Quote:
Originally Posted by esquire
The best way to eliminate the congestion would be to enclose the main lower bowl concourse. Remove the incentive to stand around and force people to go to their seats if they want to see the game. (It should be stressed that this is only an issue for larger crowds, when the stadium is at about 90% or more of capacity.)
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Re the open concourse. It has been a few years since I saw it but I recall the NHL arena in Glendale had a similar open concourse design. When the game was one they drew heavy curtains across closing off the view from the concourse. Something similar would definitely address the issue. In the upper decks of IG Field where you cannot see the field from the concourse the number of people at say intermission v when the game is on is night and day difference.
In terms of capacity on the lower concourse, it is an issue when you hit about 50% capacity best I can tell. Some of the Bomber games were about 2/3 capacity in attendance and the concourse was still an issue before the game. Considering people arrive late or even just no showed some of those dark years that would mean the issues start popping at less than 66%.
Quote:
Originally Posted by esquire
In terms of temporary seating, there were temporary seats added in 2015 for the Grey Cup and I'm not aware of any obstacles preventing that from happening again.
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The cost to add the temporary seating and the amount of time needed to add them. I also cannot recall the specific issue from 2015 but I do recall that there was some issue and it was not possible to put in the temporary seating the way it had been originally planned. I think maybe the original plan was to build bleachers on the roof sections of either end zone but the load of the bleachers and occupants would have exceeded the maximum built load of the structure in those areas so instead they had to construct a massive temporary structure instead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by esquire
I have noticed some seats in the lower bowl tend to be the last to sell but that is a function of pricing rather than sight lines. It's those seats in the corners, just past the goal line. Usually the most expensive and cheapest tickets sell fastest, and it's those ones in the middle of the price list which tend to be last to go. There is nothing wrong with the views from there.
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The lower bowl seats in the corners have horrible sight lines, that is the #1 issue with them. You are way behind the goal line to start and then they are positioned to look more across the field than down the field. That part is a functional issue and why a lot of stadiums don't include seats in that exact area. To compound the issue you can either move over to on the goal line for an extra $4, the end zone looking down the field for $30 less or center field in the upped deck for $15 less. Even when the team is giving away tickets to large groups they don't use those horrible seats.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bomberjet
I assume they've though long and hard about what to do and have resisted installing barricades or other crowd control measures for some reason.
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The most aggressive the Bombers got with crowd control is when the additional seating for the Grey Cup was in place. From memory they had dedicated lanes and directions of travel on the ground. They also had staff or volunteers watching and telling people that stopped that they needed to keep moving. Doing something like the green paint for cycling paths and encouraging people move from the "red" walking area to the "yellow" transition areas where you also cannot stand and talk would help. They could then have a "green" it is okay to stand here area. The other piece I think would help is if the area closest to the lower bowl seating was a "no standing in game time" area. When the play is happening you can be there but then you are either moving to your seat or moving on to another section. If the team established a "no standing" policy for the concourse when the game is happening it would clean up a lot of what happens.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bomberjet
We talk a lot about the rum hut and people standing around. But is it REALLY an issue in the Bombers eyes? They're making big bucks off it, have accommodated no alcohol sections at the opposite end of the stadium.
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Considering the number of alcohol service stations in the north end zone (Rum Hut) seems to increase every season it is clear the team is all in on that. Personally I think they should make the roof area over the Rum Hut and other north end zone area into a "Rum Hut VIP zone". Sell a fixed number of standing room tickets to the upper deck and only let those people in. Make it an exclusive club. I also know that since IG Field opened they removed north end zone seats to expand the Rum Hut area and for at least one season they had permanently installed some tables there.
I think what the team needs to do is establish three zones in the Rum Hut area. A service zone where you are buying drinks, etc., a standing zone in the middle, and a hard barriered and actively enforced "no standing" pass through walkway. Then for the standing area they work to maintain some level of count over capacity there. I am not sure exactly how to make that work but it is definitely a safety issue as-is and runs against the minimum 6 ft² required for a valid LGCA license and is likely in violation of the Office of the Fire Commissioner occupancy as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by esquire
Canada Life Centre concourses get slammed at intermission (particularly the lower bowl) but no one really gripes about that.
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It is somewhat ironic you compare the concourse issues at IG Field to Canada Life Centre considering that CLC also has major design compromises so it could be located at the exact site it was and replacing the derelict Eaton's building. The largest of the compromises made with CLC was intentionally undersizing the concourses relative to the capacity of the building.
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