All flags, etc. are to be brought to the stadium 2 hours prior to kickoff. It wouldn't really impact that. It would just help the flow of traffic to have designated entrances.
you don't see Spectator Gate", or "Fan Gate", or "Soccer Mom Gate"... yet there is a "Supporters Gate". hmmmmm interesting there happy now?
Ask the International Code Council what they mean ... a set of standardized rules and regulations listing what can/cannot be done based upon building types, number of occupants, etc.
I would have thought that limiting the amount of people that can enter at a specific gate would be right up their alley in that case.
And same number of people would be required to leave by same gate. In case of an emergency, people must be provided multiple means of egress from a building.
In case of emergency you would be leaving by the nearest possible gate - not thinking "oh i am a SOB i have to go out the supporters gate" or " i have to get out of the supporters gate because that is where my care is".
So you want to limit who can use the gate when entering the stadium, but don't care who uses the gate to leave? Code officials will not allow that, no matter how much you want otherwise.
You would set it up to limit the amount of people leaving to the closest gate also. If something happens, and there is a huge fire in the middle of the park, everyone will go out of the same gate you would enter. The only time you wouldn't leave that same gate is if you are stuck elsewhere in the stadium, or the path to "your exit" is blocked by fire. I don't know, and knowing the stupidity of some that make the rules - but do you think a free-for all, everyone maybe trying to get out of the same exit (say, for arguments sake the supporters gate) is a better way to do things? I can imagine the problems that would cause (or people trying to get to the other side of the stadium because it suits them better). How about all the queues when you have everyone trying to get in the same entrance before the game? Remember the problems that having 1 entry point at the very first game at the Linc caused and lots of people missed the start.
Sounds good on paper, but try and get a "code official" - don't know why we're putting them in quotes, btw - to agree to that. You must provide multiple means of egress. Period. If the fire's in the middle of the park, and your exit is blocked by it, you deserve to be burned alive. As I said, you can't force people to leave at a specific location, and must provide multiple means out, especially when the number of occupants exceeds a very small amount of people. Less than that - I believe it's 50, but I don't have IBC open in front of me, so don't quote me - are allowed to have only one exit. By that rationale, Pizza Hut Park would be the only MLS stadium allowed to have one entrance/exit. ZING! In an emergency, the exit that "suits them better" is the closest one providing a way to safety, which isn't necessarily the same one you came in. I remember that there were - and still are - multiple entry points to the Linc, as I came in through the one facing the (then) Wachovia Center. No lines, no waiting, not my fault nor problem that most people tried using the northern entrance and hit a log jam.
If you seal it off, then you seal off access by those in TRE to the rest of the stadium as well. Not worth the possible price hit, so it's not going to happen. The gates in your definition defy the point of having a concourse and concessions, for no other reason than to feel that "The Union Loves You". The only reason for the special entrance would be to clear through flags / instruments, etc. and the undue added security for the many at the entrance would outweigh the needs of the 30 or so people with flags, instruments, etc. that need to get there. A better idea is to have the Union get some sort of Supporter's locker or JobBox or whatever for underneath TRE so that way those items can be stored (liability waived of course), and you don't have to worry about dragging it in there early every time. Although you would get the extra loyalty points for showing up early in the stands...
Once into the stadium, there would be nothing to stop you going to the other areas. That isn't the point of having the entrances/exits being more specific. I don't care either way, as i always like to wander around, and go into the Crozer keystone (or whatever it is called) entrance as there are usually no lines anyway. The idea would be to help ease the entrance/exit process. If you have 1000 going in 1 entrance, and 100 into another- there is an inbalance. I don't know if they ever did - but you could end up running out of the funky "freebies" that get handed out in 1 entrance - whereas if you know exactly (or as close to exact as possible) how many people are entering a specific entrance - all of that can be planned ahead of time. The idea of having "specific gates for specific areas" is only to help the entry process. I see no real argument against it - and although minor - only arguments for having that process. As i said, i don't care either way, as it would actually be worse for me to get in. However, i'm not the most selfish person, so would put up with having to wait a little longer to get in, if it helps the overall running of the stadium on game day.
Nobody would be forcing people to leave a specific exit- but suggesting to leave that exit to make it easier to leave the stadium. If you have 100% of the people trying to get out of 1 exit - that is going to cause problems. ALso - by telling people "we advise or suggest you leave through 1 of our 10 exits" - you aren't not providing multiple means of exiting. Unless it is really stupid, that isn't what the codes would be "outlawing". The Club/stadium owners are providing all of the exits, and if necessary a choice of exits for people, but wanting people to leave by the exit they come in/nearest exit to them is common sense, at least it is to me. Obviously that is true. Nobody is saying it isn't - there hasn't been a single person suggesting that if you are entering from the supporters gate, and a crazed PCNJ fan sets fire to that exit, that the SOBS are going to have to get out of there or be stuck in the stadium. However, since we play other teams, and the PCNJ fans are probably too stupid to manage to do something like that (they would probably just set themselves on fire and run into the Delaware) - then what is wrong with suggesting to the Sons of Ben that they only exit through the supporters section that they came in at? I bet 95% of the people exit through "their exits" in any case. Yeah - but if the tickets had said "please enter through the entrance facing the Wachovia Center" and similar entrances were placed around the stadium, like we have at PPL park, then everyone gets to their seat earlier. I had no problem getting in either, but i got there the moment the gate opened, so that is fine for me. However, many people got stuck outside, when if they knew there was another gate- not as many would have suffered the unfortunate fate of missing our first few goals as a team. Hey, we have to think of the Pink Cow fans right? (that's what i get for adding more to my post without really reading through - i meant the 2nd part of it as a fire blocking the exit, not a fire in the middle of the stadium)
Maybe Nick Sak tore a page from the Eagles handbook, and by banning hoagies, Union will be doing it's part to combat terrorism.... I'd like to see the River Gate made available for fans who are seated on the north side of PPL Park. I used to hold season tix in 127 and ran head-on into the crossover controversy in the Supporters Section when (due to my own ambulatory issues) I tried crossing for the Columbus match. Many e-mails, nasty looks, and a lie from the TO later, I opted out of renewing. I want Union to succeed, but I'm not the sprite 18-year-old I once was. Getting around is an issue for me everywhere I go, free or not. It's just that I don't see spending $2,200 a season so me and my guest get to circumnavigate PPL Park when there exists two perfectly good means of shortening my trek to my seats. I don't agree that the Supporters Section should have the other gate to themselves either. I mean, c'mon, what does a seat cost in that section? If they are truly supporters, then a gate unto themselves shouldn't matter. Don't get me wrong here. If I held seats in the SS, I wouldn't want the section used as a shortcut. This is a policy issue more than anything, and Union can help themselves by not acquiescing to the most fervent of our fans and make it possible to get through beneath the SS and/or through the River Gate instead of blaming the architects.
Not relevant to you anymore, I guess, but... "We have also created a new walking area behind the supporters section to provide fans seated on the east side of the stadium (sections 120-136) with better access to their sections when players are moving on and off the field. Fans seated in sections 120-136 who enter through the Supporters gate will be directed to this new walking path"
Yeah they made the path around the back side of the stadium that they had for the PCNJ game more permenant I believe.
Maybe instead of using the stick approach - you can only use such and such a gate, they could achieve a similar result with a carrot? That is, they could assign each ticket a preferred gate and you get five extra bonus points for using that gate.
The answer to which gates to use and the fire code situation is easy. Say hello to your 2011 STH gift. In case of fire we just run up to top of TRE and toss the escape ladders over the edge.
Christ, some of you people are out of it. Building codes? Hoagies? Water bottles? On the "Supporter's Gate" topic: We're forgetting that originally SOB tailgates were held within a stone's throw of the gate. The entrance was designated as such so we could get into the stadium quickly and easily. Then the rains came, the grass went FUBAR and the SOBs moved to the industrial lot. Ideally security would have scanned our tickets, patted us down and let us march in escorted as to not to have to cause a delay at the gate. I say let those entering the River End have their own gate. It's not about entitlement, it's about ease of entry. The new stadium ticket cards should be a light blue color to correspond with the gate. On people's views on the right to have their own picnic at PPL: It's a business. I've laid out the math on big soccer before. I'll do it again briefly here. PPL seats 18,500. If someone buys a water ($4) a pretzel ($3) and an ice cream ($6) that's $13 in concessions sales. Figure the team will make $10 in profit as a result because a pretzel is roughly a quarter in dough, water might be 50 cents a bottle when bought in bulk and ice cream is even less. If half the stadium goes along with a purchase, that's $92,500 in concession sales. Consider the water issue alone. If the team sells 18,500 bottles of water in one game at $4 a clip, that's $74,000 in sales brought in from just H2O. Water! The benefit for the team is less, yes, because that's not pure profit in the number listed above. There are only two or three afternoon games, unfortunately,this season, so the people who weren't hard enough to handle the heat can rest easy. Next thing you know they'll be complaining it's too cold.
Things I hate... 1) Every sammich is a $5 foot long except the one I like. 2) McD's is trying to pull off fast food lattes...how about improving your hamburgers first. 3) Team assignments. 4) People who still use their original email account...teabaggarlovs696969@aol.com... 5) Complaint threads... 6) Idiots who don't watch House. 7) Idiots 8) Idiots who post complaint threads 9) People who look at my plate as they walk through the dining area. 10) Tucked in polo's 11) Kids who talk to their friends in the COD pre-game lobby about what happened at school. 12) Dolphins 13) Dolphins who post complaint threads. 14) The movie "American Pie" 15) Rachel Ray..that's right!