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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 09/12/2017 - CSU ON CAMPUS STADIUM: GAME 1 UPDATEDATE: STAFF: September 12, 2017 Laurie Kadrich, Director of PDT Kevin Cronin, Police Assistant Chief WORK SESSION ITEM City Council SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION CSU On Campus Stadium: Game 1 Update. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to report the result of game day operations by various City of Fort Collins departments for the first football game in the new on-campus Colorado State University (CSU) stadium. Improvement opportunities and unanticipated issues will be discussed. GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED Staff will discuss unanticipated issues that arose with CSU’s first home football game and future improvements. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION On Saturday, August 26, the Colorado State University (CSU) football team played its first home game in the new on-campus stadium. In the 18 months preceding the game, City staff worked closely with CSU staff to develop plans for game day operations regarding traffic and bicycle/pedestrian flow, transit services, parking, law enforcement, public safety, and mitigation of neighborhood impacts. By all accounts, the CSU/City game day operations plan was executed as planned and approximately 40,000 participants, staff, and stadium workers entered and exited the stadium smoothly. Conditions were very favorable for optimum ingress and egress to the stadium:  Participants began arriving on campus four hours prior to the start of the game. CSU offered a wide variety of pre-game activities, and there was excitement surrounding the first game in the new stadium.  The weather was warm and dry which resulted in approximately 15,000 participants walking or biking to the game.  Midway through the second half of the game, the CSU football team had a comfortable lead and the weather had turned hot, so many in the stadium left prior to the end of the game, reducing the post-game traffic flow. It should be noted that game day operational performance must be looked at as a snapshot in time. Many variables can and will change for future games. Inclement weather, popular opposing team, night games, win/loss record, and/or a close score in the fourth quarter will impact the flow of attendees into and out of campus. Game day operations will be adjusted accordingly as we learn and experience more events at the new venue. Summary by Service Public Safety Fort Collins Police Department (FCPD)  Over 30 Fort Collins police officers worked the game; 100+ total law enforcement game day  FCPD and CSU Police established a communications command post on campus  FCPD had an officer stationed in the Traffic Operations Center, providing ability for real time changes to traffic control situations September 12, 2017 Page 2  Calls for service were minimal, primarily traffic calls, parking calls, and complaints about people walking through neighborhoods in groups  FCPD responded to several accidents/crashes  FCPD made over 100 open liquor container contacts  Early arrivals of attendees will lead to earlier traffic control setup and staffing for future games Emergency Medical Services  Responded to 100 medical calls on campus  60 medical calls in the stadium  Most incidents related to the heat and alcohol consumption City Phone Service Interruption  City phone system was down for approximately two hours prior to the game. Service was restored before kickoff. 911 service was not affected by the outage.  Alternate phone numbers were made available to field game-day related calls Transportation Traffic One of the greatest concerns for the community was the impact of thousands of fans driving to the new stadium in the middle of town. A multi-modal transportation plan was developed encouraging multiple ways to arrive and depart the stadium. On campus parking was assigned and residential neighborhood parking controlled in an attempt to minimize impacts, congestion, and searching for parking locations.. Enhanced transit service was provided on MAX and West Elizabeth routes to accommodate anticipated demand, and significant pedestrian and bicycle traffic was also expected. Observations from Game 1 include:  Overall traffic flows were good. As anticipated, congestion occurred especially along Shields Street pre and post-game but cleared relatively quickly. Figure 1 shows game day traffic patterns on Shields Street between Prospect and Mulberry. Traffic flowed smoothly except for the periods just before and after the game. FIGURE 1 September 12, 2017 Page 3  An intercept survey was conducted as attendees arrived on campus to help determine modal split and travel behaviors. Survey results as shown in Table 1 indicate that Staff assumptions regarding modes of transportation assumptions were fairly accurate. TABLE 1 Drive and park on campus Uber/Lyft Party Bus Transit Bike Walk Total Original Assumptions 55% 22k people (occupancy 2.6 people/veh) -- 12.5% 5k people 10% 4k people 22.5% 5k on campus 4k off campus 100% 40k people Game 1 31% 11.8k people* (occupancy 3.5 people/veh) 16% 6.1k people 15% 5.7k people 12% 4.5k people 26% 9.8k people 100% 38k people 47% total * 2.2k of these attendees utilized an on-campus shuttle  Almost 20% of attendees utilized some type of transit (either to the game, or shuttles from parking lots)  Significant bicycle and pedestrian traffic  Ride sharing (Uber, Lyft, private party buses) was more heavily used than anticipated. Ride share drivers were dropping passengers off in areas other than the designated drop point at the University Center for the Arts. Passengers were unwilling to walk that far to the stadium. Staff is working on new drop off areas and plans for future games.  Vehicle occupancy for those that drove was 3.5 passengers per vehicle (PPV); 2.6 PPV had been assumed in the original assumptions (which were deliberately conservative).  Grade-separated crossings were heavily utilized, but some pedestrians still crossed either at-grade or in uncontrolled locations. Additional education and/or enforcement are needed at these locations. Transit The transit plan performed well overall with good coordination between departments. Demand was particularly heavy on MAX, especially from southern stations and stops. Observations include:  Total transit users game day:7,620 (approximately 20% of all game attendees)  External to campus riders: 5,452 total riders o MAX: 4,857 o West Campus Shuttle: 595  Internal to campus transit riders: 2,168 total riders o ADA Shuttle: 588 o South Campus Shuttle: 1,580  All extra buses in service were needed  Greeley-Evans Transit (GET) buses were used to shuttle patrons from remote parking areas  West Elizabeth transit ridership was surprisingly light. Staff anticipates ridership will increase as public realizes it is available, and as weather becomes less accommodating for bicycle and pedestrian travel September 12, 2017 Page 4  Many new first time riders on MAX  Some stadium workers noted that transit service wasn’t running early enough for them to utilize  Staff identified that shuttle services should begin at least four hours prior to kick-off. We experienced high demand as early as 8:00 am.  While demand was met, the vehicle and staff resources were used to capacity. Staff will work to identify supplemental resources for higher demand conditions.  Staff identified and is implementing minor changes to routing patterns on one of the shuttles to improve flow with traffic patterns. Parking Services The on-campus parking plan appeared to reduce “trolling” for spaces and resulting congestion as intended. Some on-campus parking areas appeared underutilized. Parking Services Staff enforced the Game Day Residential Parking Permit Program (RP3). Despite significant messaging and outreach, there were still some areas requiring towing of illegally parked vehicles. 49 vehicles were towed and 69 citations issued in RP3 zones. 19 warnings were issued. Overall there were fewer neighborhood parking problems than anticipated, even in non-RP3 zones. Observations include:  Parking staff experienced a low number of relocation tows due to improper signage from the event coordinator. Future game days may have significantly higher relocated vehicles.  Staff identified minor technical problems with the software for permit violation detection. Measures have been put into place to mitigate this in the future.  Staff posted license plate numbers with tow truck company phone numbers real-time on the Parking Services website. We experienced a very low volume of calls presumably because motorists were able to easily ascertain the information via the website.  Capacity remained in several on-campus parking lots at game time  Observed instances of people charging people to park in their driveway  Some confusion and miscommunication in RP3 zones due to inaccurate license plate entered  Game day RP3 neighborhood experienced relatively few issues  Tailgating occurring in parking lots and Park and Rides Neighborhood Impacts and Mitigation Significant effort has been made to lessen and mitigate impacts to surrounding neighborhoods close to the new stadium. Neighborhood Services and Code Compliance staff were in the neighborhoods on game day making proactive contact with residents and game attendees to help understand new regulations and laws related to the game day experience. Parking restrictions, clear bag stadium policy, and open container laws were popular topics. 25 Neighborhood Ambassadors working in 12 teams covered 10 neighborhood zones surrounding the stadium. Proactive contact and education efforts began three hours prior to kickoff and continued to 3pm. Game day observations include: Neighborhood Services and Code Compliance  Teams made 449 recorded contacts in 10 zones surrounding the stadium  No citations were issued to pre-registered game day private parties  Proactive contacts by staff prevented numerous issues and citations  Teams and staff received many questions about parking locations. Information was provided regarding RP3 restrictions and availability of pay lots  Proactive efforts resulted in teams making contact with 16 residential properties regarding parking on yards, who were able to correct the issue immediately  During the game, Code Compliance observed seven parking on yard violations-five were corrected upon contact, one violation needs more research to figure out ownership of the property, and one was due to an Accela software system error.  Many neighborhoods were used as drop off areas by rideshare drivers September 12, 2017 Page 5 Noise was another concern expressed by many members of the community and surrounding residents. Code Compliance staff conducted noise readings in several neighborhoods and locations before, during and after the game. Noise readings outside the stadium were low, measuring in the low to mid 60dBa. Stadium noise levels were lower than area background traffic noise even when traffic volume was low during the game. Few noise complaints were received. Next Steps City and CSU staff debrief after each game and event. City staff conducts an additional internal debrief session. Service plans and traffic control plans will be refined following each event. Neighborhood and game patron education efforts will continue related to parking restrictions and RP3 visitor permit procedures. Software glitches and data entry errors are being addressed. Improved communication and coordination are key goals for City and CSU staff. CSU has committed to a mid-season community check in. ATTACHMENTS 1. Powerpoint presentation (PDF) 1 9-12-17 CSU Game #1 Update Laurie Kadrich, PDT & Kevin Cronin, Police Services ATTACHMENT 1 Inaugural Game in On-Campus Stadium August 26 - CSU held its first on campus football game since 1967: • Over 37,000 fans and workers converged on campus • Culmination of many years of planning and collaboration • Significant City Staff role: Police, Traffic, Neigh. Services, Code Enforcement, Transfort-Parking 2 Game Day – General Observations 3 Successful first event: • Relatively few problems and complaints • Effective multi-modal transportation plan • Still a work in progress • CSU 58-27 Victory (Go Rams!) Game Day – Public Safety Fort Collins Police: • 30 Fort Collins officers working the game (100+ total officers) • Minimal calls for service: traffic, parking, complaints about people walking through neighborhoods • Responded to some accidents • Over 100 open liquor container contacts 4 Game Day – Public Safety Emergency medical services: • Responded to 100 medical calls on campus • 60 inside the stadium • Most related to heat and alcohol consumption 5 Game Day – Traffic Overview • Manageable congestion • Significant bicycle and pedestrian traffic • Strong transit ridership • Early and steady arrivals • Significant Uber, Lyft, party bus traffic 6 Game Day Traffic Impacts 7 Travel Times Along NB Shields – Prospect to Mulberry Game day travel times Typical Saturday travel times Game Time Game Day – Transportation By Mode 8 Game Day - Transfort Strong Transit presence: • Almost 8,000 game day riders • Strong MAX usage: 4,857 • Light W. Elizabeth ridership • Long queues post-game but moved well • ADA and south campus shuttle service • PnR at capacity, especially South End 9 Game Day – New Traffic Challenges 10 Drop off traffic Some pedestrians not using grade-separated crossing Game Day – New Traffic Patterns • Multi-modal concept proved to be successful for the first game. • Uber/Lyft and Party Bus usage much higher than anticipated. • Almost 20% of attendees utilized some type of transit (either to the game, or shuttles from parking lots) 11 Game Day – Neighborhood Impacts 12 Game Day – Neighborhood Impacts 13 Neighborhood Services: • 25 Neighborhood Ambassadors working in 12 teams • 449 recorded contacts in 10 zones surrounding the main campus • Many questions related to RP3, clear bag policy, open containers • Staff made contact with game day private parties • Proactive contacts by staff prevented numerous issues and citations Game Day – Neighborhood Impacts 14 Noise: • Few noise complaints received game day • Noise levels readings near stadium and in nearby neighborhoods were low to mid 60 dBa • Stadium noise level readings were actually lower than nearby background traffic, even when traffic was light during the game Game Day – Neighborhood Impacts Parking: • Four private residences charging for parking on private driveways • Proactive team contact:16 instances of parking on lawns observed and corrected • Seven follow up parking violations contacted by Code Compliance and corrected • 49 vehicles towed in residential areas; 69 citations issued • Capacity available in many on campus parking lots • Some confusion, miscommunication in RP3 neighborhoods • More education needed re: parking restrictions 15 Game Day – Continuous Improvement Refinements: • Improved communications between CSU and City Police • Continued education and proactive contacts re: open container • Continue education on game day parking restrictions, zones • Refining traffic control plans • Continue to have police officer presence at Traffic Ops Center to provide direct connection between Traffic and Police 16 Game Day – Continuous Improvement Still much to learn as season progresses: • Weather • Night game • Demand for transit and ride-share services • Education and proactive contacts CSU Commitments: • CSU and City debrief following each game • Community check In Mid Season 17 First Game Day – A Great Start! 18 • Strong collaboration with CSU • Community excitement • Respect for neighbors • Everybody is learning  Parking facilities on the south end of MAX were heavily utilized. The South Transit Center parking area reached capacity well before game time.  Downtown parking structures and lots had capacity remaining; southbound MAX from downtown less congested and less wait times  Passenger queues post game at the southbound MAX on-campus stations were lengthy but moved relatively quickly