Traffic and Parking Q&A

[Parking Guru]

Hello fellow Houston Texans fans! My name is Ted Dickerson and I am the Manager of Parking and Traffic Services for the Houston Texans.

I have created this thread to reach out to all Houston Texans fans by engaging in productive dialogue about traffic and parking at Reliant stadium. This thread will also serve as a constant open communication channel to help us identify any questions you might have, and resolve any other issues requiring further action by the Houston Texans.

If you would like to address a specific incident in a private manner please email me directly at parkingfeedback@houstontexans.com, otherwise feel free to post your questions and comments as they are likely to benefit everyone.

[Whiskeyrbl]

Welcome to the site and I think this is a good idea.

[Vinny]

Having a police officer direct the traffic light that leads into the primary cash lot off loop 610S (Fannin South Metrorail (http://www.ridemetro.org/SchedulesMaps/RailSched.aspx)) is something someone should look at this season. Last year people were breaking the law left and right to circumvent the gridlock at peak times. I'd see Police inside the gates at times but I wouldn't see an officer at the light keeping everything orderly as nobody ever cleared out of the intersection. On the plus side, you guys have made great strides ironing out the bumps in the last few years with the cash lots and metro lift....many kudos for that and thanks for reaching out to the fans.

[dbruder44]

Lets talk about the Yellow lot, in the changes last year during the first hour you are suppossed to be able to park where you want, after that you must follow the people directioning you. It always seems that there are only two lines open at 8am when there are baracades set up for 4 or more, typically there are 4-6 employees standing there. They often are talking amongst themselves, wouldn't it make sense to open all 4 lanes up for that first 30 minutes for the early big push to get in the lot, and you appear to be adequately staffed at those times. We purposesfully don't come in until 815 because the back-up at 8am in just too much, but typically by 830-45 there is just a trickle coming in. Most people do want to park in the grass but there are two lots most people don't care which grass lot they go to, but the directioners are flagging people into the first lot and nobody is in the second, if you were to open that north line and allow them to turn left and go to the second grass lot you would eliminate a ton of early traffic. The problem isn't the people taking the tickets it is the people trying to park and getting backed up that creates the problem. I write back in a while about exit issues

[Parking Guru]

Vinny thank you for your comments, I was unaware there was even a problem with that metro rail site. I will look into their organizational procedures for our home games and try to identify a solution that will benefit everyone.

Dbruder44 - You have brought up two good points as well. The first being opening more lanes for the initial push. I can tell you that several years ago we did have 4-6 lanes open at 8am and the problem we ran into was to many cars were racing to the same spots and this lead to numerous arguments about who got there first. So by allowing only two lanes at a time to flow in it allows cars to arrive and park in a more orderly fashion without the disputes. This does take about 10-15 minutes longer to get that first big push through but overall it is a more organized and less chaotic strategy.

Your second point brings up the people directing you to the first grass lot. They are instructed to provide a little direction to keep people from jumping the lines and speeding past others, they should allow you to proceed to the second lot if you just let them know that is you intent, and as long as it is within that first hour after gates open. I must disagree with you on the thought that people don't care which grass lot to park in. We think over 90% of our 8am arrivals want to tailgate and park as close to the stadium as possible but as stated we would allow them to park anywhere within the first hour.

[dbruder44]

Thanks for the response, I agree it might make sense but if you did have a third lane for the second grass lot people would probably opt for that and save 10 minutes, that last 5 minutes waiting when you are just wanting to get out and get your tailgate on came be very anxious moments. The attendent do generally have cones that block that left hand turn, I normally have to get out of the car as the passenger and walk a head of my wife driving and move those cones to procede to the left, I have been yelled at by some, some were like Ok go ahead.

[Yosarian]

Traffic control is the most frustrating thing you all can come up with.

Several times when trying to leave i have been redirected back to main street from going south to 610 on kirby. This does not allieviate traffic. What it does is keep cars on the road for an extra 20 minutes.

Let us go south on Kirby when leaving a game and we can get out of there. Redirecting us in the wrong direction where we just have to turn around anyway is ridiculous and makes traffic worse not better.

Another comment i have is frequently your traffic people in the lots will "save" spots and claim they are saving them for handicapped which is not true. The handicapped is in a different spot. What they do is save them and then charge unsuspecting late arrivals with nice cars a few dollars to park up front. This has happened to me on several occasions in the red lot.

The orange lot is bad about trying to funnel everyone out the blue lot side because all the traffic guards are instructed to let the blue lot sout first so the orange lot never did empty. That was why i switched to red.

I enjoy the red lot except for that one problem. When i pay 50 dollars to park int he red lot that means i can park ANYWHERE in the red lot. These people i refer to use the orange traffic cones to block off their saved spots. Please see this doesn't happen this year. Explain to them where the actual handicapped places are.

Thank you.

Oh, one other thing. Often when i get there about an hour or two early the traffic people will direct me to turn after going down a few rows. When there are empty rows 20 rows down. If you are going to redirect us then do it on the closest row with spots still available. I am just going to drive down and turn to get to the front anyway. It just seems like the people in the lots are just not trained very well at all!!!

I would like to compliment you on the bilateral agreement you have with the jump start service. I have used it once and a friend has used it once and the jump start was quick and friendly and no hassle. That part of your system works flawlessly in my experience.

As far as serious traffic control...the exit lane to kirby (on610south going west)is long and people jump in line and i have seen several close calls and road rage when people try to cut in. It's a long wait to get in that exit lane and it could use police prescense to stop line jumpers.

[Parking Guru]

Yosarian - You have brought up some very valid points and these are some of the same questions and comments I get calls and emails about frequently. I will try to address them in the order you presented them.

Being redirected north on Kirby while exiting the Red lot is a product of several different things occurring at once. First the Kirby road closure allows less traffic to go south after a game which means if they let everyone go south after the game then it would back up to the entrance gate of the Red lot. So instead of having everyone wait inside the Red lot while they are backed up all the way down Kirby we send cars north and allow them to access alternate routes home such as Braeswood to 610 or OST to 288 or Kirby north to 59. We have determined through fan feedback that most folks would rather be driving in some direction and make adjustments to their route and find their way home as opposed to sitting inside parking lots waiting for lines to clear. So your direction leaving that lot is based mostly on how backed up Kirby is at the point in which you reach the exit gate.

In regards to the saving spots question I will pursue this further. You are correct we do have a designated handicap section in the Red lot so I'm unsure why there would be any coned off spaces. I will investigate this further.

The parking staff is being directed from on top of the Astrodome and on top of Reliant stadium as to the best methods to fill spaces. Essentially they fill the largest and easily accessible areas first. The open spaces you find near the front could be empty for several different reasons, first a tailgate party has packed up their things and gone inside freeing up a space, or people did not park in the correct order when they arrived earlier. Ultimately it is best to always follow the directions of the parking staff. They are in direct radio contact with parking management that can see everything from the roof tops.

Thanks for the compliment I know sometimes its easy to find everything wrong with things. So again thanks for that. FYI if anyone ever needs this service on gameday please call 832-667-1400 or text 832-655-0785.

Last your comments regarding road rage and line jumping is something we are aware of and we are working on our traffic plan for 2009 to really evaluate the best use or our resources pre-game and post-game to prevent these types of things. While I'm sure there is no way to completly eliminate these types of things we feel a strong presence during the ingress/egress will help curtail a good portion of it.

Thanks again for your comments these are exactly the kinds of questions I think is on everyone's minds. I hope this provides a little insight to these specific ones.

[Yosarian]

Yosarian - You have brought up some very valid points and these are some of the same questions and comments I get calls and emails about frequently. I will try to address them in the order you presented them.

Being redirected north on Kirby while exiting the Red lot is a product of several different things occurring at once. First the Kirby road closure allows less traffic to go south after a game which means if they let everyone go south after the game then it would back up to the entrance gate of the Red lot. So instead of having everyone wait inside the Red lot while they are backed up all the way down Kirby we send cars north and allow them to access alternate routes home such as Braeswood to 610 or OST to 288 or Kirby north to 59. We have determined through fan feedback that most folks would rather be driving in some direction and make adjustments to their route and find their way home as opposed to sitting inside parking lots waiting for lines to clear. So your direction leaving that lot is based mostly on how backed up Kirby is at the point in which you reach the exit gate.

In regards to the saving spots question I will pursue this further. You are correct we do have a designated handicap section in the Red lot so I'm unsure why there would be any coned off spaces. I will investigate this further.

The parking staff is being directed from on top of the Astrodome and on top of Reliant stadium as to the best methods to fill spaces. Essentially they fill the largest and easily accessible areas first. The open spaces you find near the front could be empty for several different reasons, first a tailgate party has packed up their things and gone inside freeing up a space, or people did not park in the correct order when they arrived earlier. Ultimately it is best to always follow the directions of the parking staff. They are in direct radio contact with parking management that can see everything from the roof tops.

Thanks for the compliment I know sometimes its easy to find everything wrong with things. So again thanks for that. FYI if anyone ever needs this service on gameday please call 832-667-1400 or text 832-655-0785.

Last your comments regarding road rage and line jumping is something we are aware of and we are working on our traffic plan for 2009 to really evaluate the best use or our resources pre-game and post-game to prevent these types of things. While I'm sure there is no way to completly eliminate these types of things we feel a strong presence during the ingress/egress will help curtail a good portion of it.

Thanks again for your comments these are exactly the kinds of questions I think is on everyone's minds. I hope this provides a little insight to these specific ones.

Thank you. I appreciate your feedback! About the closing Kirby i have found i rather than wait just hang out and throw the football around in the lot until it gets open. I've been redirected and every time it takes longer to get to 610 then if i am stuck in kirby traffic. So i guess i am one person who would raher sit and wait in the direcion i want to go thanto sit and wait in a direction i do not want to go.

[Parking Guru]

Since i have no immediate comments requiring a response I will begin posting some questions I frequently receive and my reply to them. I will try to post only a few per week to allow time to digest them and discuss them. The following question is a direct quote from another season ticket holder I received via email.

Question - "I am glad to read that you are going to look at the parking situation. It has been the greatest irritant for me since the beginning of the Texans. My biggest complaint is that the parking personnel try to "overcontrol" where people can park before the game. I usually get there before the crowd. I think up until one hour before game time I should be able to park where I want too."

Reply - I understand your frustration with the parking process being highly controlled. I believe as you do that the majority of fans would probably be just fine entering a parking lot and parking in an orderly fashion, but the problem is it only takes a few who do not make good decisions to really put the ingress/egress process to a halt. We are currently evaluating our traffic and parking plan for 2009 from top to bottom and our resource allocation is a big part of that plan, so we ask that you continue to follow our lead as we work out the ideal process for everyone and encourage you to provide feedback when needed regarding specific areas you see we can improve on.

Does anyone else have any thoughts or comments regarding this matter?

[dbruder44]

Would the Texans ever consider a longer window, like 5 hours as in the platinum lot? I know if you open the gates 5-10 early everyone will show up 5-10 earlier the next, but some times I have seen the gates not open until 805-10 after.

I still think you all should consider a 3rd lane for the further grass section, just set up cones with a sign in it that says left most lanes far grass or other, middle lane close grass, right lane right side. Just from 8am to 830 it would eliminate so much back-up. I do realize you only have two lanes coming in off main, but people just need to know that the right lane is for the right side and the left lane is for the grass section and then just let people pick which grass lot they need to be in. I think people would change their mind for a 5-10 minute time savings.

I truly appreciate you engaging us fan and asking us for our ideas. Have you ever considered using the gate on Mcknee for pass entry into the yellow lot, I know it is open for people paying cash.

[BBQ-n-Bock]

Guru - traffic isn't my biggest issue but rather the 'music' being played in the parking lot. It's not the volume at which it's played, but rather the lyrics. Unfortunately much of today's 'in' music contains f-bombs, n-bombs and a host of graphic portrails of the female anatomy.

Either designate an area where these folks are free play what they want as loud as they want as vulgar as they want

or, my preferred method would be to designate an area which is kid friendly. Most Dad's I know wouldn't mind walking a few extra paces if it meant they could enjoy the festivities knowing their kids ears are a bit safer.

[Parking Guru]

Guru - traffic isn't my biggest issue but rather the 'music' being played in the parking lot. It's not the volume at which it's played, but rather the lyrics. Unfortunately much of today's 'in' music contains f-bombs, n-bombs and a host of graphic portrails of the female anatomy.

Either designate an area where these folks are free play what they want as loud as they want as vulgar as they want

or, my preferred method would be to designate an area which is kid friendly. Most Dad's I know wouldn't mind walking a few extra paces if it meant they could enjoy the festivities knowing their kids ears are a bit safer.

BBQ - You share the same sentiment as many of our fans, as part of the leagues updated NFL Fan Conduct Policy we will be monitoring these types of things very closely this year. We encourage all fans to call (832-667-1400) our gameday hot line to report vulgar lyrics. However please keep in mind we will not ask people to change the type of music they listen to just because it is not enjoyed by everyone around them. We will assist with situations in which their is truly vulgar and offensive words being played. We will also officially launch our yellow card program outside the stadium this year as well. This program will allow us to document offenders and easily identify and remove repeat offenders in regards to all our tailgating guidelines.

As for the kid friendly lot or alcohol/tailgating free lot we are tossing around the idea of doing this. We should make a final decision on this by the end of May. This is a great opportunity to get some feedback regarding this from other fans as well. If anyone has any feedback regarding making one colored lot completely alcohol and tailgating free please feel free to chime in.

[Yosarian]

alchohol free lot----and tailgating

You win the oxymoron of the day!

:D

I agree with the i'd rather not have vulgar lyrics played in the lots.

I also agree you should investigate finding an area for these non alcohol wth kids people who want to insulate the real world from their families. Just don't do it in my lot. lol

[BattleRedFlash]

We will also officially launch our yellow card program outside the stadium this year as well. This program will allow us to document offenders and easily identify and remove repeat offenders in regards to all our tailgating guidelines.

This is a GREAT idea. Usually, the wanna-be DJ's that play their music too loud also display their DJ names. Easy to track. -- Another idea may be to have anyone with speakers point them inwards toward their own party, not outwards. Why do they bring huge speakers, then point them at other people? My speakers always point at our own party, but I am still drowned out almost every week.

[Vinny]

Another comment i have is frequently your traffic people in the lots will "save" spots and claim they are saving them for handicapped which is not true. The handicapped is in a different spot. What they do is save them and then charge unsuspecting late arrivals with nice cars a few dollars to park up front. This has happened to me on several occasions in the red lot.

I have a handicap tag since I have a degenerative hip and walking long distances is quite painful. To be frank, the reality is that there are not enough handicap parking spots for everyone so I have to come in and hope I don't have to make a long, painful walk across the large parking lot when I arrive so it makes a little bit of sense to keep some spots open close to the front gate. Personally I don't think any of the parking attendants are taking money to move people to the front but they have been kind enough to see my handicap sign or my walking cane and move me up to the front the few times I've asked about getting closer to the stadium. I've been coming to games since day 1 and haven't noticed a problem with the attendants "fixing" the parking for extra revenue. I have seen them help out elderly and handicapped folks though. I'm not saying it doesn't happen but your scenario is news to me.

[Parking Guru]

This is a GREAT idea. Usually, the wanna-be DJ's that play their music too loud also display their DJ names. Easy to track. -- Another idea may be to have anyone with speakers point them inwards toward their own party, not outwards. Why do they bring huge speakers, then point them at other people? My speakers always point at our own party, but I am still drowned out almost every week.

You have touched on a hot topic for many fans regarding the sizes of speakers and the direction they are pointed. I can tell you the newest edition of tailgating guidelines will include a limit on speaker sizes. We will also introduce volume restrictions that are outlined in the City of Houston sound ordinances 30.1-30.9. The Houston Texans feel this is an acceptable method to have everyone within their tailgate area be able to reasonably hear their music while not impeding on the rights of their neighbors to enjoy the same great tailgate experience. As always we will encourage everyone to call our gameday hot line at 832-667-1400 should you ever have anything that disrupts your gameday experience.

[Yosarian]

I have a handicap tag since I have a degenerative hip and walking long distances is quite painful. To be frank, the reality is that there are not enough handicap parking spots for everyone so I have to come in and hope I don't have to make a long, painful walk across the large parking lot when I arrive so it makes a little bit of sense to keep some spots open close to the front gate. Personally I don't think any of the parking attendants are taking money to move people to the front but they have been kind enough to see my handicap sign or my walking cane and move me up to the front the few times I've asked about getting closer to the stadium. I've been coming to games since day 1 and haven't noticed a problem with the attendants "fixing" the parking for extra revenue. I have seen them help out elderly and handicapped folks though. I'm not saying it doesn't happen but your scenario is news to me.


I'm glad you were helped out but i have seen it happen. And i would happily give up my spot to an actual handicapped person who needed it if the handicapped spaces were full. If the case is that they have issued more handicapped placards than they have spaces then that is also something that should be looked at.

[hondaguy007]

I've read on several threads here that there are cash lots available, so why are many people on this site selling parking passes, is there some info out there that i might not know about, what are these cash lots i hear about and where exactly are they located?

[dbruder44]

I've read on several threads here that there are cash lots available, so why are many people on this site selling parking passes, is there some info out there that i might not know about, what are these cash lots i hear about and where exactly are they located?

I only know of one the yellow lot, last year it was $25 I think ($10 above the face price) you couldn't enter the lot as early and I don't know how many people they let in, you have to enter of Mcknee not of main. Many people doubted that this went on but I frequently visit people in purple and walk by this side gate watching attendants working this entrance. I wish they would just sell the remaining passes for this lot, but I scratch my head seeing people pay 30+ for yellow passes when you could have paid less in cash.

[travlin]

I've read on several threads here that there are cash lots available, so why are many people on this site selling parking passes, is there some info out there that i might not know about, what are these cash lots i hear about and where exactly are they located?

The cash lot is Smithlands which is Northeast of the stadium along the rail line.

[Parking Guru]

I only know of one the yellow lot, last year it was $25 I think ($10 above the face price) you couldn't enter the lot as early and I don't know how many people they let in, you have to enter of Mcknee not of main. Many people doubted that this went on but I frequently visit people in purple and walk by this side gate watching attendants working this entrance. I wish they would just sell the remaining passes for this lot, but I scratch my head seeing people pay 30+ for yellow passes when you could have paid less in cash.

There is no cash parking at Reliant stadium. If you ever witness cash sales at any Parking gate I urge you to get as much information as possible about the incident including names, gate number, and time of day if possible and contact me directly at parkingfeedback@houstontexans.com.

[dbruder44]

There is no cash parking at Reliant stadium. If you ever witness cash sales at any Parking gate I urge you to get as much information as possible about the incident including names, gate number, and time of day if possible and contact me directly at parkingfeedback@houstontexans.com.

I can't beleive that this was not caught last year if it was not suppossed to be happening. They had signs with the price and there was uniformed Texans parking crews 2 or more people bringing in cash sales for most if not all games, using the entrace to the yellow lot coming in off Mcnee as you approach the purple lot. They had a cash box and that gate was always open about 9 am or so on game days. If this wasn't a texans thing you all need to fire your supervisors/magagers of that lot because they were either particpating in the profits or just too clueless to know it was going on.

[travlin]

I can't beleive that this was not caught last year if it was not suppossed to be happening. They had signs with the price and there was uniformed Texans parking crews 2 or more people bringing in cash sales for most if not all games, using the entrace to the yellow lot coming in off Mcnee as you approach the purple lot. They had a cash box and that gate was always open about 9 am or so on game days. If this wasn't a texans thing you all need to fire your supervisors/magagers of that lot because they were either particpating in the profits or just too clueless to know it was going on.

You are probably just getting confused with some other event at Reliant. I never saw this happen and I park in yellow.

[dbruder44]

You are probably just getting confused with some other event at Reliant. I never saw this happen and I park in yellow.

Dude, I am not confused, I know what an open gate looks like, and can read a sign that says $25 cash parking and there were two attendants with a cash box/drawer standing there everytime I walked to the purple lot to say hello to friends, I witnessed this a half a dozen times last year, I am against this practice and would have no reason to make it up. maybe the Texans didn't know about it, but it was going on.....

[hondaguy007]

this is very interesting....... as much as i heard of cash lots on this site, i would of figured it be legal

[Sportswriter79]

You have touched on a hot topic for many fans regarding the sizes of speakers and the direction they are pointed. I can tell you the newest edition of tailgating guidelines will include a limit on speaker sizes. We will also introduce volume restrictions that are outlined in the City of Houston sound ordinances 30.1-30.9. The Houston Texans feel this is an acceptable method to have everyone within their tailgate area be able to reasonably hear their music while not impeding on the rights of their neighbors to enjoy the same great tailgate experience. As always we will encourage everyone to call our gameday hot line at 832-667-1400 should you ever have anything that disrupts your gameday experience.

Good. The smaller and quieter the speakers the better. I hope you have a lot of employees walking around with decibel meters to enforce the rule.

[Texans737]

Parking Guru,

I am a new Season ticket holder and have Purple parking. Will I be allowed to turn left (south) on Main when I exit McNee after games? Does Main St. get really get backed up trying to get to 610? I will be trying to get to I-45 south towards Galveston - would the Orange lot be a better option for me to get in and out of? (I currently have that request on file, but I heard Purple is a very good lot for non-tailgaters.) Thanks.

[Parking Guru]

Parking Guru,

I am a new Season ticket holder and have Purple parking. Will I be allowed to turn left (south) on Main when I exit McNee after games? Does Main St. get really get backed up trying to get to 610? I will be trying to get to I-45 south towards Galveston - would the Orange lot be a better option for me to get in and out of? (I currently have that request on file, but I heard Purple is a very good lot for non-tailgaters.) Thanks.

Orange would definitely be a better lot to enter and exit from based on your destination. Main street has very heavy traffic leaving the games going south towards 610. The purple lot starts at the back of that congestion because green and yellow both empty onto that road. My suggestion for anyone exiting purple would be to go North on Main and take Braeswood to 610 or OST to 288 depending on what works best for you and what your final destination is, but either way going a little further north in the beginning will be a lot faster than waiting behind two other parking lots to empty and go south on Main St. to 610. As for your request to move we are still in the process of filling those requests. They are looked at one by one and we had over 600 requests to move or add parking this year. I expect this process to be completed no later that May 30th.

[Texans737]

Thanks for the quick response - and remember me when you are deciding whether or not you can move me from purple to orange :) (I am in Sec. 512)

[hondaguy007]

i have a question! is there any other entrance to the yellow other than gate 16?

[BattleRedFlash]

Question -I usually get there before the crowd. I think up until one hour before game time I should be able to park where I want too."

Reply -
Does anyone else have any thoughts or comments regarding this matter?

Yes, this fan is being greedy. If you get to the lot one hour after OPENING you should be able to park where you want, but anything after that, you should follow instructions. I think most fans can live with policy the way it is.

[BattleRedFlash]

Good. The smaller and quieter the speakers the better. I hope you have a lot of employees walking around with decibel meters to enforce the rule.

AMEN! Then we can all listen to the music we brought, and won't have to yell to speak to a person 2 feet away.

[Parking Guru]

i have a question! is there any other entrance to the yellow other than gate 16?

Yes, there is a gate on McNee that will open promptly 4 hours before kick-off in addition to the gate number 16 on Main st. You may enter the Yellow lot from either of these gates on gameday.

[dbruder44]

Yes, there is a gate on McNee that will open promptly 4 hours before kick-off in addition to the gate number 16 on Main st. You may enter the Yellow lot from either of these gates on gameday.

Wouldn't it make sense to force all southbound traffic on Main to go in that gate and allow the main gate for northbound traffic. Instead of us both trying to enter that way off main. I guess it would force people to stay on the north half of the yellow lot though.

[Parking Guru]

For all of you attending our amazing All Access event next Wednesday May 27th from 6-9:30pm please be aware all parking for that event will be in the Blue Lot. The parking gates will open at 4:30pm. However the event will not begin until 6pm, and unfortunately there will be no tailgating allowed for this event. Please note this event is for Season Ticket Holders only.

[Parking Guru]

Wouldn't it make sense to force all southbound traffic on Main to go in that gate and allow the main gate for northbound traffic. Instead of us both trying to enter that way off main. I guess it would force people to stay on the north half of the yellow lot though.

Yes it would be nice from a traffic control standpoint, but probably not great from a fan perspective. So we have decided to keep both options available for all fans.

[dbruder44]

Yes it would be nice from a traffic control standpoint, but probably not great from a fan perspective. So we have decided to keep both options available for all fans.

Agreed, so if I way heading north on "Main" and passed up the gate at Main ST and came in off Mcknee, I could go and park directly into the far grass area and avoid the lines of the people backing up the "Main st" gate wanting to get in the close grass lot correct? taht would be cool as we always park in the grass right by the road inbetween so we don't care if we are the last row of the close lot or the first of the far lot as they are 30 feet apart. Sweet!!! FYI that Mcknee gate was where people were collecting cash last year.....

[Parking Guru]

Agreed, so if I way heading north on "Main" and passed up the gate at Main ST and came in off Mcknee, I could go and park directly into the far grass area and avoid the lines of the people backing up the "Main st" gate wanting to get in the close grass lot correct? taht would be cool as we always park in the grass right by the road inbetween so we don't care if we are the last row of the close lot or the first of the far lot as they are 30 feet apart. Sweet!!! FYI that Mcknee gate was where people were collecting cash last year.....

You are correct that McNee entrance gate would probably be the quickest and easiest way to arrive at the grassy area you usually park in. Thanks for the heads up on the cash collecting we will continue to work to correct this matter for the upcoming season.

[touttail]

AMEN! Then we can all listen to the music we brought, and won't have to yell to speak to a person 2 feet away.


Not only in that lot, in the RED lot also.
There is a group with mega speakers that think the "whole red lot" should listen to "their" music. Pain in the rear-end & very inconsiderate of others !!!!!!!

Bobby 119C

[Parking Guru]

our goal as cops is among other things to reduce crashes. One of the methods of reducing crashes is to reduce traffic congestion. Thats all the short cut folks are doing - reducing congestion by finding an alternate, albeit non-traditional route.

You really have to step back for a second and ask yourself -

A parking lot that is otherwise open for public use is being used periodically as a shortcut. Unless the drivers conduct is creating a genuine hazard, whats the harm? Is there really a problem here that is worthy of enforcement action?

Magic,

Our traffic plan does not involve the monitoring of any traffic on commercially owned properties or parking lots near Reliant Stadium that are not officially designated as Reliant Stadium parking lots. For specific questions regarding those non designated lots near the stadium you would need to contact the property management to determine their gameday traffic and parking procedures. The Houston Texans are only able to control public roads, lights, and designated Reliant Stadium parking lots near the stadium in accordance to the guidelines approved by the City of Houston, Harris County, and the Texas Department of Transportation.

[Texans737]

Thanks for the quick response - and remember me when you are deciding whether or not you can move me from purple to orange :) (I am in Sec. 512)

I got my rejection letter today - although it was filled with "PSL" stuff and I was just asking to switch from Purple to Orange parking.

[Parking Guru]

Attention Fans,

We are currently interviewing for Quality Assurance Tailgate Representatives for 2009 (Tailgate Ambassadors). If you or anyone you know is a football fan who enjoys the outdoors and helping people this might be the perfect job.

Please visit the following link to apply http://texans.teamworkonline.com/teamwork/jobs/jobs.cfm/Event-Game-Day-Staff?supcat=80#24258 .

The basic function of this position is to provide outstanding customer service to our fans on gameday. Our Tailgate Ambassadors cater to the needs of our fans in the parking lots on gameday. They provide information, directions, explanations, and most importantly build relationships with fans in the parking lots before and after the games.

If you have any questions regarding this position or any other parking or traffic informational needs please feel free to send me an email at parkingfeedback@houstontexans.com

[hb247]

I moved to Houston six months ago. I've been a Texans fan since they announced an NFL team was coming to Houston. So, naturally I'm now a season ticket holder for the first time!!!! :D

This may be a dumb question for the more experienced people but how do I purchase a season parking pass? Do I call the ticket office? Does something come with my season ticket packet? Or what????

[BattleRedFlash]

I moved to Houston six months ago. I've been a Texans fan since they announced an NFL team was coming to Houston. So, naturally I'm now a season ticket holder for the first time!!!! :D

This may be a dumb question for the more experienced people but how do I purchase a season parking pass? Do I call the ticket office? Does something come with my season ticket packet? Or what????

Not a dumb question. Yes, call the ticket office, and talk to an account rep. They'll set you up with one. (If all the hot-****ed scalpers have not bought them all.) Scum of the universe they are.

[dbruder44]

Not a dumb question. Yes, call the ticket office, and talk to an account rep. They'll set you up with one. (If all the hot-****ed scalpers have not bought them all.) Scum of the universe they are.

I called the other day and they have yellow and purple, but you have to buy the Churasscos pass. The problem is that many people enjoy tailgating so much that many people have parking passes and don't even go to the games.


You might have to look to ebay at this point, but cal the Texans they may sell a pass to a new season ticket holder. I have one yellow pass and 6 seats so I could use another too, but they wouldn't sell me one without the fancy churasco pass which is like 100 per game.

[97 Rock]

This is in regards to the Yellow Lot. I don't remember if it was last year or the year before, but for just a couple of games they had 4 lanes when you entered. The two to the left were marked with signage for people who wanted to park on the grass and the two to the right were marked for those who wanted to park to the right on the concrete.

This seemed to work well as it kept people from cutting over up in front of the line and tieing things up. But then they abandoned that plan after a couple of games.

Another idea I have is to have 2 seperate entrances. One for the grass, one for the concrete.

But the marking off the lanes thing seemed to work real well the two games they did it.

[hb247]

Thanks battleredflash and bruder!!!

I called the ticket office and they had parking passes still left! They had maroon lot ones besides the others with the Churasscos pass. I just got the maroon lot one which is fine with me! :)

Yes! I'm so excited about this season!

[Parking Guru]

This is in regards to the Yellow Lot. I don't remember if it was last year or the year before, but for just a couple of games they had 4 lanes when you entered. The two to the left were marked with signage for people who wanted to park on the grass and the two to the right were marked for those who wanted to park to the right on the concrete.

This seemed to work well as it kept people from cutting over up in front of the line and tieing things up. But then they abandoned that plan after a couple of games.

Another idea I have is to have 2 seperate entrances. One for the grass, one for the concrete.

But the marking off the lanes thing seemed to work real well the two games they did it.

97 Rock - I do remember trying this and the reason we discontinued having specific lanes for specific areas was because we had two many cones dragged across the parking lot when people figured out we were forcing them to one specific section of the lot. While the majority of fans would inevitably catch on had we continued, we felt that there were always going to be some portion of fans who would continue a trend of jumping in the shorter line to crash through cones and get where they wanted to go ahead of others.

As for the possibility of using separate gates for separate areas we feel this would hinder fans ability to park wherever they want for the 1st hour as stated in our tailgating guidelines. Also because eventually people would start lining up at the shorter gate and stating they didn't know they had to park in a certain area only to race to specific tailgating spots ahead of other who waited in the correct line.

Unfortunately there is probably not any perfect solution to the yellow lot early morning rush. I can commit that we will have gates opening on time and possibly a few minutes early to offset some of the time spent entering that lot this year. No guarantee on the early opening but we are working hard to make everything run as smooth and fair as possible.

[Texan634]

Yes, there is a gate on McNee that will open promptly 4 hours before kick-off in addition to the gate number 16 on Main st. You may enter the Yellow lot from either of these gates on gameday.


What about after game exits from the yellow lot. I don't McNee is open for exit. Why not ?

[Parking Guru]

What about after game exits from the yellow lot. I don't McNee is open for exit. Why not ?

We are currently reviewing our traffic plan to open this gate earlier. As of last year we would force the purple lot to exit west on McNee and when that traffic cleared we would open the gate for the yellow lot. (Approx. 25 Minutes after games end)

I am hoping our new traffic plan will be approved by the City of Houston which will allow 3 lanes to travel westbound on McNee at which point we will allow one or two lanes from yellow lot to immediately flow out of that exit after the game.

I have no guarantee's as of right now, but we are working diligently to find a more effective way to manage that gate exit. Believe me we are considering a million possibilities (give or take a few). Many of which we are still investigating, but the one mentioned above is the most likely to succeed and produce an immediate impact. Please be patient this season as explore these alternatives. You are likely to see some games better than others and very soon we will have the solution that works best for everyone.

Thanks for the question I know many have wondered the same thing, and we know it is a concern for our fans on gameday.

[Texan634]

We have a new motorhome which we may bring to games. I see where two parking passes are required. I have acquired the second parking pass. I also see that there is a special area for motorhomes. Is any of this on the grass ? If we have an awning do I need a third pass to open the awning ?
Any other tips about bringing a motorhome ?

[Parking Guru]

We have a new motorhome which we may bring to games. I see where two parking passes are required. I have acquired the second parking pass. I also see that there is a special area for motorhomes. Is any of this on the grass ? If we have an awning do I need a third pass to open the awning ?
Any other tips about bringing a motorhome ?

You will need additional parking if you plan to tailgate in the space beside your RV and utilize the awning.

The question about parking on the grass is a little more tricky. The answer will be dictated by your arrival time. If you arrive early you will be allowed to park in the grassy area. However, the parking attendants will probably ask you to park at the end of a row in the grassy area. You will be instructed to use the end of a row because it would be impossible for your RV to maneuver safely if you had to leave early while parked in the middle of a row cars. There will probably not be any preference in terms of the end of which row you will be asked to park at, it will depend mostly on your spot in line during the morning rush to the grassy area.

If you do not arrive early there will be no chance you will be able to park in the grassy area. You will be instructed to park in another area in the yellow lot that is specifically designated for RV arriving after the first hour. Honestly it would end up very close to the back of the lot just because there is more maneuverability back there before kickoff. Our primary thought with that is safety. (yours, other fans, your vehicle)

[BattleRedFlash]

Well, Ted, the first preseason game was just terrible with the DJ's and the loud music.
I park in the Blue Lot near the 22 sign. There were three "DJ's" around us that had huge speakers and played their music so loud we were forced to yell at each other to be heard. And these DJ's were across the street! Two to three hundred feet away.
The Texans parking lot people just walked right by them. I called the tailgate help, and she took all my information, and nothing much happened. One cop showed up, and he just watched them. He did not speak to them.
Wasn't there supposed to be a decibel meter? A speaker size limit? I did not see anything like this at all.
I complained to the "information booth", but they did not seem interested. He said they had to wait til someone complained til they told the DJ's to turn it down.
Every once and awhile, they would turn it down. (maybe someone talked to them that I did not see) but 10 minutes later, it would be loud again. It was worse than last year for sure. One was playing music I liked but it was too loud. And I go to many rock concerts.
We didn't even get our stereo out of the car. If people have to start taking matters in their own hands, things could escalate.

[cpstewar]

I have written to the Texans about this parking issue before but have never really gotten back a response. I have season tickets as well as a Blue Lot Parking Pass. I drive two hours from Victoria to attend all the home games and I always try to get to the stadium 2 hours prior to game time for the tailgating festivities. While I enjoy going to the tailgating, I feel that getting to the parking lot more than 2 hours prior to game time is a "little much". My tailgating location is actually at the boundary of the Platinum Lot and the Blue Lot towards the North West portion of the Blue Lot. I used to be able to enter off of Kirby, take an immediate right and park right there. Easy access to the tailgating, easy access to the stadium, and easy access back to the exit for after the game. I am paying a premier amount for the Blue Lot passes so I think a few of these conveniences are expected. (I never have arrived more than 2 hours before the game but started having these parking problems in the 2007/08 season.) Now when I get there, I am almost always directed to the very Northeast corner of the Blue Lot. This happens to be the furthest walk to the tailgating location and one of the worst places for exiting after the game. So, essentially, since I am arriving 2 hours prior to the game - I am getting one of the worst parking locations in one of the most expensive parking lots. If I arrive only 1 hour prior to the game, I can park exactly in the place I used to be able to as the Northeast spots are already taken. This encourages me to either 1) arrive late to the game and miss the tailgating opportunities, 2) leave the game early since I the parking spot I have is so bad for exiting or 3) get rid of my blue lot pass altogether and get a less expensive lot (like red) that is still a far walk but at least allows me to park where I want with a good exit location.

So - what is my question after all of that ranting? Why is the "park wherever you want" rule limited to the first hour that the lot opens? It would seem that the first two hours would be a more reasonable timeframe - still "forcing" the parking after that point. Your feedback would be appreciated.

[dbruder44]

I have written to the Texans about this parking issue before but have never really gotten back a response. I have season tickets as well as a Blue Lot Parking Pass. I drive two hours from Victoria to attend all the home games and I always try to get to the stadium 2 hours prior to game time for the tailgating festivities. While I enjoy going to the tailgating, I feel that getting to the parking lot more than 2 hours prior to game time is a "little much". My tailgating location is actually at the boundary of the Platinum Lot and the Blue Lot towards the North West portion of the Blue Lot. I used to be able to enter off of Kirby, take an immediate right and park right there. Easy access to the tailgating, easy access to the stadium, and easy access back to the exit for after the game. I am paying a premier amount for the Blue Lot passes so I think a few of these conveniences are expected. (I never have arrived more than 2 hours before the game but started having these parking problems in the 2007/08 season.) Now when I get there, I am almost always directed to the very Northeast corner of the Blue Lot. This happens to be the furthest walk to the tailgating location and one of the worst places for exiting after the game. So, essentially, since I am arriving 2 hours prior to the game - I am getting one of the worst parking locations in one of the most expensive parking lots. If I arrive only 1 hour prior to the game, I can park exactly in the place I used to be able to as the Northeast spots are already taken. This encourages me to either 1) arrive late to the game and miss the tailgating opportunities, 2) leave the game early since I the parking spot I have is so bad for exiting or 3) get rid of my blue lot pass altogether and get a less expensive lot (like red) that is still a far walk but at least allows me to park where I want with a good exit location.

So - what is my question after all of that ranting? Why is the "park wherever you want" rule limited to the first hour that the lot opens? It would seem that the first two hours would be a more reasonable timeframe - still "forcing" the parking after that point. Your feedback would be appreciated.


Red is more expensive than Blue but is a short walk, purple is cheaper and close, yellow is the cheapest but hell to get out of. I would show up 3 hours early, and have a few extra beverages and just chill in the lot for 15 - 20 minutes after the crowd clears out then leave.

[dbruder44]

Well, Ted, the first preseason game was just terrible with the DJ's and the loud music.
I park in the Blue Lot near the 22 sign. There were three "DJ's" around us that had huge speakers and played their music so loud we were forced to yell at each other to be heard. And these DJ's were across the street! Two to three hundred feet away.
The Texans parking lot people just walked right by them. I called the tailgate help, and she took all my information, and nothing much happened. One cop showed up, and he just watched them. He did not speak to them.
Wasn't there supposed to be a decibel meter? A speaker size limit? I did not see anything like this at all.
I complained to the "information booth", but they did not seem interested. He said they had to wait til someone complained til they told the DJ's to turn it down.
Every once and awhile, they would turn it down. (maybe someone talked to them that I did not see) but 10 minutes later, it would be loud again. It was worse than last year for sure. One was playing music I liked but it was too loud. And I go to many rock concerts.
We didn't even get our stereo out of the car. If people have to start taking matters in their own hands, things could escalate.

Yeah drunk people being told by other civilians to turn their sh__ down is only going to cause fights, security personnel with an officer is the only way to handle that situation, most people won't mess with a cop, but will give a security gaurd all sorts of grief

[Vinny]

I used the Fannin South parknride cash lot and I thought it was exceptionally well run and was an easy-in, easy-out, with no extra lines for the metrorail tickets to hold us up like last year. Kudos to the coordinators.

[Parking Guru]

Well, Ted, the first preseason game was just terrible with the DJ's and the loud music.
I park in the Blue Lot near the 22 sign. There were three "DJ's" around us that had huge speakers and played their music so loud we were forced to yell at each other to be heard. And these DJ's were across the street! Two to three hundred feet away.
The Texans parking lot people just walked right by them. I called the tailgate help, and she took all my information, and nothing much happened. One cop showed up, and he just watched them. He did not speak to them.
Wasn't there supposed to be a decibel meter? A speaker size limit? I did not see anything like this at all.
I complained to the "information booth", but they did not seem interested. He said they had to wait til someone complained til they told the DJ's to turn it down.
Every once and awhile, they would turn it down. (maybe someone talked to them that I did not see) but 10 minutes later, it would be loud again. It was worse than last year for sure. One was playing music I liked but it was too loud. And I go to many rock concerts.
We didn't even get our stereo out of the car. If people have to start taking matters in their own hands, things could escalate.

Thanks for your feedback, as you can imagine the sheer volume of people with loud music and excessive speaker sizes have made it challenging for everyone. I can tell you the Houston Texans did visit with a lot of folks in the blue lot who were in violation of those music guidelines and issued written warnings while documenting their names, location, and season ticket ID's. We informed them of the new guidelines and advised them that beginning with the regular season we will actively begin removing parties that are in direct violation of these guidelines. The Houston Texans felt the majority of our fans failed to read and understand the revised guidelines. We ask that you continue to remain patient while we transition through this process. As with any changes there will be challenges, but we are committed to making everyone's tailgating experience fan friendly.

[Parking Guru]

I have written to the Texans about this parking issue before but have never really gotten back a response. I have season tickets as well as a Blue Lot Parking Pass. I drive two hours from Victoria to attend all the home games and I always try to get to the stadium 2 hours prior to game time for the tailgating festivities. While I enjoy going to the tailgating, I feel that getting to the parking lot more than 2 hours prior to game time is a "little much". My tailgating location is actually at the boundary of the Platinum Lot and the Blue Lot towards the North West portion of the Blue Lot. I used to be able to enter off of Kirby, take an immediate right and park right there. Easy access to the tailgating, easy access to the stadium, and easy access back to the exit for after the game. I am paying a premier amount for the Blue Lot passes so I think a few of these conveniences are expected. (I never have arrived more than 2 hours before the game but started having these parking problems in the 2007/08 season.) Now when I get there, I am almost always directed to the very Northeast corner of the Blue Lot. This happens to be the furthest walk to the tailgating location and one of the worst places for exiting after the game. So, essentially, since I am arriving 2 hours prior to the game - I am getting one of the worst parking locations in one of the most expensive parking lots. If I arrive only 1 hour prior to the game, I can park exactly in the place I used to be able to as the Northeast spots are already taken. This encourages me to either 1) arrive late to the game and miss the tailgating opportunities, 2) leave the game early since I the parking spot I have is so bad for exiting or 3) get rid of my blue lot pass altogether and get a less expensive lot (like red) that is still a far walk but at least allows me to park where I want with a good exit location.

So - what is my question after all of that ranting? Why is the "park wherever you want" rule limited to the first hour that the lot opens? It would seem that the first two hours would be a more reasonable timeframe - still "forcing" the parking after that point. Your feedback would be appreciated.

Again thanks for the great questions and feedback everyone. For this particular question/situation the guideline is one hour after gates open because as we approach the two hour mark after gates open the traffic volume entering the stadium increases and makes it extremely difficult to park cars in an orderly and efficient process when large volumes continue to enter the Blue lot from 4 different gates and park wherever they want. They start mixing with pedestrians while trying to park close to other tailgaters and we try to prevent this mix of pedestrians and vehicles as much as possible for the safety of all fans. I realize this can cause some frustrations, but the intent is to maintain a safe environment for our fans. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to evaluate the best methods for our fans to arrive and depart on gameday.

[Yosarian]

I had to print out my tickets and parking pass from the season ticket manager and no one but me knew what i had. Maybe you could inform the parking lot people that they are valid. I got in after a brief discussion but might be something to address for the reg season.

Also (not your department i know) but the season ticketmanager is very confusing. Something got changed from last year. That page needs to be a little more informative on how to do it and to let people know about it redirecting you to ticket master site and also about the forwarding email was a little confusing the way it was presented ont he webpage.

[Dptexanfan]

Thanks for your feedback, as you can imagine the sheer volume of people with loud music and excessive speaker sizes have made it challenging for everyone. I can tell you the Houston Texans did visit with a lot of folks in the blue lot who were in violation of those music guidelines and issued written warnings while documenting their names, location, and season ticket ID's. We informed them of the new guidelines and advised them that beginning with the regular season we will actively begin removing parties that are in direct violation of these guidelines. The Houston Texans felt the majority of our fans failed to read and understand the revised guidelines. We ask that you continue to remain patient while we transition through this process. As with any changes there will be challenges, but we are committed to making everyone's tailgating experience fan friendly.

Yes, the reason you have such a large number of people with loud music and "excessive speaker sizes" is because thats what tailgating is all about. It's not about the "leave it to beaver tailgating" style that is boring and bland.The Houston Texans have ALWAYS since 2002, "encouraged" tailgating with tailgater of the year competitions and such, and almost every "large" tailgate party is something that started out with two guys and a truck, and now has morphed into tailgate buses, large tents, corporate backing,etc. Now all of a sudden, you guys want to put the brakes on all this after everyone has spent the past 7 years building their tailgates bigger and better(and louder in some cases)year after year, spending countless hours on building trailers, trailer pits,etc. The Houston Texans really surprised me this year with their "official speaker sizes" and such-what a joke! Good luck with the monster YOU created-
6 year season ticket holder and tailgater

[Parking Guru]

Yes, the reason you have such a large number of people with loud music and "excessive speaker sizes" is because thats what tailgating is all about. It's not about the "leave it to beaver tailgating" style that is boring and bland.The Houston Texans have ALWAYS since 2002, "encouraged" tailgating with tailgater of the year competitions and such, and almost every "large" tailgate party is something that started out with two guys and a truck, and now has morphed into tailgate buses, large tents, corporate backing,etc. Now all of a sudden, you guys want to put the brakes on all this after everyone has spent the past 7 years building their tailgates bigger and better(and louder in some cases)year after year, spending countless hours on building trailers, trailer pits,etc. The Houston Texans really surprised me this year with their "official speaker sizes" and such-what a joke! Good luck with the monster YOU created-
6 year season ticket holder and tailgater

I think the traditional meaning of tailgating has been lost by some of our fans, tailgating is defined by some sources as "the consumption of alcoholic beverages such as beer or mixed drinks and the grilling of various meat products. Popular tailgate party foods include picnic staples such as hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, and cold salads like cole slaw or potato salad. Various tailgating games include beer pong, ladder toss, cornhole, washer pitching and flipcup.[9] It is also common for fans to bring out TV equipment to tailgate parties to watch games from the parking lot."

While this is not a catch all definition I don't believe "excessive music levels" will ever be found in any definition. Our revised tailgating guidelines are not meant to take away music from tailgating, but instead ensure music levels are enjoyable for everyone. The speaker sizes listed in the guidelines are certainly capable of producing suitable music levels for even the biggest tailgate parties without disrupting the gameday experience for other fans.

[TexansFight the original]

Parking Guru-

I am a season ticketholder and have Blue Lot parking and live in North Montrose. I usually just take Montrose down to the traffic circle near the museums and take Main St. down to Kirby and make a left and then make another left on Westridge to get to the parking lot

Well, the lane closures on Kirby and now lately the moronic cops directing traffic have made what was once a relatively painless and quick jaunt to the stadium much more of a headache.

If this was a normal Sunday noon start I would just try 288 S to 610 and exit Kirby. However, since we have a Monday night game I was just wondering if this still would be a good idea with all of the Pearland traffic. Does the traffic on 288 from downtown to the Loop and then the Loop to Kirby move at a decent rate or are you basically just stuck in stop and go hell.

The main problem now is making a left from Kirby on Westridge. I am also thinking of taking S Main down to Westridge and making a left on Westridge and riding that in to the stadium. The cops let that traffic go for 5 minutes before maybe letting 5 cars at most make a left on Kirby. I appreciate any tips.

[Parking Guru]

South Main to Westridge is your best bet. That is one of our priority routes to the blue lot. I would definitely advise staying away from 610 feeder for this game. As for the traffic procedures from Kirby to Westridge I will double check why they are not allowing you to turn there.

[REDZONEtailg8er]

We tailgated every game last year in the blue lot against the fence by the Reliant Arena and near the edge of the orange lot. but I now see that this is the Miller Lite Blue Suite Lot. Was this the case last year as well? The reason I ask is because when we went to tailgate the Saints VS Texans Game that whole area was blocked off and we had to tailgate in a different area then last year. Was this because it was preseason? or will it be like this every game? We always are early and ready to enter the gate as soon as it opens. Any information you can give me would be appreciated. :cool:

[sec132]

Traffic in blue lot SUCKS I set in my car 38 min and only moved two spots it wasn"t even a crawl,another 30 min to get out. Over 1 hour. My friend parks in yellow and was home before i ever got out of the blue lot. The way you have it barricaded it ridiculous why not let the front of the blue lot out on Kirby that lane was flowing great. Please address the front of the blue lot. I witnessed people screaming at each other I sure if it continues there will be altercations.

[TexansFight the original]

I agree the new barricades in the blue lot are terrible. It is taking me MUCH longer to get to the stadium the past 2 games than it ever had before and I have had season tickets since the beginning. In the 8th year, traffic should not be getting worse.

[97 Rock]

Yes, the reason you have such a large number of people with loud music and "excessive speaker sizes" is because thats what tailgating is all about. It's not about the "leave it to beaver tailgating" style that is boring and bland.The Houston Texans have ALWAYS since 2002, "encouraged" tailgating with tailgater of the year competitions and such, and almost every "large" tailgate party is something that started out with two guys and a truck, and now has morphed into tailgate buses, large tents, corporate backing,etc. Now all of a sudden, you guys want to put the brakes on all this after everyone has spent the past 7 years building their tailgates bigger and better(and louder in some cases)year after year, spending countless hours on building trailers, trailer pits,etc. The Houston Texans really surprised me this year with their "official speaker sizes" and such-what a joke! Good luck with the monster YOU created-
6 year season ticket holder and tailgater

The problem is not with the large groups with buses, corporate backing and large volumes of people, the problem is with people thinking tailgating is a night club or something. It's not. It's a tailgate. Drinking, BBQing, playing games, shooting the bull with other fans, giving a hard time (in fun) to opposing team's fans and that sort of thing. Not blasting everyone's ear drums out with giant speakers and freaking DJ's. If you want that, take it down to Richmond Ave. or any night club/dance club of your choice. THIS IS A TAILGATE!!! I don't pay my boat load of money to HAVE to listen to your DJ. And I already know what your response is. "If you don't want to hear it don't come". Typical arrogance of people any more. Total disregard for those around them.

I'm GLAD they've addressed the noise issue. It has made a HUGE difference in the Yellow Lot, and the tailgating is none the less for it. It isn't boring and it certainly isn't bland. I know turning the music down means you might actually have to socialize with people and perhaps that's why you want the music up so they won't find out how boring and bland you are when they talk to you.

My apologies for the rant. It's just that it's people with this kind of attitude towards it that creates the so-called monster, not the Texans.

It's a tailgate, not a night club!!!!!

8 year season ticket holder and tailgater!!!!

[Yosarian]

The red lot speaker crankers were not there this game. It was so much nicer.

[Parking Guru]

We tailgated every game last year in the blue lot against the fence by the Reliant Arena and near the edge of the orange lot. but I now see that this is the Miller Lite Blue Suite Lot. Was this the case last year as well? The reason I ask is because when we went to tailgate the Saints VS Texans Game that whole area was blocked off and we had to tailgate in a different area then last year. Was this because it was preseason? or will it be like this every game? We always are early and ready to enter the gate as soon as it opens. Any information you can give me would be appreciated. :cool:

That lot will open up for some tailgating for the remainder of the season. The reason more spaces have been allocated in that area this season is because we have received an influx of additional ADA parking requests. ADA used to share lot 18 in the Blue suite area and now we must use that entire lot for ADA parking, so now blue lot 16 will share their lot with blue suite to accommodate both tailgating and blue suite parking.

[Parking Guru]

I agree the new barricades in the blue lot are terrible. It is taking me MUCH longer to get to the stadium the past 2 games than it ever had before and I have had season tickets since the beginning. In the 8th year, traffic should not be getting worse.

The barricades were a means of pedestrian control to alleviate some of the dangers of pedestrians mixing with cars from so many different points. As many of you realized this is the first time we have set some of these barricades in these specific areas and we are working diligently to evaluate what has worked and what we need to make changes to. You should expect to see the barricades for future games but possibly in a slightly different configuration each game until we get it right. I appreciate your patience in this matter as we continue to try and do what is best for all our fans. Thank you for your feedback in this matter.

[Vinny]

I parked in the green lot and noticed that they scaled down the entry to one lane instead of two last year (down Murworth). This made it 5 times longer to make the same trip as last season and I missed the kickoff of the game as I made it there in the same time frame I always do when I use the green lot. The overall traffic seems MUCH more congested this year. I sent you a PM about my experience with one of the parking attendants as well.

[TexansFight the original]

I parked in the green lot and noticed that they scaled down the entry to one lane instead of two last year (down Murworth). This made it 5 times longer to make the same trip as last season and I missed the kickoff of the game as I made it there in the same time frame I always do when I use the green lot. The overall traffic seems MUCH more congested this year. I sent you a PM about my experience with one of the parking attendants as well.

I am in agreement with Vinny. Traffic and the time to get into the stadium has gotten noticeably worse this year. If I didn't come early to tailgate I would always make it inside the stadium in time for player introductions. Alotting the same time this year, I have missed kickoff which is something I can't stand.

Again, the cops on Kirby and Westridge literally give those heading south on Kirby and trying to make a left on Westridge to enter the Blue Lots maybe 30 seconds for every 5 minutes they give to traffic heading into the stadium on Westridge. Hell they do not let us make a left even if there aren't any cars crossing the intersection! These traffic control cops at this intersection need to be replaced STAT!

[Yosarian]

oh i almost forgot...there is a guy "controlling" the trffic in the red lot between the parking lot and the players lot and the southern most red lot entrance. Please explain to him that he doesn't need to use his whistle on the pedestrians!!!!!

We know how to walk.

he was playing a non stop tune with that thing. I was ready to deck him by the time i crossed the street.

[Yosarian]

I am in agreement with Vinny. Traffic and the time to get into the stadium has gotten noticeably worse this year. If I didn't come early to tailgate I would always make it inside the stadium in time for player introductions. Alotting the same time this year, I have missed kickoff which is something I can't stand.

!
Actually they did you a favor. You really wanted to miss that first play!

[dbruder44]

It would be really nice if everyone just knew it would take extra time and left 15 minutes earlier on gameday to make sure they were in their seats when the Jets take the field on 9/13, we want this Sanchez kid rattled from the second he touches the grass.

I hope we win the coin toss and take the ball atleast we might have 50K people in their seats after we score our first TD and kickkoff back to NY.

[Parking Guru]

oh i almost forgot...there is a guy "controlling" the trffic in the red lot between the parking lot and the players lot and the southern most red lot entrance. Please explain to him that he doesn't need to use his whistle on the pedestrians!!!!!

We know how to walk.

he was playing a non stop tune with that thing. I was ready to deck him by the time i crossed the street.

I will revisit with all parking personnel on the use of whistles, but he does have good intentions. We ask that they use them to help vehicles and pedestrians understand when it is safe to cross and when it is not safe. The appropriate use of whistles is what we are shooting for, so you should expect some degree of visual and audio ques from his whistle but not to the extreme of playing tunes.

[Parking Guru]

I am in agreement with Vinny. Traffic and the time to get into the stadium has gotten noticeably worse this year. If I didn't come early to tailgate I would always make it inside the stadium in time for player introductions. Alotting the same time this year, I have missed kickoff which is something I can't stand.

Again, the cops on Kirby and Westridge literally give those heading south on Kirby and trying to make a left on Westridge to enter the Blue Lots maybe 30 seconds for every 5 minutes they give to traffic heading into the stadium on Westridge. Hell they do not let us make a left even if there aren't any cars crossing the intersection! These traffic control cops at this intersection need to be replaced STAT!

This past game was exceptionally challenging from a traffic perspective for several reasons. It was a pre-season Monday night game. Preseason is when season ticket holders usually give away the most tickets to friends and family and don't mention that the best way to get to Reliant Stadium does not usually involve driving down Kirby. So we ended up with a lot of people who had to be redirected because they did not arrive via our "best routes" where we have the most resources allocated. When you combine that with all the extra rush hour traffic in this area from a typical Monday it makes for a long drive in.

Are there things we could have done differently? Of course, and we have documented those for next year's preseason to help accommodate the large number of vehicles unfamiliar with how to get to their designated parking areas.

As for the intersection at Westridge and Kirby I believe the officers are still getting readjusted to having 3 southbound lanes open again. In the previous two years there was only 1 or 2 south bound lanes open on Kirby depending on the game. This year the NFL has redefined the security spacing allotment for the stadium allowing us to open all but one lane on Kirby and the officers probably have not adjusted with the increased volume of traffic coming from the north yet. I will bring this up before the next game just as a reminder.

[Yosarian]

I will revisit with all parking personnel on the use of whistles, but he does have good intentions. We ask that they use them to help vehicles and pedestrians understand when it is safe to cross and when it is not safe. The appropriate use of whistles is what we are shooting for, so you should expect some degree of visual and audio ques from his whistle but not to the extreme of playing tunes.

thanks. Yes i don't mind a little tweet its time to go...but i'll try to get a recording of it the Jets game and you'll see what i mean.

[Bluelot0727]

I have 2 issues:
1. It seems your personnel directing traffic in the first hour of permitted entry into the lots are uninformed as to the rules regarding parking anywhere in your designated lot, during that time. Also, we have found that even some of the personnel riding in the golf carts, which is assume are some kind of Supervisor, do not know the rule as well.

2. When coming to the Monday night game, we were running a little late and got caught in the traffic on the 610 service road. When we eventually made it into the Blue lot entrance, we were directed all the way into the maroon lot! I saw many, many empty spaces in areas that were obviously not being used for tailgating prior to the game, but nonetheless was directed away from our paid for parking area. Upon walking to the stadium, we walked passed the entrance we came in and they were directing cars into the Blue lot!!
Do you guys issue too many blue lot tags? Or are people taking more spots than they have tags for?
This is VERY frustrating...

[Parking Guru]

I have 2 issues:
1. It seems your personnel directing traffic in the first hour of permitted entry into the lots are uninformed as to the rules regarding parking anywhere in your designated lot, during that time. Also, we have found that even some of the personnel riding in the golf carts, which is assume are some kind of Supervisor, do not know the rule as well.

2. When coming to the Monday night game, we were running a little late and got caught in the traffic on the 610 service road. When we eventually made it into the Blue lot entrance, we were directed all the way into the maroon lot! I saw many, many empty spaces in areas that were obviously not being used for tailgating prior to the game, but nonetheless was directed away from our paid for parking area. Upon walking to the stadium, we walked passed the entrance we came in and they were directing cars into the Blue lot!!
Do you guys issue too many blue lot tags? Or are people taking more spots than they have tags for?
This is VERY frustrating...

1) I will also revisit with all parking personnel on our first hour arriving policies. Thanks for the heads up on this.

2) The service road entrance received some inaccurate communication at one point during the entrance process and directed cars to wrong lot for a short period of time. Please accept my apologies for this failure, and I have already addressed this issue with our parking personnel to ensure this does not happen again.

[ghester]

Will the old blue lot parking that borders the Orange lot reopen for regular Blue pass holders beginning with the Jets game?

[Bluelot0727]

1) I will also revisit with all parking personnel on our first hour arriving policies. Thanks for the heads up on this.

2) The service road entrance received some inaccurate communication at one point during the entrance process and directed cars to wrong lot for a short period of time. Please accept my apologies for this failure, and I have already addressed this issue with our parking personnel to ensure this does not happen again.


Thanks

[Parking Guru]

Will the old blue lot parking that borders the Orange lot reopen for regular Blue pass holders beginning with the Jets game?

Part of it was re-opened for the Vikings game and will remain split with the Blue Suite lot for the remainder of the season. I can tell you the majority of all grassy treeline areas in that section have been opened for blue and tailgating. it is mostly the interior and northwest portion of that lot that will be used by Blue Suite.

[Yosarian]

This sure is nice to have a place where we can have direct input to make things better for all.

Wish we had gurus for everything else, like tiny cannon guru and no cheerleaders in 3rd quarter guru and 7.50 beer gurus.

[dbruder44]

This sure is nice to have a place where we can have direct input to make things better for all.

Wish we had gurus for everything else, like tiny cannon guru and no cheerleaders in 3rd quarter guru and 7.50 beer gurus.

And Rosencopter Gurus, and jacques reeves not turnin' his head Gurus

[BattleRedFlash]

Hello fellow Houston Texans fans! My name is Ted Dickerson and I am the Manager of Parking and Traffic Services for the Houston Texans.
I have created this thread to reach out to all Houston Texans fans by engaging in productive dialogue about traffic and parking at Reliant stadium. This thread will also serve as a constant open communication channel to help us identify any questions you might have, and resolve any other issues requiring further action by the Houston Texans.
feel free to post your questions and comments as they are likely to benefit everyone.

We've heard about decibal meters to monitor the large uneeded speakers at the tailgate party, but what about generators? We've had a guy next to us the last two weeks who knows his generator is too loud, so he places it behind his car close to us. It's very loud. Will you have people roaming to be on the lookout for these people, or do we have to report them? How about making these people build a plywood corral to surround their generator?

[BattleRedFlash]

Yes, the reason you have such a large number of people with loud music and "excessive speaker sizes" is because thats what tailgating is all about. The Houston Texans have ALWAYS since 2002, "encouraged" tailgating with tailgater of the year competitions and such, and almost every "large" tailgate party is something that started out with two guys and a truck, and now has morphed into tailgate buses, large tents, corporate backing,etc. Now all of a sudden, you guys want to put the brakes on all this after everyone has spent the past 7 years building their tailgates bigger and better(and louder in some cases)year after year, spending countless hours on building trailers, trailer pits,etc. The Houston Texans really surprised me this year with their "official speaker sizes" and such-what a joke! Good luck with the monster YOU created-
6 year season ticket holder and tailgater

Do you understand not everyone likes your music? Can you grasp that concept? Bigger better tailgates are fine and don't need monster speakers. If you love your monster speakers, POINT THEM AT YOURSELVES. NOT US.

[BattleRedFlash]

The red lot speaker crankers were not there this game. It was so much nicer.

Amen! Blue Lot too. I could actually hear my own music for once.

[BattleRedFlash]

Count me as a person that likes the new layout near Blue 22. We park near the street that cuts through the Blue Lot.
I liked the port o cans stashed near the street, but it seems they took away three or four of them. This is a mistake to take away port o cans.
Also, puttting the ash cans in the parking spots seems like a huge mistake. It takes away prime parking spots and is a fire hazard that close to the cars, ain't it???

[Dptexanfan]

Do you understand not everyone likes your music? Can you grasp that concept? Bigger better tailgates are fine and don't need monster speakers. If you love your monster speakers, POINT THEM AT YOURSELVES. NOT US.

Here's a concept: make a plywood corrall for all the "whiners" and keep them together and isolate them from reality. they can play games like"who can break 20 decib mark on the decibel meter" and "who can speed dial the texans game day police the fastest".:D by the way we do point them at ourselves!

[BattleRedFlash]

Here's a concept: make a plywood corrall for all the "whiners" and keep them together and isolate them from reality. they can play games like"who can break 20 decib mark on the decibel meter" and "who can speed dial the texans game day police the fastest".:D by the way we do point them at ourselves!

IF you really do point your speakers at yourselves, then you aren't one of the wannabe DJ's that bring the 4 to 6 foot tall speakers that play so loud that I cannot talk to my friends without yelling. (While being 10 cars away)
-- And here's reality: We have a generator that is so quiet it sits in the middle of our tailgate party and doesn't bother other people. We have a good sound system that we can hear, but doesn't infringe on the fun of other parties. We know it can be done, because we do it. That is reality. Try to imagine what a person would do if they cared about other people and were not selfish .....and then try to imitate such a person.

[Parking Guru]

Follow us at www.twitter.com/Texans_Gameday for real time gameday updates which include parking, traffic, roof decision, scores, item of the game, and much more. Houston Texans season ticket holder Jason Turner described the twitter information as “absolutely essential for quick traffic updates on your drive in, and extremely useful as other gameday information always seems to arrive at just the right time”.

Thanks for your Support!!

Go Texans!!

[Slashdogx]

1. Thank you to the Parking Guru Ted for addressing the parking lot situation. It is difficult to please everyone, but by trying you are making things better. I suspect most teams do not have someone like you that really does take action. Good Job Ted.

2. I agree with BattleRedFlask on nearly all the posts in this thread. We have had guests on a couple of occasions where the music was not only very loud, but also filled with the worst languange possible. I use my share of four letter words, but this stuff was very bad and graphic. I just about decided not to tailgate again, but this action has convinced me to give it another chance this year.

Thanks again Ted.

[the cat lady]

I don't know about anyone else, but I am totally confused about parking. I have been a PSL owner since the beginning and every year the parking is chaos. Last year there were lots of people pointing you in the right direction and making sure everyone was lining up correctly, almost to the excess.

This year, there has not been anyone making sure how many spaces were being taken up. Sunday when we arrived around 10:30, there were big gaps in the rows, the parking attendants were just standing around talking to each other. We even saw some of them just sitting on the benches.

What happens when fans that have purchased parking passes show up and there is not anywhere to park? Every year I have to pay $25 - $30 for an extra pass, this year it is just wasted. I could taken as many spaces as I wanted.

[Yosarian]

The whistle guy was toned down and used it for the cars. Good job! This thread is working great! You really are addressing our wishes. It shows on game day. Thank you again!

[Dptexanfan]

Mr Guru-
Will the grassy parking area in yellow get some work done on it before the next game since the hard rain on sun turned many areas into muddy pits.

[dbruder44]

Mr Guru-
Will the grassy parking area in yellow get some work done on it before the next game since the hard rain on sun turned many areas into muddy pits.

yeah and how about a little fire ant powder sprinkled around too, each week we have noticed a big ole pile once we got stuff set up, just makes it hard to work around

[Parking Guru]

yeah and how about a little fire ant powder sprinkled around too, each week we have noticed a big ole pile once we got stuff set up, just makes it hard to work around

I will take a look at the ant problem prior to the next home game. The grass should be in pretty good condition before the next home game as well. Two week to recovery from that rain storm and tailgating should be sufficient.

[Yosarian]

yeah and how about a little fire ant powder sprinkled around too, each week we have noticed a big ole pile once we got stuff set up, just makes it hard to work around

Fire ants are a part of Texas. They gotta eat too/ lol And they did not survive the flooding here in Galveston. I havent seen one since IKE. Lots of tiny black ants lived though.

[Texans_Chick]

I have a serious concern about traffic exiting out of the Platinum lot. People pay extra to pay for Platinum but sometimes it results in being the worst parking at Reliant.

Here's a recent example:

A friend of mine left with her mother out of Platinum right at the end of the Jacksonville game. She left via the only exit she was allowed to go on at Kirby. The police officer forced her to take a right...back toward the stadium down Kirby instead of left towards 610 which is the way she normally goes.

This means that they had to go into the teeth of all the traffic exiting Reliant. They were basically stuck in traffic around Reliant, having a hard time even leaving the area.

I, on the other hand, left very late. Maybe an hour and 20 minutes after the game. I exited on the 610 feeder where the Blue people exit I was able to get to my friends house on the west side of town 20 minutes faster than my friend did, even though I left much later.

Making Platinum traffic exit right on Kirby no matter where the people live makes Platinum a garbage lot to park in unless you like being stuck in traffic.

Me personally, I've only had to be forced to take a right once after a game out of Reliant. It was a terrible terrible experience--it took me about 4 times as long to get home as usual. Worst traffic experience I've had in Houston which is saying something given how long I've lived in town.

Left on Kirby is my first choice. Right on the feeder with the Blue lot people is my second choice. The Houston Texans SHOULD NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER make people take a right onto Kirby out of Platinum unless they want people to HATE HATE HATE whoever is in charge of parking or at a minimum think they are silly people for forcing people to drive directly into the worst of the traffic to be stuck in a parking lot called Kirby or Westridge or any of the streets around the stadium.

It is bad that the price of parking at Platinum goes up every year. But to pay for the privilege of being stuck in a traffic jam makes you feel really stupid.

I send an email about this in the past, and they said they were going to study it. I am writing this now because I don't think the parking people have any idea how irritating and time consuming this is or else they wouldn't fathom doing it.

[Yosarian]

That goes for red lot too. Not forcing us to turn right on kirby towards main. I havent seen that this year but it has happened in the past and it only creates more traffic since everyone being forced to turn the wrong way still has to turn around making thousands of cars who would have been long gone , remain in the area for an extra 30 minutes. Thats not traffic control, it's creating traffic. Keeping cars in the area longer by rerouting them from the direction they need to go is insane and does not work. It merely keeps more cars stuck in traffic.

I've been rerouted twice , both times last year, and once i tried main back to the loop and once i tried going east on what road i don't know catching 288 to the loop. Both "alternative " routes are at least 10 to 20 times longer getting out than waiting on kirby towards the loop. My 2 cents from experience following your orders. Rerouting people doesn't work.

[Handwilly]

I'm coming to my 1st Texans game this weekend...are the only two options 1)owning a parking pass or 2)Metro? I'm driving from San Antonio and needing some help.

John

[Yosarian]

I'm coming to my 1st Texans game this weekend...are the only two options 1)owning a parking pass or 2)Metro? I'm driving from San Antonio and needing some help.

John

Many of the hotels around teh stadium on kirby have pay parking(they let you park in their lots for money and you walk into the stadium from there)

If you do not have a parking pass and want to tailgate, you have to get a parking pass. Ebay or this site usually has people trying to sell their PP's for the games.

[bjgriese]

Who got gouged by the $50 parking fee for having a trailer? Up to yesterdays game, you could buy an additional parking pass for your trailer. (You do have to have a least one parking pass.) Prior to the 49er's game, it was only $30, which is fair considering they charge you $28/game when you buy a season parking pass.

What irritates me is that, I tried to buy an additional parking pass for two years now and the Texans Office always comes back and says they are not available...HOWEVER, I have talked to others that had no problem getting a yellow pass. Then, to gouge tailgaters an additional $22 in the middle of the season.

Ohhh, did I mention the rising cost of parking? We have not even had a winning season and for the cost of parking to go up like it has since the inception of the Texans....OVER DOUBLE. I did not know that the cost of maintaining a parking lot has increased that drastically over the years.

Come on TEXANS! We are loyal fans, been there through thick and thin and you want to gouge us for coming out to the game.

[Parking Guru]

Who got gouged by the $50 parking fee for having a trailer? Up to yesterdays game, you could buy an additional parking pass for your trailer. (You do have to have a least one parking pass.) Prior to the 49er's game, it was only $30, which is fair considering they charge you $28/game when you buy a season parking pass.

What irritates me is that, I tried to buy an additional parking pass for two years now and the Texans Office always comes back and says they are not available...HOWEVER, I have talked to others that had no problem getting a yellow pass. Then, to gouge tailgaters an additional $22 in the middle of the season.

Ohhh, did I mention the rising cost of parking? We have not even had a winning season and for the cost of parking to go up like it has since the inception of the Texans....OVER DOUBLE. I did not know that the cost of maintaining a parking lot has increased that drastically over the years.

Come on TEXANS! We are loyal fans, been there through thick and thin and you want to gouge us for coming out to the game.

The reason the Houston Texans have moved to a $50 dollar charge instead of a $30 dollar charge is because every space in every lot is Sold-Out. (Your welcome to call our office any time and verify) So when someone brings in a trailer that does not have the appropriate number of pre-purchased passes it forces another fellow fan to park somewhere other than where they have paid to park. Same concept for tailgaters who take up to much room, they are also being charged for not having the appropriate number of spaces.

The price was changed because some fans failed to understand charging for extra space on gameday was meant as a temporary solution for having an insufficient number of parking passes, and not meant to be used every game of the year. At $50 dollars a space our hope is that it is cheaper to acquire another pass from other fans than it is to take up an additional space on gameday that has already been allocated for another fans.

[Dptexanfan]

Mr. Guru,
Can you please post the official protocol for the opening of the gates in the yellow lot. Please indicate entrance gates/times/north,south east,west bound lanes, etc. For example, Main street gates open first, southbound lanes on main allowed to enter main street gates,etc, etc. Please indicate time restrictions(not before 5am,etc), if any, for lining up in the morning on said streets.
Thanks in advance

[BattleRedFlash]

The reason the Houston Texans have moved to a $50 dollar charge instead of a $30 dollar charge is because every space in every lot is Sold-Out. (Your welcome to call our office any time and verify)
The price was changed because some fans failed to understand charging for extra space on gameday was meant as a temporary solution for having an insufficient number of parking passes, and not meant to be used every game of the year. At $50 dollars a space our hope is that it is cheaper to acquire another pass from other fans than it is to take up an additional space on gameday that has already been allocated for another fans.

That's interesting that you say the spots are sold out. Because yesterday, for the first time, there was a new huge private tent in the Blue Lot near pole 22. It was set up before 8am, taking up spaces usually used by loyal Texans supporters. But yesterday, some rich guys apparently were sold 26 parking spaces to use and they did not show up until 10:30! This is a bad idea, Texans. The loyal fans of Houston made the tailgating #1, and now you are selling prime spots to corporate tents and dropping them in the middle of real tailgators. Shame on you.
There should be a lot for these kinds of corporate tents farther away because they don't show til later anyway. why give them great parking spots.
very terrible idea.

[Whiskeyrbl]

I have a question concerning the handicap parking. We had the good luck of having the closest parking space to the stadium yesterday. When we got unpacked for the tailgate we needed to go to the facilities. As at every game before, we walked up to the open gate there at Bud plaza by the west ticket office. At every other game we were told we could go in and use the restroom( after a pat down of course)before 10:00. Now I am not talking about in the stadium, this is the little brick restrooms in Bud Plaza. Now yesterday we were informed we had to go to the Porta cans. That would not be a problem if they were not 400-500 yards away. There is not 1 single porta can in the handicapped area. My friend who has tickets with us has had 2 hip replacements and has a pace maker. Hence the reason we got the handicap parking (so he would not have to walk a mile to the stadium). But if not for a nice Police Officer who took him up to the gate and got him in to use the restroom he would have had to walk a major distance for his condition just to use the restroom. As far as the rest of us in our party it was not really a big deal but it was for him and the lady and her husband (who was in a push wheelchair) that had to make that walk. So what is the Policy? If no one can go into Bud Plaza to use the restroom before 10:00am then Porta cans need to be placed in the Handicap areas as a courtesy to these people who for whatever reason cannot walk long distances. Thank You for your time.

[Dptexanfan]

Mr. Guru,
Can you please post the official protocol for the opening of the gates in the yellow lot. Please indicate entrance gates/times/north,south east,west bound lanes, etc. For example, Main street gates open first, southbound lanes on main allowed to enter main street gates,etc, etc. Please indicate time restrictions(not before 5am,etc), if any, for lining up in the morning on said streets.
Thanks in advance

Can you also post the monday night game protocols, same as above.
Thanks.

[hougo3]

The reason the Houston Texans have moved to a $50 dollar charge instead of a $30 dollar charge is because every space in every lot is Sold-Out. (Your welcome to call our office any time and verify)

Parking Guru,
If every parking space is sold out, I wonder why I just went to Ticketmaster to buy 2 tickets to the Seattle game and it gave me the option of buying parking passes? Not only did it give me the option to buy a parking pass, it gave me the option to purchase anywhere from 1 to (wait for this one...it's great) 50!! parking passes. Yes, you read that right, I could have bought 50 parking passes along with my 2 tickets. You're welcome to log on to ticketmaster and verify.

[Mean Machine]

I agree with Battle Red Flash...the set up of these 'corporate' taillgates in the middle of the Blue Lot, where for 7-1/2 years regular folks/fans have been setting up has got to stop!

Put the corporate tailgate groups in their own area, but not plopped right down in the middle of us Blue Lotters.

C'mon, this has been a growing problem, and when we arrived at 8am this past weekend and saw 26 spots ber taken up by some law firm and their huge tent and generator, taking up spots where loyal paying fans have tailgated, this is a problem NOW!

Texans, address, this, put the corporate big tailgates and their tents in a corporate area, heck, put them up close to the stadium, just not back there with us!

[dbruder44]

Parking Guru,
If every parking space is sold out, I wonder why I just went to Ticketmaster to buy 2 tickets to the Seattle game and it gave me the option of buying parking passes? Not only did it give me the option to buy a parking pass, it gave me the option to purchase anywhere from 1 to (wait for this one...it's great) 50!! parking passes. Yes, you read that right, I could have bought 50 parking passes along with my 2 tickets. You're welcome to log on to ticketmaster and verify.

My guess is they are Maroon lot passes

[sec132]

I agree with Battle Red Flash...the set up of these 'corporate' taillgates in the middle of the Blue Lot, where for 7-1/2 years regular folks/fans have been setting up has got to stop!

Put the corporate tailgate groups in their own area, but not plopped right down in the middle of us Blue Lotters.

C'mon, this has been a growing problem, and when we arrived at 8am this past weekend and saw 26 spots ber taken up by some law firm and their huge tent and generator, taking up spots where loyal paying fans have tailgated, this is a problem NOW!

Texans, address, this, put the corporate big tailgates and their tents in a corporate area, heck, put them up close to the stadium, just not back there with us!

I totally agree how is it that the Texans claim that business advertisement is not allowed but yet you not only allow the corporate tailgaters to advertise but you allow them to get in the blue lot earlier than the fans to take over the spots we have been tailgating in since the beginning of tailgating and there company banners are flying high with there dj's and over bering music. I am all for every one having a good time but it should be a little more fair.Maybe put them in there on lot they shouldn't care there patron's usually dont show until 10:30 or 11:00 any way

[Dptexanfan]

That's interesting that you say the spots are sold out. Because yesterday, for the first time, there was a new huge private tent in the Blue Lot near pole 22. It was set up before 8am, taking up spaces usually used by loyal Texans supporters. But yesterday, some rich guys apparently were sold 26 parking spaces to use and they did not show up until 10:30! This is a bad idea, Texans. The loyal fans of Houston made the tailgating #1, and now you are selling prime spots to corporate tents and dropping them in the middle of real tailgators. Shame on you.
There should be a lot for these kinds of corporate tents farther away because they don't show til later anyway. why give them great parking spots.
very terrible idea.

The people that are selling these passes to them are the same people that made up the new rules that you love so much. Too funny.

[Sportswriter79]

I agree with Battle Red Flash...the set up of these 'corporate' taillgates in the middle of the Blue Lot, where for 7-1/2 years regular folks/fans have been setting up has got to stop!

Put the corporate tailgate groups in their own area, but not plopped right down in the middle of us Blue Lotters.

C'mon, this has been a growing problem, and when we arrived at 8am this past weekend and saw 26 spots ber taken up by some law firm and their huge tent and generator, taking up spots where loyal paying fans have tailgated, this is a problem NOW!

Texans, address, this, put the corporate big tailgates and their tents in a corporate area, heck, put them up close to the stadium, just not back there with us!

Did you ever consider the fact that these big [faceless] corporations are made up of people that buy prime club seats and suites? They deserve the privilege of tailgating in prime spots as well.

[Mean Machine]

I sent the following email to Ted Dickerson, the Chief of Parking at Reliant Stadium on Mon Oct 26. I have heard nothing back from him. Not sure if others feel the way I do, but nonetheless, I wanted to get this out there...Your lot could be NEXT!

10/26/09
Mr Dickerson,
As a inaugural season ticket holder and Blue lot parking pass lot/tailgater, I must share with you a serious concern. I have noticed this season, 2009, the influx of 'corporate' tailgate party set ups in the Blue lot. This has a very damaging effect on the camraderie established with existing tailgaters that have bonded and formed friendships over the previous seasons with fellow tailgaters. My suggestion, is to some how set up a 'chalet' area, away from the established Blue Lot Tailgaters. I have attended many major motorsports events and this is how they cater to the corporate crowd.

Perhaps the Platinum lot or even the lot directly south of Reliant Stadium would be a nice location. But I have grave concerns of the 'overtaking' of the Blue Lot by corporate tailgate set ups.

[Parking Guru]

I sent the following email to Ted Dickerson, the Chief of Parking at Reliant Stadium on Mon Oct 26. I have heard nothing back from him. Not sure if others feel the way I do, but nonetheless, I wanted to get this out there...Your lot could be NEXT!

10/26/09
Mr Dickerson,
As a inaugural season ticket holder and Blue lot parking pass lot/tailgater, I must share with you a serious concern. I have noticed this season, 2009, the influx of 'corporate' tailgate party set ups in the Blue lot. This has a very damaging effect on the camraderie established with existing tailgaters that have bonded and formed friendships over the previous seasons with fellow tailgaters. My suggestion, is to some how set up a 'chalet' area, away from the established Blue Lot Tailgaters. I have attended many major motorsports events and this is how they cater to the corporate crowd.

Perhaps the Platinum lot or even the lot directly south of Reliant Stadium would be a nice location. But I have grave concerns of the 'overtaking' of the Blue Lot by corporate tailgate set ups.

I appreciate you taking the time to bring this back to my attention, as you can imagine I receive hundreds of calls and emails after every home game and work very diligently to respond to each and every one in a timely manner. Please accept my apologies for the untimely response to your feedback.

As for the corporate parties you mentioned, we will continue to evaluate the best method to create a world-class gameday experience for all our fans as it pertains to corporate parties in the tailgating areas. Again I would like to thank you for taking the time to provide the Houston Texans with feedback on this matter and we look forward to your continued support as we try and make our gameday experience world-class for all fans.

[Parking Guru]

Mr. Guru,
Can you please post the official protocol for the opening of the gates in the yellow lot. Please indicate entrance gates/times/north,south east,west bound lanes, etc. For example, Main street gates open first, southbound lanes on main allowed to enter main street gates,etc, etc. Please indicate time restrictions(not before 5am,etc), if any, for lining up in the morning on said streets.
Thanks in advance

The police will allow cars to line up as early as they would like along main street before each home game. They will make adjustments as needed if the line of vehicles starts to impede passing traffic. They may begin to ask cars to circle the area or head to another gate entrance if possible. (This is very rare and I have only heard of that happening a handfuls of times in 7 years) The gates should open 4 hours before kick-off, and all gates should open at the exact same time. The attendants and police officers at each gate are on the same frequencies and should receive the open signal simultaneously. At that point it is just a matter of getting the gate unlocked and physically opened. In the yellow lot we allow 2 lanes at a time through the gate on main street. That's the maximum number of lanes we would like to enter from the street and we try to ensure that people stay in lines in terms of order they arrived. This is for all lanes heading north on Main, for anyone heading south on main I would recommend going past the yellow entrance and getting in line on the north bound lanes. By only allowing one set of lanes to enter we can try and preserve the order in which people arrived.

The McNee gate should open the same time as the main street gate and should allow up to two lanes to enter there as well. I hope this is what you were asking for, and if you have any other specific questions please let me know and I will try and answer them as soon as possible.

[Dptexanfan]

The police will allow cars to line up as early as they would like along main street before each home game. They will make adjustments as needed if the line of vehicles starts to impede passing traffic. They may begin to ask cars to circle the area or head to another gate entrance if possible. (This is very rare and I have only heard of that happening a handfuls of times in 7 years) The gates should open 4 hours before kick-off, and all gates should open at the exact same time. The attendants and police officers at each gate are on the same frequencies and should receive the open signal simultaneously. At that point it is just a matter of getting the gate unlocked and physically opened. In the yellow lot we allow 2 lanes at a time through the gate on main street. That's the maximum number of lanes we would like to enter from the street and we try to ensure that people stay in lines in terms of order they arrived. This is for all lanes heading north on Main, for anyone heading south on main I would recommend going past the yellow entrance and getting in line on the north bound lanes. By only allowing one set of lanes to enter we can try and preserve the order in which people arrived.

The McNee gate should open the same time as the main street gate and should allow up to two lanes to enter there as well. I hope this is what you were asking for, and if you have any other specific questions please let me know and I will try and answer them as soon as possible.

Thanks for the detailed response. Just so you know, we lined up at 6:40am on sunday, N bound on main, only to see cars pass us up headed N bound on main around 745am and then do a u-turn past the main gate and then come in south bound and turn left, into the main gates at 8am. The crews that were putting cones down around 730am did not block the entrance for the s bound traffic, and cars that were just arriving to the stadium cut in in front of everyone that had been there early as we entered the main gates at 8am. I have seen people line up before on the S.bound turn lane of the main gate and wondered if the police would let you come in that way when the gates first opened, since most of those cars were just lining up around 8am, cutting in front of everyone that had lined up way earlier on the N. bound side of main st.

[Parking Guru]

Thanks for the detailed response. Just so you know, we lined up at 6:40am on sunday, N bound on main, only to see cars pass us up headed N bound on main around 745am and then do a u-turn past the main gate and then come in south bound and turn left, into the main gates at 8am. The crews that were putting cones down around 730am did not block the entrance for the s bound traffic, and cars that were just arriving to the stadium cut in in front of everyone that had been there early as we entered the main gates at 8am. I have seen people line up before on the S.bound turn lane of the main gate and wondered if the police would let you come in that way when the gates first opened, since most of those cars were just lining up around 8am, cutting in front of everyone that had lined up way earlier on the N. bound side of main st.

It has been a while since I was at that gate during opening. I will come take another look at the process during the 11/29 game and evaluate if any changes need to be made. Thanks for your feedback.

[BattleRedFlash]

Maybe put them in there on lot they shouldn't care there patron's usually dont show until 10:30 or 11:00 any way

Very true. These "fans" don't show up til 10:30 normally. Stick them over by the old Astroworld site and give them a shuttle or something.

[BattleRedFlash]

The people that are selling these passes to them are the same people that made up the new rules that you love so much. Too funny.

Yes. They are two very different subjects. I guess in your mind, you got me.

[BattleRedFlash]

Did you ever consider the fact that these big [faceless] corporations are made up of people that buy prime club seats and suites? They deserve the privilege of tailgating in prime spots as well.

Don't care. If they want the prime spots, let them get there at 7am and wait in line like us. I've been to almost every game, and I've spent thousands on the Texans. They are no better than me.

[dbruder44]

Do the lots open at 3pm or 330PM on Monday???

[Whiskeyrbl]

I have a question concerning the handicap parking. We had the good luck of having the closest parking space to the stadium yesterday. When we got unpacked for the tailgate we needed to go to the facilities. As at every game before, we walked up to the open gate there at Bud plaza by the west ticket office. At every other game we were told we could go in and use the restroom( after a pat down of course)before 10:00. Now I am not talking about in the stadium, this is the little brick restrooms in Bud Plaza. Now yesterday we were informed we had to go to the Porta cans. That would not be a problem if they were not 400-500 yards away. There is not 1 single porta can in the handicapped area. My friend who has tickets with us has had 2 hip replacements and has a pace maker. Hence the reason we got the handicap parking (so he would not have to walk a mile to the stadium). But if not for a nice Police Officer who took him up to the gate and got him in to use the restroom he would have had to walk a major distance for his condition just to use the restroom. As far as the rest of us in our party it was not really a big deal but it was for him and the lady and her husband (who was in a push wheelchair) that had to make that walk. So what is the Policy? If no one can go into Bud Plaza to use the restroom before 10:00am then Porta cans need to be placed in the Handicap areas as a courtesy to these people who for whatever reason cannot walk long distances. Thank You for your time.

Repost. Never received an answer.

[Parking Guru]

Do the lots open at 3pm or 330PM on Monday???

Scheduled opening for all lots(except Platinum) is 3:30pm for MNF.

[Parking Guru]

Repost. Never received an answer.

My apologies for missing this question. I actually don't have a specific answer just yet. I will contact our partners who control access to the Budweiser Plaza in the morning and see if we can workout some sort of exception for these instances. If no agreement can be reached you should see a port-o-let in the vicinity of the ADA lot very soon.

[Sportswriter79]

Don't care. If they want the prime spots, let them get there at 7am and wait in line like us. I've been to almost every game, and I've spent thousands on the Texans. They are no better than me.

Of course you don't. But they do, and so do the Texans. Higher prices mean they deserve preference.:D

[Whiskeyrbl]

My apologies for missing this question. I actually don't have a specific answer just yet. I will contact our partners who control access to the Budweiser Plaza in the morning and see if we can workout some sort of exception for these instances. If no agreement can be reached you should see a port-o-let in the vicinity of the ADA lot very soon.

Thank You for looking into this. It is much appreciated.

[Texan For Life]

So the lots won't open any earlier on Monday? I had heard rumblings that the lots might open around 1pm to help with 5 o'clock traffic around the stadium and medical center. I'm just trying to confirm so I get there on time to get my spot in the lot.

Thanks!

[Parking Guru]

So the lots won't open any earlier on Monday? I had heard rumblings that the lots might open around 1pm to help with 5 o'clock traffic around the stadium and medical center. I'm just trying to confirm so I get there on time to get my spot in the lot.

Thanks!

Lots will open at 3:30 pm. I would start lining up around 3pm to ensure you can secure your spot. Don't forget to wear RED!!!

Go Texans!!

[jamielily]

Dptexanfan...

You hit the nail right on the head....

Amen brother!!!!

Its what tailgating is all about...

What they need to do it turn the music up in the stadium... Get goose bumps when the music is on....

[Bluelot0727]

I would really like to know what the policy is regarding the playing of crude music with nasty lyrics while people are walking to their cars after the game. When I left the Titans game we walked through at least 3 areas where the music was well over the limit you guys set for noise levels and the language was pretty bad in the music they were playing. Does the music and tailgating rules only apply during the pre-game activities? Also, do these people who take up 12-15 parking spaces to make their "dance halls" have that many parking passes? I bet we would find a lot more places to park if this was looked into and enforced...

[Texan634]

Why did they make us turn right on south main ? Never ever done that before. Always have three or more lanes turning left.

[Parking Guru]

Why did they make us turn right on south main ? Never ever done that before. Always have three or more lanes turning left.

In an effort to get the maximum amount of cars out of the parking lot in the shortest time they will sometimes turn you in different directions. In your specific situation if you are turned north on Main and need to get to the 610 freeway you should proceed north to Braeswood and make a left at that intersection. Braeswood will take you directly to 610 and probably in a much shorter time than trying to get to it from main.

Based on all feedback we have received we have concluded fans would rather be moving in some direction outside of the parking lots and navigate their way to their destination as quickly as possible versus waiting inside the parking lot for everyone in front of them to be allowed to turn the direction they would like to go. Since we have implemented this new philosophy our parking lots have cleared on average 15% faster than in previous years.

[Yosarian]

I again was redirected north on Kirby coming out of the red lot.

I have stated before that this does not alleviate traffic. It compounds the problem 10 fold. Why? Because i could have been on 610 15 minutes earlier than i was. But because of the redirect it kept me and other cars in the vicinity for an extra 20 minutes creating more traffic.

This redirecting people in the opposite direction of where they want to go is ridiculous and i wish it would stop. It really has the opposite effect of alleviating the traffic leaving the stadium. When you force people int he wrong direction 50% of them will find a way to turn around, and the other 50% will accept it and wait in longer traffic trying to get out.

I think it is a very very bad policy. If there is a problem getting the red and blue lots out on Kirby then the solution is to put cops at the 610 Kirby intersection and allow cars to get out and on 610 instead of using the trasffic light there.

I just do not get the redirect thing. In my opinion it makes things worse, not better. It creates traffic...not spread traffic around. The cars they redirect are still stuck on main and going no where. This opposite direction escape mentality does not work at all. It didn't work last year and it does not work this year. Put cops to patrol the traffic at the Kirby 610 light. Thats how you get people out faster. Not by keeping them in the area an extra 20 minutes.

[Parking Guru]

I again was redirected north on Kirby coming out of the red lot.

I have stated before that this does not alleviate traffic. It compounds the problem 10 fold. Why? Because i could have been on 610 15 minutes earlier than i was. But because of the redirect it kept me and other cars in the vicinity for an extra 20 minutes creating more traffic.

This redirecting people in the opposite direction of where they want to go is ridiculous and i wish it would stop. It really has the opposite effect of alleviating the traffic leaving the stadium. When you force people int he wrong direction 50% of them will find a way to turn around, and the other 50% will accept it and wait in longer traffic trying to get out.

I think it is a very very bad policy. If there is a problem getting the red and blue lots out on Kirby then the solution is to put cops at the 610 Kirby intersection and allow cars to get out and on 610 instead of using the trasffic light there.

I just do not get the redirect thing. In my opinion it makes things worse, not better. It creates traffic...not spread traffic around. The cars they redirect are still stuck on main and going no where. This opposite direction escape mentality does not work at all. It didn't work last year and it does not work this year. Put cops to patrol the traffic at the Kirby 610 light. Thats how you get people out faster. Not by keeping them in the area an extra 20 minutes.

The problem in your specific situation is not entirely the cars on Kirby, it is the pedestrians that cross at the street level from the West Club entrance and the north side at the Kirby and McNee intersection. There is a steady steam of fans from end of game for about 20 minutes that cross at these points to the parking areas West of the Stadium.

We actually do control the lights all up and down Kirby in addition to police support. However it is virtually impossible to hold thousands of fans exiting the building for any length of time. This makes it very difficult and unsafe for fans from the Red lot to turn south on Kirby towards 610 for about the first 20 minutes after the end of the game. That is the time period most fans are directed North.

So if we waited for all pedestrians to clear, you and almost everyone else would sit an extra 20 minutes in the red lot before we even began to really move traffic south on Kirby. I realize this may be frustrating, but ultimately we are not willing to risk the safety of our fans for a few extra minutes of vehicular traffic flow during post-games exiting.

[sec132]

Mr. Guru you say that we are moving out of the lot faster than previous years. I must say this is not true in the blue parking lot i park on the first or second row from the Kirby entrance and I got in line to leave at 3:09 and by 3:42 had only moved three car links if it wasn't for some one moving the cones allowing us to exit Kirby I am not sure how long we would have been there. I think your guys are doing a good job letting there selves be known by introducing them selves and letting us know that they are there if we need them. But traffic coming out of the blue lot is worse it really isn't better.I under stand that people need a way to access the blue lots after the game from the road that splits the blue lots but that is a two lane road why not just cone off one lane and allow us to exit from other lane?

[hougo3]

I again was redirected north on Kirby coming out of the red lot.



It would be insane to allow people to turn LEFT onto Kirby coming out of the red lot. Your proposed solution would make matters worse for the majority of people.

[Parking Guru]

Mr. Guru you say that we are moving out of the lot faster than previous years. I must say this is not true in the blue parking lot i park on the first or second row from the Kirby entrance and I got in line to leave at 3:09 and by 3:42 had only moved three car links if it wasn't for some one moving the cones allowing us to exit Kirby I am not sure how long we would have been there. I think your guys are doing a good job letting there selves be known by introducing them selves and letting us know that they are there if we need them. But traffic coming out of the blue lot is worse it really isn't better.I under stand that people need a way to access the blue lots after the game from the road that splits the blue lots but that is a two lane road why not just cone off one lane and allow us to exit from other lane?

The time improvements are reflected as an average for the entire lot. So while it may take some games 1 hour or more to exit, other games will take 30 minutes or less. However, on average we have lowered our overall clear time by 15%.

Just to give you an idea of how well that lot is run in comparison to its size. We have almost 8000 spaces in that lot including Blue ADA, Blue Suite, Blue, and Platinum. Our average clear time for those lots is 44 minutes. That means we exit 3 cars every single second of time that passes after each game on average. Please keep in mind we have only 4 exits for all those lots and have to contend with street traffic lights as well.

As many fans who have visited other pro football stadiums might suggest and based on the 4 other stadiums I have visited this year and last I must say 45 minutes to exit a game is incredibly fast and efficient in comparison for lots of similar size at other stadiums. I realize while sitting there it does not feel fast but in places like Chicago and Green Bay it takes some fans in excess of 3 hours to leave the stadium area.

We will continue to make improvements based on great feedback such as yours and others provided through forums like this one. I appreciate you taking the time to send constructive ideas and feedback.

Go Texans!!!

[Yosarian]

I see some of your points but the fans crossing the street when there is an over head pedestrian bridge seems to be a much better solution if you want total fan safety. Direct the peds to the bridge if they need to cross Kirby.

Your 3 cars a second sounds like a bad ratio considering the number of exits. If you have 50 exits and you are only getting 3 cars out of them a second, then there is a problem.

If you are saying that you are getting 3 cars out a second at every exit you have, then that is a much better ratio. One i wouldn't believe though.

And has your three second survey considered how many cars are dumped into main and that back street (cant remember name)? Those 'dump to' streets are full of traffic. So your not really getting cars out of the area...you are just putting them elsewhere.

Beware of surveys that tell you what you want to hear. Perhaps what we need is some street clickers on all the streets surrounding the stadium. Then you can get a real count of the number of cars and whether or not using these redirecting methods actually work or not.

And if there is a safety issue with pedestrians then a overhead bridge should be built during the offseason. Especially if that would help traffic also.

Keep up the good work.

[Parking Guru]

I would really like to know what the policy is regarding the playing of crude music with nasty lyrics while people are walking to their cars after the game. When I left the Titans game we walked through at least 3 areas where the music was well over the limit you guys set for noise levels and the language was pretty bad in the music they were playing. Does the music and tailgating rules only apply during the pre-game activities? Also, do these people who take up 12-15 parking spaces to make their "dance halls" have that many parking passes? I bet we would find a lot more places to park if this was looked into and enforced...

There seems to be two main points to your questions.

Loud/Crude Music - The Houston Texans do not support this type of behavior, we constantly strive to create a fan friendly and family friendly enviornment. We have a tailgate ambassador team that will respond immediately to situations such as these when they are notified or come accross them theirselves. If you encounter a situation such as this on gameday I encourage you to call our gameday hotline at 832-667-1400 for an immediate response. Please note however we will not ask patrons to change the type on music they are playing only that they refrain from playing any music with vulgar lyrics.

Taking up to much parking - This is another matter our Tailgate ambassadors will continue to address on gameday. This is already part of their daily responsibilities, but if you notice rather large groups that you feel have not been visited by our ambassadors please call that gameday hotline and bring it to our attention, or stop one of them as you will probably see them throughout the day. (Light Blue Shirts, Khaki's, usually a beige hat) We will gladly investigate their parking pass quantity situation, because as you may have heard every single parking space is sold out and we have no room for folks to be taking up additional spaces they do not have passes for.

[Sportswriter79]

The time improvements are reflected as an average for the entire lot. So while it may take some games 1 hour or more to exit, other games will take 30 minutes or less. However, on average we have lowered our overall clear time by 15%.

Just to give you an idea of how well that lot is run in comparison to its size. We have almost 8000 spaces in that lot including Blue ADA, Blue Suite, Blue, and Platinum. Our average clear time for those lots is 44 minutes. That means we exit 3 cars every single second

Statistics.

[Bluelot0727]

Thanks for your response. While i don't really care about the "type" of music played....i do care about the lyrics being vulgar. And if you think your "ambassadors" are taking care of this, you should stroll around. I see them go by a tailgate party by us with the vulgar lyrics and they just keep going by. I have never been able to get their attention to ask them about it.

[Bluelot0727]

There seems to be two main points to your questions.

Loud/Crude Music - The Houston Texans do not support this type of behavior, we constantly strive to create a fan friendly and family friendly enviornment. We have a tailgate ambassador team that will respond immediately to situations such as these when they are notified or come accross them theirselves. If you encounter a situation such as this on gameday I encourage you to call our gameday hotline at 832-667-1400 for an immediate response. Please note however we will not ask patrons to change the type on music they are playing only that they refrain from playing any music with vulgar lyrics.

Taking up to much parking - This is another matter our Tailgate ambassadors will continue to address on gameday. This is already part of their daily responsibilities, but if you notice rather large groups that you feel have not been visited by our ambassadors please call that gameday hotline and bring it to our attention, or stop one of them as you will probably see them throughout the day. (Light Blue Shirts, Khaki's, usually a beige hat) We will gladly investigate their parking pass quantity situation, because as you may have heard every single parking space is sold out and we have no room for folks to be taking up additional spaces they do not have passes for.


Thanks for your response. While i don't really care about the "type" of music played....i do care about the lyrics being vulgar. And if you think your "ambassadors" are taking care of this, you should stroll around. I see them go by a tailgate party by us with the vulgar lyrics and they just keep going by. I have never been able to get their attention to ask them about it.

[Dptexanfan]

I would like the Texan's front office to put in as much time and energy on putting a quality product on the field as they do monkey-ing around with all the parking, tailgating, music, portacan, speakers, exiting parking lot issues! All this is in vein if our team is a non competing, losing team-season after season.

[Dptexanfan]

Mr Guru,
Any chance we can get a variance on the tailgating times for this Sunday if(when)we win on Sunday. It would be nice to watch the Denver/Baltimore games(both start at 3pm)to see if they lose and if we get ever so closer to a first ever playoff berth. This would be great from a PR standpoint I think, and would nice way to end the tailgating season on a high note! Just a suggestion on how to keep Houston #1 in tailgating!:D

[dbruder44]

Mr Guru,
Any chance we can get a variance on the tailgating times for this Sunday if(when)we win on Sunday. It would be nice to watch the Denver/Baltimore games(both start at 3pm)to see if they lose and if we get ever so closer to a first ever playoff berth. This would be great from a PR standpoint I think, and would nice way to end the tailgating season on a high note! Just a suggestion on how to keep Houston #1 in tailgating!:D

That would be cool, if anyone was in the yellow lot in 2005 on a game in September many were in the lot after the game watching or listening to the Stro's, the second they clinched the playoffs the entire parking lot went ballistic, you could almost feel the earth move. Similiar to being about 2-300 yards away from when Tiger hit his first ever hole in one on the PGA tour at the Phoenix open. (who knows how many holes he is hitting today???)

How cool would it be to hear 5-10000 fans going nuts in the yellow lot at 6pm when both Balt and Denver lost, then we could stop drinking then instead of having to go through another 3 hour game Sunday night

[Yosarian]

It would be insane to allow people to turn LEFT onto Kirby coming out of the red lot. Your proposed solution would make matters worse for the majority of people.

Then why do they allow all the players and coaches and trainers coming from the red lot south entrance to turn left? They allow some to turn left and force others to go right. I simply turn around and go south on kirby anyway. I've done the nmain route and never again. If i can turn around then whats the difference? Traffic north of the red lot is still allowed to go south on kirby.

You must be a blue lot baby.

[Parking Guru]

Mr Guru,
Any chance we can get a variance on the tailgating times for this Sunday if(when)we win on Sunday. It would be nice to watch the Denver/Baltimore games(both start at 3pm)to see if they lose and if we get ever so closer to a first ever playoff berth. This would be great from a PR standpoint I think, and would nice way to end the tailgating season on a high note! Just a suggestion on how to keep Houston #1 in tailgating!:D

The Houston Texans are continuing to make every effort to support the NFL's best practices in regards to tailgating times, and the tailgating times for the final Houston Texans Home game this season will remain unchanged. All gates(except Platinum) will open promptly at 8am and tailgating shall continue until one hour after the end of the game.