A comparison of traffic, parking, and pedestrian control strategies for universities on football gamedays

In recent years, fan support and interest in division I-A college football has increased. Increased attendance, financial support from donors and alumni, and the commercialization of college football programs have transcended to the building of larger stadiums or additions to existing structures. This increase in stadium capacity in turn relates to an increase in traffic congestion on campus, a greater demand for nearby parking, and escalation in pedestrian movement adjacent to the stadium. Due to these aforementioned items university officials, police departments, and traffic engineers have implemented different plans to manage vehicular and pedestrian traffic along with parking demands for numerous football facilities throughout the nation. This study focused on identifying and analyzing what procedures are effective to manage traffic, pedestrians, and parking on a selected number of college campuses as well as strategies that have proven to be inadequate. In a national survey, 110 university police chiefs and university parking administrators were asked to assess their gameday traffic, pedestrian, and parking plan for their respective campus. From these surveys, an extensive list of tools and strategies for gameday traffic management was developed. Data were also compiled to illustrate which strategies have proven to be effective and ineffective for varying university types (public or private), stadium location, and whether the stadium is an on- or off-campus facility.