Word on the Street: How do local residents feel about UNC home football games?
UNC home football games mean seas of people in Carolina blue roaming Franklin Street and plenty of food, but it can also mean traffic jams and difficult times finding parking. Staff writer Grant Allen hit the streets to ask residents and UNC students, "How does game day traffic affect your weekend routine?"
UNC Junior Benjamin Senior
Business administration major
“Game day traffic is horrible. It makes it hard to get anywhere. My dad is an ENT surgeon at the hospital, and on Saturdays he loses his parking spot that he pays for, so he has to find other ways to get to work if he gets called in.”
UNC Junior Jasmin Darden
Exercise and sport science major
“Game day makes getting home a lot more stressful. I live pretty far from campus.”
Michal Brzezicki
UNC graduate student
“Game day slows everything down a little bit, but it’s really not as bad as rush hour. It only affects certain commutes, too. There are so many ways to get around here without having to take congested routes. More people means more business though, and that’s a big boost to the local economy."
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“On Fridays we have to order almost double the food we usually need to get through the Saturday. Double the crowd means double the food. The rush usually continues through Sunday, too. We’re a historic part of Chapel Hill, so we have people getting up Sunday morning after spending their Saturday at the game for breakfast, and we’ve got a church crowd too. It’s stressful, but it’s the same job."
Sarah Welch
Classic Carolina cashier and UNC exercise and sport science major
“When I work on game days, I have to get all my work for the weekend done before Saturday. Business is nonstop up until kickoff, I don’t even leave the register.”
