house by 8am."

Get in line for parking... talk about something that sucks!

Kickoff was scheduled for 3pm ET for this past weekend's AFC divisional round matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills, meaning the Highmark Stadium lots opened at 11am. My father, forever superstitious, always parks in the stadium lots. My brother and I, however, decided we didn't want to wait around all morning, so we made plans to head up earlier to park in one of the many privately-owned satellite lots around the stadium. (These types of lots do not exist at most NFL stadiums, but they are a relic of a bygone era in Orchard Park. I expect these to all but disappear when the new stadium opens in 2026).

I wanted to leave by 9am to maximize our time tailgating with friends before meeting up with our dad in the stadium lot. We ended up leaving at 930am and getting to the satellite lot - the front yard of a repair shop - by 10a. Within a few minutes of getting set up the dreaded line of cars began to form.

I recorded the first video to the right at 10:31am. You can see how far back the cars go, and that was just the beginning. These drivers are sitting in park waiting for the lots to open. The second video, recorded at 11:45am, shows what happens next. The lots had been open for nearly an hour, and yet there were still three lanes of vehicles backed up along Southwestern Boulevard. (The third video, complete with some additional Bills gear, is merely a vent session as I walked through a nearly empty 'reserve lot' on my way to the stadium gates. Absolutely infuriating and totally sucks)!

How to Fix It

I think there are two solutions to this problem. The first is simple: teams should work with local governments to get stadium lots open as soon as possible. For 1pm games, even an hour or two could make a huge difference. And for afternoon and primetime games have the lots open all day. This helps solve two challenges: teams and venues will stop losing parking revenue to satellite lots that are further away from the stadium, and fans won't feel the need to line up to maximize every last second of tailgate time they can get. Let's say stadium lots opened at 9am for the 3pm kickoff. Sure, some crazies will be lined up at 8am waiting to get in, but a vast majority of fans would show up between 10am and 12pm, especially if they know the wait time would be cut down.

The second solution relies on existing technology that is not yet prevalent at sports venues. I want EZ Pass toll booths! Imagine replacing stop and go traffic with a steady flow of movement. When was the last time you paid cash for a toll? Why does anyone pay cash in 2023 when you can roll through an EZ Pass lane at 15 mph, or better yet, fly through an express lane without slowing down at all?! And yet, at every football stadium I have been to, I have been forced to watch people fumble for their wallets, not find the right credit cards, have their credit cards not swipe, or be unable to pull up parking passes on their phones.

I hope to one day (as in 2026 when the new Bills stadium opens) live in a world where I don't have to stress about what time I need to leave to play parking roulette. Opening stadium lots earlier and improving the flow of traffic into the lots means a much better experience for fans AND has the added bonus of driving more revenue for teams and venues. Everybody will win, but for now, it still sucks.

Thanks for reading!