Parking near new Regina stadium may be tough

As the new Mosaic Stadium in Regina prepares to host its first Riders game this weekend, parking for fans has also become a whole new ball game.

Large areas north of Saskatchewan Drive to Dewdney Avenue in Regina will be closed to traffic during Riders games, and there is no passenger drop-off on Evraz Place property. Parking at Evraz Place on game days is reserved only for those who purchase seasonal parking passes.

From 3:30 p.m. Saturday there will be no public traffic on the 1500, 1600 and 1700 blocks of Elphinstone Street, which will accommodate Regina Transit buses and local residents only.

Regina police and game organizers are encouraging use of Regina Transit’s free Football Express; routes are available at regina. ca/football-express. The service is free for all guests with a game ticket or season ticket pass.

Road closures are slated for the 1500 block of Elphinstone Street at Dewdney Avenue; Princess Street and 9th Avenue; Argyle Street and 9th Avenue; MacTavish Street and 9th Avenue; Elphinstone Street and 9th Avenue; Elphinstone Street and 10th Avenue; Elphinstone Street and North Railway Street; and Saskatchewan Drive and Elphinstone Street.

Up to a dozen Canadian Football League games will be played in a single season at the new Mosaic Stadium, located next door to Evraz Place. The 364-day-a-year, multi-venue facility frequently hosts high-traffic events like concerts and a number of other cultural, recreation and sporting events.

It’s very possible that one of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ minimum of 10 home games could fall on the same day as a concert at Brandt Centre, for instance, or a gathering at the Queensbury Convention Centre.

With the old Mosaic Stadium on 1910 Piffles Taylor Way, the odd time a Riders game fell on the same afternoon as an event at nearby Evraz Place, it wasn’t an issue — at least not a big one, with several parking lots a short walk from Taylor Field.

Now, with limited spaces to go around, parking won’t necessarily be easy at the new Mosaic Stadium, even at the best of times.

With limited parking spots available, Paula Kohl, the director of marketing, communications and strategy at Evraz Place, explained that altering fan behaviour is one aspect of the new parking plan at the new Mosaic Stadium.

“We’re a community facility, so we need to make sure we have parking allocated for each of the different user groups,” Kohl said. “There’s not an easy solution.

“Even if we opened up every single parking spot on Rider game days just for game-day patrons, there still wouldn’t be enough spots. That’s why we’re encouraging people to look at all of the different options to get there — using public transit, parking and walking to the facility, riding bikes or even taking a skateboard.”

This issue is intensified because the new stadium is nearly surrounded by three busy roadways — Dewdney Avenue, Lewvan Drive and Saskatchewan Drive.

“Parking at any venue is typically a challenge,” manager of stadium development Rod Schmidt said of the parking situation at the new Mosaic Stadium.

To combat this difficulty, the facility’s development team has invested many hours into researching and implementing ideas to make transit as seamless as possible on Riders game days.

“We worked with Regina Transit to increase the numbers of trips they’ll make (to transport fans to the facility),” Schmidt said.

“We’ve got a shuttle service from downtown this year.”

Fans are also strongly encouraged to carpool.