We all know driving to Dodger Stadium can be a total traffic nightmare. The line of cars just waiting to get up the hill, the gridlock in the parking lot – when there’s parking to be found at all. But the Dodgers have advanced to the National League Championship Series and the Big Blue faithful are turning out in droves to support them. To help ease the congestion, the Dodgers are offering free parking to those who carpool to the games.
Rideshare with 4 or more people to the upcoming Dodger games and receive free general parking. Added bonus from carpooling: you can use the Expresslanes for free. You’ll also be able to use the bus lane to the stadium. Arrive earlier to avoid traffic delays. Parking gates and turnstiles will open three hours prior to all postseason game times.
From the Mayor’s Office:
Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), in conjunction with Metro, will support the Dodgers’ offer of free post season general parking to fans who carpool with four or more people by allowing those vehicles (carpools of four or more) to use the bus lane approaching Dodger Stadium during the playoffs.
The bus lane, along Sunset Boulevard between Figueroa Street and Elysian Park Avenue, will operate 3 hours prior to game time until 8:00 PM on Monday, October 14th.
Mayor Garcetti continues to encourage all fans to ride free on the Dodger Stadium Express bus from Union station with their game ticket: http://www.metro.net/around/dodger-stadium-express/
And of course, there’s the Dodger Stadium Express that leaves from Union Station. Game day tickets will be honored as payment to ride the bus and service will start three hours before each postseason game until 90 minutes after each game. Connect with the Dodger Stadium Express via the Gold, Red or Purple Line, Metrolink, Amtrak and many Metro and municipal bus lines.
Continue reading after the jump for the full press release from the Dodgers:
LOS ANGELES – As part of the continuous effort to encourage our fans to utilize all modes of transportation to mitigate traffic flow, the Los Angeles Dodgers will be offering fans free general parking during the postseason if they have four or more passengers in their car.
“We know we had a parking issue during our recent National League Division Series win against Atlanta,” said Renata Simril, Senior Vice-President, External Affairs. “We parked more than 20,000 cars and several hundred fans were unable to park at Dodger Stadium last Monday night. We reached our capacity and some fans without parking passes were directed off-site. We were very sorry about inconveniencing these fans and felt we needed to do something to address this problem.
“We urge all of our fans to rideshare or carpool and examine all alternative transportation methods to do their part. We hope our fans will take advantage of our free parking offer with four or more fans in a vehicle in hopes of reducing our traffic flow and the number of cars at Dodger Stadium. We want our fans to have a memorable experience during the postseason.”
As Dodger Stadium will be at maximum capacity for all postseason games, fans are also urged to arrive earlier than ever to avoid traffic delays and parking concerns. Parking gates and turnstiles will open three hours prior to ALL postseason game times.
Earlier this season, the Dodgers partnered with LA Metro for the fourth consecutive year to offer the Dodger Stadium Express bus service. This year the Dodgers added a dedicated bus lane on Sunset Boulevard from Union Station to Elysian Park Avenue, which further expedites the ride for fans. Dodger game day tickets will be honored as payment to ride the bus service and the shuttle will operate three hours before each postseason game until 90 minutes after each game.
Fans are encouraged to use the many transportation alternatives that serve Union Station and that will connect them to the new Dodger Stadium Express. For specific route and schedule information fans can visit www.metro.net or call 323.GO.METRO.
Categories: Transportation News
Ricky Courtney: Having taken the stadium shuttle (I wouldn’t call it an “Express”) to every postseason game, I’m going to have to disagree with your assertion that the bus lanes are a “disaster”. While the buses I rode did not take 15 minutes from Union Station to behind center field (perhaps 30-45 minutes), the Sunset portion of the ride was much faster than before the bus lanes were added and it was somewhat gratifying to pass by large numbers of low-occupancy cars stranded in the traffic they helped create. That said, police enforcement of the 4+/bus lane was spotty, especially early in the playoffs, and I think allowing 4-person carpools has come at the expense of shuttle speeds.
Also, my experience has been that the shuttles are a waste of time after the game as they not only have no dedicated lane within stadium grounds but they are also forced to take a roundabout route to exit the stadium when closer exits would probably make for a shorter trip. I’ve found it takes the same amount of time to just walk from Dodger Stadium to Sunset to catch the 2, 4, or 704 back to Downtown. (I’ve even walked back from the stadium to Union Station, and though it’s a downhill trip, I’d recommend comfortable walking shoes. Sadly, I arrived at Union Station just around the same time the shuttles did.)
All in all, the bus/carpool lane is a definite plus, but additional refinements and tweaks are needed to bring travel times down to make the system a hands-down winner over driving.
Going to Dodgers Stadium, being a motorcyclist or a scooterist is the fastest way to get in and out of there quickly over cars or buses. While everyone is stuck in traffic, we on the motorbikes and mopeds just whiz on by between lanes and head to the #1 position at every traffic signal
The only gripe is that Dodger Stadium charges the same $10 for cars and motorcycles which makes no sense at all. This should be changed because motorcycles take up less space than cars. They could easily fit two to four motorcycles or scooters in one car spot. Instead, motorcycles are able to take up an entire car spot, which is bound to piss every car rider out there.
Can’t the City of LA change their parking laws so that motorcycles have cheaper parking than cars because they take up less space? Seattle does that.
Hmm, I saw the new “Right Lane: 4+ Carpools OK” signs yesterday and I thought “I wonder if this is what will get people to stop complaining about Bus Only Lanes” and perhaps getting them out there quicker. However, after seeing all these comments, it seems that may not work.
I gotta agree though, when I am not in the mood to catch the Red Line into Downtown, I usually catch the 704 Rapid to LAUS and once I pass by this section, I see a line a cars on the Bus Only Lane. It seems that Cyclist help to discourage that but I have only seen that twice.
Let’s be honest… allowing cars with 4 or more people in the bus lane won’t really change much. LADOT officers never keep cars out of the lane anyway.
Last game I attended, it took 55 minutes to get to the game because the bus only lane was full of cars.
[…] the recent announcement of free parking for carpools with at least four passengers is encouraging, the biggest improvements came for bus and bike riders seeking access to Dodger […]
The Dodgers and Metro advertise it as taking “just 15 minutes each way” but on Sunday and again on Monday it took nearly an hour to make the 3 mile trip.
The bus lane on Sunset have been a *disaster*.
There are always hundreds of private autos clogging up the lane. Compounding the problem… there is very law enforcement to keep the rule-breakers out. (I’ve only seen an officer once in my trips to the stadium).
Also, it would be nice if the bus lane was extended up Elysian Park Avenue to the stadium gates. The buses struggle to climb this hill as it is… and it doesn’t help that they’re dealing with stop-and-go traffic.
Making those changes would make the Dodger Stadium Express a convenient alternative to driving (and that will improve air quality).
Until then… it’s just easier to drive.
Love that they take credit for adding the bus lane on Sunset…