We love Dodger Stadium. The views, the atmosphere, the history. But the traffic situation leaving the stadium is genuinely terrible and has been for decades.
If you've ever been to a game at Chavez Ravine, you already know. The parking lots are massive and they all funnel into the same exits. After a sold-out game, you're looking at 30 to 45 minutes minimum just to get out of the parking lot. That's before you even hit the freeway. Uber surge pricing kicks in immediately. The surrounding streets aren't built for 56,000 people leaving at once. It's a bottleneck from every direction.
The core problem is Los Angeles itself. This is not New York or Chicago where a significant portion of the crowd takes the subway or walks. In LA, almost everyone drives to the game. There is no train station at Dodger Stadium. The Dodger Stadium Express bus service exists, but the vast majority of fans are still arriving in personal vehicles. That creates an unavoidable crush of cars on a hilltop with limited road infrastructure around it.
Our strategy has always been to park as far back in the lot as possible so we're closer to the exits. It helps a little, but it doesn't solve the fundamental issue. We've also tried leaving in the 8th inning to beat traffic, but then you miss the best part of the game.
The Dodgers and the city of LA need to figure something out. Whether that's a gondola system, expanded bus routes, better lot flow design, or staggered exit management, something has to improve. The on-field product is elite. The stadium itself is beautiful. The food and atmosphere are top-tier. But the postgame traffic experience actively discourages people from going to weeknight games, and that's a problem for a team trying to sell 81 home dates.
Despite all of that, we'll be back. It's Dodger Stadium. It's always worth it. But if you're planning your first trip, budget an extra hour after the final out just for the parking lot.
Photo by ColorWay Sports