By Charlene Tebbutt

Raiders’ winning streak causes parking woes in Prince Albert

Oct 17, 2018 | 5:00 PM

It’s maybe a good problem to have?

Spectators flocking to the Art Hauser Centre to see the red-hot Prince Albert Raiders in action are causing parking woes in the city. Bylaw officers issued 28 parking tickets at the game Tuesday, where the Raiders took home their fourth-consecutive win, giving them 11 wins and one loss so far this season.

While the Raiders’ organization is happy to have a full house for home games, the City of Prince Albert is making fans aware vehicles parked in non-designated spots will be ticketed. With parking spaces around the arena full, Mayor Greg Dionne said spectators have been parking on the grassy boulevards and driving over the Rotary Trail to get onto the grass.

Dionne said the City has put $1 million into new ramps, curbs, paving and landscaping around the Art Hauser Centre, including along Terry Simspon Lane, and needs to properly maintain its assets. The issue also raises safety concerns, Dionne said.

“All we do is we ask people to park in a parking lot,” he told paNOW. “They park so pedestrians have to go back onto the street, and what will happen is when they leave, they’ll go over the curbs and through the ditches to get out … it’s unfortunate that we had to be there, but at the end of the day, you have to park correctly.”

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Chris Phalen has been a Raiders’ season ticket holder for several years, and said he was disappointed to see the city’s response to the parking issue. It’s been a bit of a wait for a winning WHL team in the city, and Phalen said he’d like to see more understanding from the city.  

“I’ve never seen flyers put at the Raiders game before,” Phalen said. “If I’m a fan and I’m coming out, and then when I leave the parking lot I’m sitting there with a parking ticket, that might leave a bad taste in my mouth.”

Michael Scissons, business manager with the Prince Albert Raiders, said the team appreciates the wide-spread support from the community. The city has done a great job, he said, of making improvements to the facility, along Terry Simpson Lane, and expanding the number of accessible parking spots, but he said fans should keep safety in mind as well. Scissons said the team working with the city to alleviate the parking problem. 

“We love the fact that people are coming to the games and we want to make it as enjoyable a process for everyone, and that starts from parking your car to the popcorn that you get to the product on the ice to how cold the beer is,” he added. “At the end of the day, we don’t want any actions to stop people from coming to Raiders’ games, it is an exciting time and we want to put as many people in here as possible.”

Dionne said parking issues at the Art Hauser Centre aren’t new, adding that bylaw officers issued warnings to drivers at the end of the Raiders’ last season urging them to park in designated areas only. He said fans should be prepared to come early for the games.

“For some reason we want to be as close to the door as we can,” he added. “I just ask people to be patient, respect the signs, respect the city property, because at the end of the day, their tax dollar paid for it.”

The city also plans to widen lanes exiting onto Sixth Ave. E. next year to add a right turning lane to help alleviate the bottlenecks that commonly happen after events. The next Raiders’ home game is Saturday. 

Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt