LabattBlue Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bills-nfl/stadium-upgrades-didnt-please-everybody-20140919 I love how the fan they quote in the article has been a STH since 86, but he couldn't figure out how to get in the stadium on time for the ceremony and game. Is is really that hard to figure out to go to another gate and/or get to the gate early? Also, the fan in the pic being frisked is pretty funny. I'd love to know if he was just having fun with it, or was 90% of the way towards being drop dead drunk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 There were multiple callers into WGR on pretty much every show complaining about Gate 2. Murph had the director of fan engagement on his show last night and he said they were planning to make some adjustments so it isn't as crowded at that Gate tomorrow. Sounded like other gates had no issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaz Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Was at the game last Sunday and attempted to enter the aforementioned "super gate" aka Gate 2. It was a nightmare. When your facility undergoes millions of dollars of renovations and improvements, with bold-printed promises of easy, no-hassle entry at all gates, I will not accept "dude, just go to another gate" as an answer or solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Was at the game last Sunday and attempted to enter the aforementioned "super gate" aka Gate 2. It was a nightmare. When your facility undergoes millions of dollars of renovations and improvements, with bold-printed promises of easy, no-hassle entry at all gates, I will not accept "dude, just go to another gate" as an answer or solution. I agree. I was at that gate last week, and it was a complete mess. Everyone was scratching their heads wondering how this was supposed to have been an improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Was at the game last Sunday and attempted to enter the aforementioned "super gate" aka Gate 2. It was a nightmare. When your facility undergoes millions of dollars of renovations and improvements, with bold-printed promises of easy, no-hassle entry at all gates, I will not accept "dude, just go to another gate" as an answer or solution. So you wasted your time on principle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sodbuster Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Must have been a nightmare. I wasn't even in line long enough to get the stuff out of my pockets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillnutinHouston Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 I wonder if any of the people waiting at Gate 2 considered that, had they stopped tailgating a bit sooner, they might not have missed anything. I realize that personal responsibility isn't in vogue these days, but it does play a role here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 I wonder if any of the people waiting at Gate 2 considered that, had they stopped tailgating a bit sooner, they might not have missed anything. I realize that personal responsibility isn't in vogue these days, but it does play a role here. I can't speak for others, but I was at the gate and into the stadium well before the tribute to Ralph started, and that was after waiting a crazy amount of time to get through the mob at gate 2. So I'm not sure how much earlier people would have had to stop tailgating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillnutinHouston Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 ^^I hear ya Rubes. Point taken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sodbuster Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 What time does everybody here usually stop tailgating? We usually start packing up by 11:45, probably at the gates by ten after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaz Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 So you wasted your time on principle? Are you being dense on principle? The gates should not be an issue. It's what we were promised. That's the issue; not what I did or did not do. Additionally, was I supposed to know that every other gate wasn't a complete disaster as well? If I took a dose of blind faith and went one gate over and that was also a clusterbuck, that's another five minutes or so wasted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yall Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Are you being dense on principle? The gates should not be an issue. It's what we were promised. That's the issue; not what I did or did not do. Additionally, was I supposed to know that every other gate wasn't a complete disaster as well? If I took a dose of blind faith and went one gate over and that was also a clusterbuck, that's another five minutes or so wasted. I think part of the problem is positioning. People coming from the north side have 4 gates in close proximity, while those coming from the south have 3, which on the surface doesn't seem bad, but the layout and foot traffic patterns are such that most of those people coming from the south side are funneled into gate 2. Gate 1 is out of the way and 3 gets jammed up with people coming from the ECC lots and spillover from gate 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Always go thru scoreboard gates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 (edited) Are you being dense on principle? The gates should not be an issue. It's what we were promised. That's the issue; not what I did or did not do. Additionally, was I supposed to know that every other gate wasn't a complete disaster as well? If I took a dose of blind faith and went one gate over and that was also a clusterbuck, that's another five minutes or so wasted. Right, but the principle still applies WITHOUT having to wait in line! See gate 2, it's a mess, note that it's not what was promised, move on to less busy gate. You assume the other gates were been bad, which apparently they weren't or else they would be part of the story. If it were me I would have sent a buddy to do recon while holding your spot in line. Tell people around you your friend had to go pee. Edited September 20, 2014 by PromoTheRobot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted September 20, 2014 Author Share Posted September 20, 2014 (edited) ...I will not accept "dude, just go to another gate" as an answer or solution. How did that stand work out for you? Edited September 20, 2014 by LabattBlue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Are you being dense on principle? The gates should not be an issue. It's what we were promised. That's the issue; not what I did or did not do. Additionally, was I supposed to know that every other gate wasn't a complete disaster as well? If I took a dose of blind faith and went one gate over and that was also a clusterbuck, that's another five minutes or so wasted. Rather aggressive. No idea what happened, but based on your original post PTRs response was exactly what I thought too. It's the first home game after a renovation with new logistics in place - hope for the best, plan for some hiccups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 I went through Gate 2 with no issues. But, I was there around 10 minutes after they opened. Security was being too picky though with what people were carrying in. Family in front of me was bringing in an unopened can of Pringles, security spent several minutes (seriously, minutes) verifying with their Supervisor if it could be brought in, which basically shut down two lines while they talked about it. And I had my camera with a telephoto lens on it, they stopped my line while waiting for a supervisor to verify my lens was under the 6" limit. I've carried this lens in for years and this is only the second time anyone has ever questioned it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Always go thru scoreboard gates. This is some good advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punching Bag Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Was at the game last Sunday and attempted to enter the aforementioned "super gate" aka Gate 2. It was a nightmare. When your facility undergoes millions of dollars of renovations and improvements, with bold-printed promises of easy, no-hassle entry at all gates, I will not accept "dude, just go to another gate" as an answer or solution. Will you accept "You were going to complain no matter what we did so it does not matter?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaz Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Will you accept "You were going to complain no matter what we did so it does not matter?" You're basing that off what? Do you know me? How did that stand work out for you? Lots of company men around here. I guess we should all be O.K. with waiting a half-hour (at 12:15 p.m.) to get in through a so-called "super gate" and the organization should take zero blame for it. That's cool. Rather aggressive. No idea what happened, but based on your original post PTRs response was exactly what I thought too. It's the first home game after a renovation with new logistics in place - hope for the best, plan for some hiccups. Just shared my experience and I wasn't looking for sympathy. And I wasn't the first to be snarky, so I just returned the volley. He survived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Anyone else assume that this thread was in some way related to Antonio? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 You're basing that off what? Do you know me? Lots of company men around here. I guess we should all be O.K. with waiting a half-hour (at 12:15 p.m.) to get in through a so-called "super gate" and the organization should take zero blame for it. Waiting half an our less than an hour before kickoff?? I think that's pretty reasonable. I've been to a bunch of Raider games and that's usually the best part of the day. It's nucking futs and everyone gets amped up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Waiting half an our less than an hour before kickoff?? I think that's pretty reasonable. I've been to a bunch of Raider games and that's usually the best part of the day. It's nucking futs and everyone gets amped up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyal2dagame Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 If you waited 30 minutes to get in, it's your own fault. Some gates had little or no lines all day. If everyone entered the gate near their section, it wouldn't be a problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Didn't attend the game so have no business commenting. But I will. When I read they were reducing the # of gates, and creating a "Super Gate" that was supposed to make it quicker to get into the game, I shook my head in disbelief. Fewer gates means more people congested into fewer areas. Super Gate suggest a LOT more people forced into a single area. I never bought the advantage. Had I been able to attend, my strategy would have been to avoid the Super Gate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WotAGuy Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 (edited) Didn't attend the game so have no business commenting. But I will. When I read they were reducing the # of gates, and creating a "Super Gate" that was supposed to make it quicker to get into the game, I shook my head in disbelief. Fewer gates means more people congested into fewer areas. Super Gate suggest a LOT more people forced into a single area. I never bought the advantage. Had I been able to attend, my strategy would have been to avoid the Super Gate. From the linked article: "While the number of gates dropped from nine to six as part of the $130 million in improvements that debuted last week, the new entrances were almost doubled in size, said Berchtold. ". There isn't one super gate - there are six and the total entrance area is greater than before, even with fewer gates. Edited September 21, 2014 by WotAGuy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 From the linked article: "While the number of gates dropped from nine to six as part of the $130 million in improvements that debuted last week, the new entrances were almost doubled in size, said Berchtold. " Yes. My position doesn't change though. Two gates, in two different locations, are better than one twice the size, IMO. For several reasons, actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PolishDave Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Not sure what the gate number was that I entered through. It was on the visitor's side of the stadium about 1/2 way between end zones. Foot traffic flowed very quickly. We spent less than 2 minutes in line. Got right in. We headed in about 12:20 to make the Ralph tribute. I thought they handled that crowd far better at this game than they had in previous years. Yes. My position doesn't change though. Two gates, in two different locations, are better than one twice the size, IMO. For several reasons, actually. Nope... If you experienced the improvements, you would disagree with what you are saying. The gates are better. Traffic flowed much faster than last year. at least in the gate I entered it did. Way way better than last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Not sure what the gate number was that I entered through. It was on the visitor's side of the stadium about 1/2 way between end zones. Foot traffic flowed very quickly. We spent less than 2 minutes in line. Got right in. We headed in about 12:20 to make the Ralph tribute. I thought they handled that crowd far better at this game than they had in previous years. Nope... If you experienced the improvements, you would disagree with what you are saying. The gates are better. Traffic flowed much faster than last year. at least in the gate I entered it did. Way way better than last year. Even if that was the case at your gate, for the Miami game. Fewer entrances are more susceptible to problems. Think of it this way, would you rather have multiple roads to the stadium, or fewer roads with more lanes? And accident can screw up even the largest road. Same with a gate. Problem with scanners, big fight, insert your own congesting inducing disruptions here. It's easier to avoid the trouble spots with more options. Perhaps your gate was smooth because many people were enticed by the Super Gate (after all it is "Super"). Maybe folks who got stuck in the delay will start spreading to the other gates and then you may see a bit more congestion. Or, it might all straighten itself out. I guess time will tell. You have to understand, I'm a guy who avoids the major roads during rush hour. The highway might be faster, when all goes well. But too many times all doesn't go well and the whole thing comes to a standstill. I like to be in position to quickly turn onto another road, if I sense trouble. I'll actually go out of my way, just to keep moving. Or, if all else fails, find somewhere (like a bar) to stop and chill and wait for things to die down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PolishDave Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 (edited) Dean Dude.. you have to see the gates. There are more lines for people to enter. Not less. They may have combined gates, but the new gates are wider with more lanes for people to enter through. Traffic flows faster because the gates are wider with more lanes. You have to see it. It is not how you are imagining. Gates are wide, really wide. The gate I went through is so wide you couldn't shout to someone from one side to the other. In previous years everyone was crammed into a handful of lanes. Now there are like 5x that amount in one gate or at least the gate I went through. In fact, they are wider than at any stadium I have ever been to. And I have been to a number of NFL stadiums. I can't think of any with gates as wide as the Bills. And inside the stadium was improved too. I used to have to snake down a set of stairs packed with slow moving traffic to get to the main walkway in the stadium. Now it is like six steps. It took me a small fraction of time to get to my seats compared to previous years. Maybe parts of the stadium are effed up, but the section I have entered through for years is 10x better than it ever was. Edited September 21, 2014 by PolishDave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Had I been able to attend, my strategy would have been to avoid the Super Gate. Then you never would have gotten in. All the gates were replaced with Super Gates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darthokeefe Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 i was on the opposite side of the stadium i think gate six and we walked in at 1245 with about a 5 minute wait...people are by nature followers and dummies..i NEVER would have stood in a massive slow moving gate when there are 6 other ones....use common sense people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Then you never would have gotten in. All the gates were replaced with Super Gates. Are they all the same size, Jack? I believe I read there would be one particularly "super" gate. Dean Dude.. you have to see the gates. There are more lines for people to enter. Not less. They may have combined gates, but the new gates are wider with more lanes for people to enter through. Traffic flows faster because the gates are wider with more lanes. You have to see it. It is not how you are imagining. Gates are wide, really wide. The gate I went through is so wide you couldn't shout to someone from one side to the other. In previous years everyone was crammed into a handful of lanes. Now there are like 5x that amount in one gate or at least the gate I went through. In fact, they are wider than at any stadium I have ever been to. And I have been to a number of NFL stadiums. I can't think of any with gates as wide as the Bills. And inside the stadium was improved too. I used to have to snake down a set of stairs packed with slow moving traffic to get to the main walkway in the stadium. Now it is like six steps. It took me a small fraction of time to get to my seats compared to previous years. Maybe parts of the stadium are effed up, but the section I have entered through for years is 10x better than it ever was. Well we are already hearing about one gate where things didn't go well at all. Another gate, closer by, might have helped relieve some of the pressure. I don't know (as I said, I have no business posting in this thread), But that was my expectation when I heard they were reducing the number of gates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Are they all the same size, Jack? I believe I read there would be one particularly "super" gate. They are all super gates now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 They are all super gates now. Then I guess it would be tough for me to avoid them. Seriously are the all the same size? What about the "front door"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 i was on the opposite side of the stadium i think gate six and we walked in at 1245 with about a 5 minute wait...people are by nature followers and dummies..i NEVER would have stood in a massive slow moving gate when there are 6 other ones....use common sense people You used a different gate? How DARE you make excuses for this organization! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 The thing is, I never had any problems getting into the game before the remodel. Typically I started walking to the stadium and while I was walking toward the gate closest to my seat, I'd just pop in at any gate that had a small line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Then I guess it would be tough for me to avoid them. Seriously are the all the same size? What about the "front door"? The front door is the store on Abbott. Here's a link... http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/10-big-changes-unveiled-at-Ralph-Wilson-Stadium-/0a114437-77aa-4834-8b6d-82fed2e1d8b3 Note the pic for the item 3)Improved Entry, is Gate 2. You can gauge the size by the truck placed on top of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 The front door is the store on Abbott. Here's a link... http://www.buffalobi...6d-82fed2e1d8b3 Note the pic for the item 3)Improved Entry, is Gate 2. You can gauge the size by the truck placed on top of it. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted September 21, 2014 Author Share Posted September 21, 2014 Lots of company men around here. Me...a company man?? LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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