Gameday Traffic Issues This Season

[SCTiger2011 1,277]

Before we start the actual informative Fall threads in here, thought I'd offer the general main traffic changes since the end of last season to make everyone aware.  The biggest change is South Donahue is now two lane out to South College Street instead of four lane.  For some reason the outer lanes were replaced by gigantic bike lanes.  I expect this to cause backups and frustration as people head that way to I-85 after the game. (semi-rant: Why this town keeps putting higher density buildings on lower-density roads I do not understand.  It's not unusual for Magnolia or College to get backed up on a summer afternoon, much less a crowded football weekend. \End rant).

Construction of adding new parking spaces to the hay field on Donahue is still going on, but I see that being completed before RV season.

Last I heard, the City Council still hasn't set a concrete date on the new apartment building going up on Magnolia (where ChickfilA now) but it would be the dumbest thing ever to start it during the fall (which means the city of Auburn will probably start it during the Fall).

This has been your pre-season traffic update.  Drive safe and war eagle! 🤣

 

[LeaderKee4AU 36]

1 hour ago, SCTiger2011 said:

Before we start the actual informative Fall threads in here, thought I'd offer the general main traffic changes since the end of last season to make everyone aware.  The biggest change is South Donahue is now two lane out to South College Street instead of four lane.  For some reason the outer lanes were replaced by gigantic bike lanes.  I expect this to cause backups and frustration as people head that way to I-85 after the game. (semi-rant: Why this town keeps putting higher density buildings on lower-density roads I do not understand.  It's not unusual for Magnolia or College to get backed up on a summer afternoon, much less a crowded football weekend. \End rant).

Construction of adding new parking spaces to the hay field on Donahue is still going on, but I see that being completed before RV season.

Last I heard, the City Council still hasn't set a concrete date on the new apartment building going up on Magnolia (where ChickfilA now) but it would be the dumbest thing ever to start it during the fall (which means the city of Auburn will probably start it during the Fall).

This has been your pre-season traffic update.  Drive safe and war eagle! 🤣

 

Like College Station, Athens, Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, Gainesville, & Knoxville, Auburn’s a growing city now. Over 65,000 people & growing isn’t a small town anymore.

When you run out of room to build stuff, the only place that’s left to go is up.

Auburn’s also looking to becoming  more pedestrian & bike-friendly throughout the entire city.

[3rdgeneration 6,469]

I'll be honest, I miss the small town feel. I mean, it's still not in a city, and I'm grateful for that, but I really hope that they leave the Toomer's Corner alone forever.

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

time to stop letting freshman bring cars.    Sounds kind of sh1tty for incoming frosh,  but it would take 3-4 thousand +  cars  off the road,  and open some parking. 

[Tiger Sue 325]

1 hour ago, 3rdgeneration said:

I'll be honest, I miss the small town feel. I mean, it's still not in a city, and I'm grateful for that, but I really hope that they leave the Toomer's Corner alone forever.

The problem I see is they are building so many new apartments and not improving the infrastructure to support the increase  in traffic. In fact they can't do much.

[toddc 13,194]

1 hour ago, Quietmaninthecorner said:

time to stop letting freshman bring cars.    Sounds kind of sh1tty for incoming frosh,  but it would take 3-4 thousand +  cars  off the road,  and open some parking. 

I had a car and still walked everywhere, except the Supper Club “-boy what a party that place was!

[abw0004 10,110]

2 hours ago, Quietmaninthecorner said:

time to stop letting freshman bring cars.    Sounds kind of sh1tty for incoming frosh,  but it would take 3-4 thousand +  cars  off the road,  and open some parking. 

FYI freshmen that have dorm parking spots have to clear out before Friday night so their cars are no longer on campus.

To the OP, just be thankful we aren’t like Clemson in this manor.  They literally have one lane roads still getting out.  When we played at Clemson my father and I went.  We parked an on official parking lot Clemson owned.  It took 2 hours just to get out of the parking lot.  That’s how bad it is. 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

Thankfully I dont go anywhere early too often but it does get more packed than I would think getting anywhere. I just hate how much we're doing for bikes just for these people to ride in car lanes. People in ATL are riding superpowered scooters on side walks but individuals here dont have the balance to ride a bike on one? A bike???

Living by campus is the only possible way I could imagine attending it 

[SCTiger2011 1,277]

2 hours ago, Tiger Sue said:

The problem I see is they are building so many new apartments and not improving the infrastructure to support the increase  in traffic. In fact they can't do much.

This is exactly my issue with it.  Several of the new apartment complexes just off downtown have added hundreds of people but left the nearby roadways the same (Wright, Thomas, and Toomers streets are still one way between Glenn and Magnolia).  If that entire 8-block area bounded by North Donahue and College street is about to get upgraded to high-density apartments, they might as well extend the "walking campus" concept of the university to include all the way to the railroad tracks, because that is going to be a nightmare 🤣

As for the freshmen not bringing cars scenario, I'd hate to see that happen because it was one of the things that turned me off immediately to other schools I was considering out of high school but it might have to happen.  A new parking deck next to the Hotel and Conference center was just completed, but in all honesty the campus needs about five more of them.

[WalkingCarpet 1,379]

I've been saying for years that they need to gut the inside of BEMC and turn it into a parking deck. I have no idea where they think people are going to park after all these high rise apartments go in. Maybe the school should look into underground garages if they don't want giant parking structures visible everywhere.

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

3 hours ago, abw0004 said:

FYI freshmen that have dorm parking spots have to clear out before Friday night so their cars are no longer on campus.

  

Is that every week end or just game days?  My son is going to be  a freshman,  and have a car.  Basically for driving home (500 miles away) but honestly I didn't have a car my freshman year,  and never needed one.  Any time I wanted to go off campus I would hoof it, or find a ride.    

 

 I was under the impression that even on weekdays there is not enough parking and too much  traffic.

[abw0004 10,110]

6 hours ago, Quietmaninthecorner said:

Is that every week end or just game days?  My son is going to be  a freshman,  and have a car.  Basically for driving home (500 miles away) but honestly I didn't have a car my freshman year,  and never needed one.  Any time I wanted to go off campus I would hoof it, or find a ride.    

 

 I was under the impression that even on weekdays there is not enough parking and too much  traffic.

So I would make sure your son actually received a spot as they are limited and not every freshmen got one in front of their dorm.  Others have to park in the overflow lot which can be a little of a pain to walk to (it is on the route for the Tiger Transit).

If your son was as lucky as I was, he can park in front of his dorm.  The rule was when I was a freshmen in 2009 was your car had to be cleared and in the overflow lot by 10:00 PM Friday night.  Auburn sells those spots to season ticket holders during game day.  That is why you see The Village parking lots packed on gameday.  I would also recommend your son get a sun shade for his car as his car will get fried in that Auburn sun/heat.  It will ruin the interior of his car.  I got a custom made one for my Wrangler and still use it to this day (Heat Shield is the company).  I loved it so much I bought another one for my Lexus when I retired my Jeep to weekends only.

[abw0004 10,110]

7 hours ago, WalkingCarpet said:

I've been saying for years that they need to gut the inside of BEMC and turn it into a parking deck. I have no idea where they think people are going to park after all these high rise apartments go in. Maybe the school should look into underground garages if they don't want giant parking structures visible everywhere.

The new apartments usually have parking decks underneath just as an FYI

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

I wouldve rather had just about anything added instead of those new apts. yeah it’ll bring money but it’s such an unnecessary eye sore and killed some of the food joints we had here. It should be, if you can’t find a downtown spot, have fun on the transit

their real problem is the undependability of that service, but that’s only getting worse 

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

47 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

So I would make sure your son actually received a spot as they are limited and not every freshmen got one in front of their dorm.  Others have to park in the overflow lot which can be a little of a pain to walk to (it is on the route for the Tiger Transit).

 

Thanks for the info.   He is soooo ready for college.  I went and told him all this,  and he already knew.  He said not all the dorms have to evec on weekends,  and he has Resident Overflow parking anyway.  It gives me confidence in him when he knows stuff about being an Auburn student that I do not.     I'm not real worried about it being a pain  for him to walk.   He is LUCKY  to have a POS car at all.    May be it will keep him from driving as much.   LOL    His dorm is in the Quad.  It  looks like about 3/4 mile walk.   The good news is,   his dorm isn't on the hill.

[Tiger Sue 325]

6 hours ago, abw0004 said:

The new apartments usually have parking decks underneath just as an FYI

True. The problem is when they are out of them. It's going to be gridlock even on weekdays.

[WarEagle1982 449]

On 8/1/2019 at 8:06 PM, toddc said:

I had a car and still walked everywhere, except the Supper Club “-boy what a party that place was!

Definitely miss the Supper Club.  The shot bus out back was the bomb!!

[api1957 1,783]

If you need a ride, you can park at my house and I’ll be your personal Uber 😁

[Tiger Sue 325]

2 hours ago, WarEagle1982 said:

Definitely miss the Supper Club.  The shot bus out back was the bomb!!

The Supper Club was fun but I have one very bad memory. My roommate was killed on the highway in a head on collision between a VW Beetle and a dump truck.

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

7 hours ago, WarEagle1982 said:

Definitely miss the Supper Club.  The shot bus out back was the bomb!!

It served a good life as the slush bus before the shot bus.    Taking people home so they wouldn't drive drunk.   

[Squidward2016 51]

I know this sounds out there, but what do you all think of making Magnolia/potentially Glenn one way around downtown? I’m not exactly sure where the one ways would start/stop, but I’d imagine magnolia could be one way westbound from around gay/Ross down to old row, and Glenn could be similar going east bound. I feel like tripling the number of lanes on magnolia would clear up a ton of the issues we have w traffic. 

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

I-85 is currently undergoing construction. On the Alabama side of 85, the contractor ought to have the base layer paved within the next couple weeks. And of course there won't be any traffic control up over the weekend... But... There's always a chance of loose gravel and such so be mindful of that.

Source: Me, your friendly, neighborhood ALDOT inspector. (Note: please send all hate mail to the central office. I'm just a lowly peon with no authority)

[Linayus 676]

I like summer Auburn (aside from the heat). Less traffic and I can actually show up to eat somewhere without reservations and get seated quickly. 😛