Page One

Press Release: [Berkeley Headed for Football Hell]: Friday Night Game at Memorial Stadium

From Mary Kay Clunies-Ross
Tuesday October 30, 2012 - 06:15:00 PM

On November 2, the University of California, Berkeley will play the season’s first-ever Friday night football game. The game will be nationally televised and is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., but please note that parking and traffic congestion will begin much earlier, and Berkeley residents and visitors are urged to plan ahead and take public transportation. 

Although Saturday games also affect parking and traffic, this game will coincide with the Friday evening commute, impacting Berkeley businesses, employees, residents and visitors indifferent ways. City and University officials have been working together to prepare for the game-day impacts on city streets.  

“Whether you are coming to watch the game, coming home to Berkeley, or if you work in Berkeley, we encourage folks to use public transportation as much as possible,” said City Manager Christine Daniel. “And if you’re going to the game, please take one of the free shuttles.” 

October 30 UPDATE: Download a map of Berkeley street closures and parking garages here.  

Football fans who are going to the game are encouraged to visit www.calbears.com/gameday/ for more parking and traffic information. There are shuttle service options from several parking lots outside of downtown, which will make your visit to Berkeley much easier. 

 

Parking 

In order to keep streets clear and protect resident parking, there will be parking enforcement in all neighborhoods near campus. Street parking in the immediate vicinity of the Stadium is significantly restricted on game day, and the fine for street parking violations will be double, beginning at $72. 

 

Residents and visitors should pay special attention to the NO PARKING signs that are posted in the area. The City will enforce parking violations in 2-hour residential parking (RPP), disabled, tow-away and red zones. Message boards reading "Cal Football Game - Parking Fines Doubled" will be placed at four major gateways of the city to warn motorists of the road closures and parking restrictions. 

To increase the effectiveness of the shuttles, some street parking near campus will be restricted. Many City parking garages will be open, with special event flat-rate pricing. For locations of the garages listed below, visit www.CityofBerkeley.info/parking.  

 

Location 

Time Frame 

Parking Rate 

Center Street  

3pm – 6pm 

Flat rate $20 (Less than 2 hrs. pays hourly) 

Center Street  

6pm - closing 

Flat rate $5 

Oxford Garage 

3pm – 5pm 

Flat rate $20 

Oxford Garage 

5pm - closing 

Flat rate $4 

Telegraph Channing Garage 

3pm – 8pm 

Flat rate $25 (merchant validation reduces to $20; less than 2 hrs. pays hourly) 

Telegraph Channing Garage  

8pm - closing 

Flat rate $4 

Traffic and Road Closures 

Traffic control in Berkeley will begin at 3 p.m. on Friday November 2d, and will be a joint effort of the Berkeley Police Department (BPD) and the University of California Police Department (UCPD). The following streets will either be closed to traffic or traffic will be severely limited: 

  • Eastbound traffic on Durant at College will be closed
  • Northbound traffic on Piedmont at Channing Way limited to shuttle buses, emergency vehicles, and drop off for disabled game-goers.
  • The north and south bound lanes of Gayley Road and Piedmont Avenue will be closed except for fire/emergency access two (2) hours prior to kickoff and throughout the game time
  • Canyon Road and Panoramic Way are restricted to resident and emergency access before and during games
  • Stadium Rimway will be closed to vehicles
  • Centennial Drive will be closed to through traffic at Stadium Rimway for three (3) hours prior to kick-off.
October 30 UPDATE: CalTrans resumes resurfacing contstruction along Ashby Avenue from October 29 through November 2, 2012, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Friday, November 2, CalTrans will be working on from Otis Street to California Street. Please view their press release for more information. 

City Offices Closed  

Many City offices will be closed on Friday, November 2 as part of the City’s regular budget reduction scheduling. Although the City’s “Reduced Services Days” are usually the second and fourth Fridays of the month, Nov. 2 was designated a reduced service day to reduce the number of City employees in downtown Berkeley on this day. Visit the Holiday and Reduced Services Web Page for more information about which City offices will be closed.