Another parking rant

[beerfan]

Ugh, I am going to the game, but I am of an age where I don't want to tailgate in 40 degree weather for 2-3 hours before the game. I am not looking forward to where I will end up parking, showing up at 10:30-11ish. In previous years, this has never been a problem, as I was still able to park in the Blue lot.

I have been a season ticket holder and going to games on campus long before the Rent was built. I am a fairly high donor, but I am a little leery of the wording in the season renewal application for parking. Am I paranoid they are only giving Blue lot parking to chair back seats? I could afford the chair backs, but some of the people in my group balked at the cost way back when we started getting tickets, and now I like my seats and the people I have been sitting with in my section for over 20 years, I would hate to change that now.

Lastly, why the change in the Blue lot, where in the other lots it is parking as usual?

 

[HuskiesFan1014]

Ugh, I am going to the game, but I am of an age where I don't want to tailgate in 40 degree weather for 2-3 hours before the game. I am not looking forward to where I will end up parking, showing up at 10:30-11ish. In previous years, this has never been a problem, as I was still able to park in the Blue lot.

I have been a season ticket holder and going to games on campus long before the Rent was built. I am a fairly high donor, but I am a little leery of the wording in the season renewal application for parking. Am I paranoid they are only giving Blue lot parking to chair back seats? I could afford the chair backs, but some of the people in my group balked at the cost way back when we started getting tickets, and now I like my seats and the people I have been sitting with in my section for over 20 years, I would hate to change that now.

Lastly, why the change in the Blue lot, where in the other lots it is parking as usual?

The new striping has ruined the blue lot. No tailgating on the gravel. The spots are too narrow, so people take 1.5 spots...then there are gaps of 2, 3 or 4 cars between groups. Once a block is filled (and it's not) they barricade it off. We could easily had 10 cars come into our general vicinity in lot 7 near C gate, but it was blocked off...then they tell blue pass holders that the lot is full.
All these years of letting us figure it out...and we did...and there was never any problem. School says they need the gravel lanes open for emergency response...let's just say I am VERY FAMILIAR with handling fire and medical emergencies at Rentschler for 30 years, and it was never an issue getting to emergencies.
They have ruined blue lot parking...not for our group, as we are in line prior to the 5-hour-early start time, but for all the Blue Pass holders who come later. It just plain sucks.
On the good side, we haven't had a "full lot" in a very long time, but that doesn't lick the suck off this ice cream cone.

 

[ScottVib]

The story that was told on here, was that it was one group that left their setup up, in the roadway during the game, that caused problems with an emergency response, that ultimately prompted the changes.

What I thought is the free parking pass is only for club (Gold Lot) or chairback (Blue Lot) and other season ticket holders will have the option to purchase blue lot passes, subject to availability (Hopefully they sell fewer now that the true capacity is known to be smaller, if only to make it possible for people to use the parking they've already paid for)... it does sound like they're preparing those who get free parking (chairbacks & clubs) now to the fact that they will have to pay in 2027.

Related to parking, renewing patrons in the Club (GOLD lot) and the Chairback seating areas (BLUE lot) will again receive complimentary parking for the 2026 season for each pair of renewed tickets. Beginning in 2027, consistent with best practices nationally, all season ticket holders will have the ability to purchase season parking, and as is done currently, priority in lot assignments will be based upon seat type.

 

[pepband99]

Related to parking, renewing patrons in the Club (GOLD lot) and the Chairback seating areas (BLUE lot) will again receive complimentary parking for the 2026 season for each pair of renewed tickets. Beginning in 2027, consistent with best practices nationally, all season ticket holders will have the ability to purchase season parking, and as is done currently, priority in lot assignments will be based upon seat type.

The big "if" here is - how many passes can be purchased? If it's optional at 1/ticket, this is actually a potentially good thing, as the scarcity of blue passes is a problem for long-time people like me who value the blue lot pass.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

For as long as I've had season tickets (since the Rent opened) they've allowed one parking pass for every two seats purchased.

Over the past decade I've not only had many seats go unused, I've also had many parking passes go unused.

There may be quite a few things to complain about when it comes to the football program, and even how gameday staff handles parking, but the proximity, availability and cost of parking is far better than many places.

 

[Platt81]

After 20 years of season tickets and parking passes, I got annoyed last year when I would show up and there “wasn’t room” in the Blue Lot and they basically would make me figure it out on my own. I haven’t been getting to every game the last few seasons because of kids schedules, so I didn't purchase parking this year and have been parking in the lot across the street from the East Gate entrance. I feel like the environment is better than the blue lot, it’s cheaper than on site parking and getting in and out is infinitely better. And it’s not much more of a walk than the blue lot and a helluva lot closer than the other on site lots.

 

[BlueandOG]

Parking at the Rent is a mess. Getting to the Rent is a mess. Perhaps UConn and East Hartford could work with a traffic engineer in the off season to develop a way to improve the experience .

 

[businesslawyer]

For as long as I've had season tickets (since the Rent opened) they've allowed one parking pass for every two seats purchased.

Over the past decade I've not only had many seats go unused, I've also had many parking passes go unused.

There may be quite a few things to complain about when it comes to the football program, and even how gameday staff handles parking, but the proximity, availability and cost of parking is far better than many places.

Fully agree, and responses to fire codes is what it has to be. I will adjust to whatever rules go into effect in future years. My only point remains that you can’t sell something, take customers’ money, then not have available what you sold and pretend it’s the customers’ problem and not yours. Maybe I’m just a lawyer but, to quote Popeye the sailor man (google it), I ams what I am.

 

[businesslawyer]

After 20 years of season tickets and parking passes, I got annoyed last year when I would show up and there “wasn’t room” in the Blue Lot and they basically would make me figure it out on my own. I haven’t been getting to every game the last few seasons because of kids schedules, so I didn't purchase parking this year and have been parking in the lot across the street from the East Gate entrance. I feel like the environment is better than the blue lot, it’s cheaper than on site parking and getting in and out is infinitely better. And it’s not much more of a walk than the blue lot and a helluva lot closer than the other on site lots.

I used the Aircraft Club once this year. Perfectly convenient and saves a good deal of time on the way out. My issue was there was so much dog everywhere that you couldn’t enjoy tailgating because all your energy was spent no stepping in the crap.

 

[RSTuthill]

We enjoy the Aircraft Club, A bit of an extra walk, but quick access and exit (the latter relatively speaking) and if you do tailgate, the real facilities with running and heated water are appreciated by at least a few in the party.

We exited in <10 minutes last Saturday. They opened both north and South gates.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Fully agree, and responses to fire codes is what it has to be. I will adjust to whatever rules go into effect in future years. My only point remains that you can’t sell something, take customers’ money, then not have available what you sold and pretend it’s the customers’ problem and not yours. Maybe I’m just a lawyer but, to quote Popeye the sailor man (google it), I ams what I am.

I agree fully that LAZ (not sure if it has always been them running it) needs to do a far better job. From 03-13 (our best attended seasons) we never had issues like we've seen this year. I imagine 90% of it is that we've had such poor attendance for so long LAZ didn't see the need to properly staff for the games this year.

I also believe that the school needs to do a better job with the available lots/passes, to the point where passes will be (for example) for blue lot 1, blue lot 2, etc. and fans can only park in the lot they have a pass for (they can base this on priority points, length of tenure, whatever appears most reasonable). It has never happened to me, but if I arrived and was told the blue lots were full and I needed to park elsewhere I would be furious as this would be similar to being told you can't sit in your seat because someone else beat you to it.

My one issue is that there is plenty of space for parking, even with the new enforcement of paths for emergency vehicles, if they manage it correctly. Yet it is so poorly managed that people end up with considerable, valid complaints, which in no way will help grow the fan base.

 

[Chief00]

The new striping has ruined the blue lot. No tailgating on the gravel. The spots are too narrow, so people take 1.5 spots...then there are gaps of 2, 3 or 4 cars between groups. Once a block is filled (and it's not) they barricade it off. We could easily had 10 cars come into our general vicinity in lot 7 near C gate, but it was blocked off...then they tell blue pass holders that the lot is full.
All these years of letting us figure it out...and we did...and there was never any problem. School says they need the gravel lanes open for emergency response...let's just say I am VERY FAMILIAR with handling fire and medical emergencies at Rentschler for 30 years, and it was never an issue getting to emergencies.
They have ruined blue lot parking...not for our group, as we are in line prior to the 5-hour-early start time, but for all the Blue Pass holders who come later. It just plain sucks.
On the good side, we haven't had a "full lot" in a very long time, but that doesn't lick the suck off this ice cream cone.

I agree it’s the usual ineptitude at a CDRA “managed” facility. A key issue is people have gotten happy taking 3-5 parking spots for a tailgate. We used to be directed to park next to the car on the side of you and we tailgated in the lane between rows. 10-20% of the spots are wasted the way it’s allowed to happen now.
When you pay for season tickets UConn/CDRA/LAZ obligation is to provide the parking you paid for every game.

 

[Kolumbo]

The new striping has ruined the blue lot. No tailgating on the gravel. The spots are too narrow, so people take 1.5 spots...then there are gaps of 2, 3 or 4 cars between groups. Once a block is filled (and it's not) they barricade it off. We could easily had 10 cars come into our general vicinity in lot 7 near C gate, but it was blocked off...then they tell blue pass holders that the lot is full.
All these years of letting us figure it out...and we did...and there was never any problem. School says they need the gravel lanes open for emergency response...let's just say I am VERY FAMILIAR with handling fire and medical emergencies at Rentschler for 30 years, and it was never an issue getting to emergencies.
They have ruined blue lot parking...not for our group, as we are in line prior to the 5-hour-early start time, but for all the Blue Pass holders who come later. It just plain sucks.
On the good side, we haven't had a "full lot" in a very long time, but that doesn't lick the suck off this ice cream cone.

Maybe some of the blame falls on the blue lot patrons themselves. They shouldn't be leaving 2 to 4 spaces between cars. Maybe they are taking up more space than they need with their grills tents and tables. Once the cars are parked and their tailgate set up, it's very difficult for a car to get to those empty spots or even know that they are there. Are attendents actually directing people where to park or are the patrons choosing where they park?

Tailgating is one of the single best features of The Rent. I wouldn't put it past the decision makers to ruin that aspect of the experience. They build Bass Pro Shops in a prime location and it seems they are squeezing out available space little by little.

If I were a blot lot holder and told it was full, I'd say to the attendant, "look, I get it, it's blocked off, but we both know there is plenty of room for more cares. how bout you just let me slide, here's a glass of some JD for your efforts, stop by for a burger"

 

[Chief00]

Fully agree, and responses to fire codes is what it has to be. I will adjust to whatever rules go into effect in future years. My only point remains that you can’t sell something, take customers’ money, then not have available what you sold and pretend it’s the customers’ problem and not yours. Maybe I’m just a lawyer but, to quote Popeye the sailor man (google it), I ams what I am.

Good Summary of the Blue Parking Pass transaction.

 

[RSTuthill]

Btw, I recently looked at Google maps and I no longer see any remains of the runways south of the stadium when I look at Satellite View. When did that happen? (We haven't parked down there for almost two decades I would think.)

 

[Chief00]

Reading this thread is very instructive, when management is poor every step they take to fix a problem creates a bigger issue (emergency path, parking bonus to increase chairback seating, white lines). It is clearly a management that doesn’t think strategically or provides adequate critical thinking of negative side effects. Definitely, the culture of this CDRA facility.

 

[Windham4th]

They could put cow catchers on the front of response vehicles so if you leave your crap in the way it gets crunched.

 

[huskymedic]

Btw, I recently looked at Google maps and I no longer see any remains of the runways south of the stadium when I look at Satellite View. When did that happen? (We haven't parked down there for almost two decades I would think.)

Parking Map for Air Force game:

 

[UConnJim]

When the Rent first opened and there were big crowds, parking seemed OK. The last 10 years, there was plenty of parking and you really didn't need many parking lot attendants or a parking plan. Now, UConn football is back and crowds are coming. Unfortunately, it sounds like the parking people are not prepared for crowds. The problem is something to be worked on in the offseason. The parking spots have to be big enough to accommodate tailgates as that is one of the biggest benefits of the Rent.

 

[RSTuthill]

When the Rent first opened and there were big crowds, parking seemed OK. The last 10 years, there was plenty of parking and you really didn't need many parking lot attendants or a parking plan. Now, UConn football is back and crowds are coming. Unfortunately, it sounds like the parking people are not prepared for crowds. The problem is something to be worked on in the offseason. The parking spots have to be big enough to accommodate tailgates as that is one of the biggest benefits of the Rent.

Jim, the runways are gone. There is MUCH less parking than, say, ten years ago. Those runways were wide and long. And they parked on the grass too south of the stadium.

 

[UConnDan97]

LAZ is a hot mess. I don't really care if there are other college that have a worse situation. I just know that ours should be better. Most of their workers aren't even trying to help you park!

The parking situation improving would go a pretty long way to making the entire game day experience better...

 

[Windham4th]

They need to negotiate with East Hartford to get that rear exit opened back up. That helped alot of the post-game congestion.

 

[huskymedic]

Btw, I recently looked at Google maps and I no longer see any remains of the runways south of the stadium when I look at Satellite View. When did that happen? (We haven't parked down there for almost two decades I would think.)

The runway parking closest to stadium was traded out in 2015 and parcels for real estate-development were created in its place.

“As part of the stadium agreement, UTC will contribute 10 acres of land to the state of Connecticut for additional stadium parking. UTC also will provide an easement for the use of an additional 15 acres adjacent to existing stadium parking, further expanding the parking available to UConn fans. In return, UTC’s stadium naming rights will be extended through 2030. Since its opening, the stadium has been known simply as Rentschler Field.“

Home of UConn Football Takes New Name as Pratt & Whitney Stadium - UConn Today

The name change was announced July 16, during a ceremony in East Hartford.

today.uconn.edu

 

[UConn Dan]

Parking Map for Air Force game:

View attachment 113242

Those times don’t make sense to me for a Noon kick. Or is it me?

 

[DCUconnfan]

I for one have been forced to the bus lot multiple times this season with my blue lot pass. This last go around, I parked on the grass in an area just beyond my traditional blue lot gate c (lots 7 & 8) on the left by the curve because there were other cars there and I just pretended I didn't hear/understand someone yelling at me. Saved me 500 yards of walking.

1.) I feel like I could have this fixed in 20 minutes (with the exception of the emergency situation - if what someone above was told was true, then you explicitly make a rule that fans tailgate gear must be picked up by kickoff presuming they have vacated the lot, and if not, they are ticketed and blue lot pass revoked). How it worked for so many years prior (when we had substantial crowds frequently) tells all the story we need - it can be done. Blue lot passholders should not be forced to the gray or bus lot.

2.) Speaking of blue lot, according to the map, lots 10a and 10b are also blue lot. When I have arrived, that lot is often close to empty/just getting filled. Why in the world am I shuffled to a lot in timbuktu with my blue lot pass if that lot is wide open?