Quote:
Originally Posted by JHikka
Mix modes do help to a degree but they're not overly helpful when dealing with suburban setups. OC Transpo provides direct shuttle buses from downtown to the arena but they're often stuck on the same highways as the rest of the people driving are. Even with HOV lanes primarily for buses they still end up on the same roads once they reach Kanata anyway. That, and you're pressed up against four people for 35+ minutes. The ride back isn't much better.
Using simple assumptions of the CFL's audience base (older, vehicle-driving) it's not surprising that the more urban venues in the league (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver) are having difficulty getting fans out to games. It feels like fans simply don't want to make the trek into the cities. Comments in this thread regarding vehicle access and parking on-site supports my assumption.
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Different people will choose different options depending on what works for them. Some people can't bike or walk, some don't have a car, some live far away so they will drive, etc. I assume traffic will be bad whether the stadium is built at Shannon Park or Dartmouth Crossing. But at least at Shannon Park you might have options other than waiting behind 4,000 vehicles to get onto the highway.
Getting to Shannon Park by car from the other suburbs or rural areas is nothing like driving into downtown Vancouver or Toronto, and marginally different from Dartmouth Crossing aside from the current vehicle access to the site itself which will have to be expanded. I also have a feeling that the CFL could appeal to wider demographics in Halifax because there are no comparable alternatives along the lines of MLS or NHL.
The ferry is a particularly nice option for a bunch of reasons. It is way more pleasant to be on the upper deck of the ferry than packed on a bus, it's pretty, and it works well for visitors. The ferries could also dump people off in 3 different locations. And theoretically they could be chartered for the event; there could be more than just city ferries. A lot of people will take ferries even if they are not interested in a bus.
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