Seattle Says “Ride Transit” to the Parade, but Fans Aren’t Buying It
If you went to the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl LX championship parade today, the city said to use transit, but many fans with experience think that's a horrible idea.
Seattle Police even posted a tongue-in-cheek “letter from the Chief Hype Coordinator” encouraging people to ditch their cars and take transit. The tone was light. The reality? Not so much. By the way, “Chief Hype Coordinator” is not a real job, but if it is, I want it.
Fans Doubt Seattle Transit Can Handle Fan Numbers Today
An estimated 750,000 people are expected to line the parade route, which is more than ten times the crowd of a typical Seahawks home game. If you have ever packed into a light rail with 70,000 fans on a Sunday, you already know that it can feel like a full-contact sport just trying to get on the train. The last time I took the train on gameday it took almost 2 hours to get on.
The comments under Seattle PD’s post tell the real story.
Several people shared memories from the 2014 celebration, describing three-hour waits to board the light rail. One commenter said they froze in line for over three hours before giving up. In contrast, others mentioned how friends who drove were home in 30 minutes. Another said they waited so long that they only made it halfway in line before the parade had already started.
Others are taking a different approach to park far outside the city, like Tukwila Station, and then try to ride from there. For me, the problem is not getting in, but getting back.
The Nightmare After Super Bowl LX
I just got back from Super Bowl LX, and this was a big problem at the end of the game. Because of security and road closures, people had to walk miles to get a ride or wait it out in the cold until everything opened.
Seattle is showing up to celebrate, but most will find the real victory would be avoiding the commute and craziness altogether.
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