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Parking rules are set for Dalai Lama visit
Faculty, staff urged to plan for day
By SUE WUETCHER
Reporter Editor
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama is coming to UB, and 30,000 persons are expected to join him in UB Stadium for his Distinguished Speakers Series lecture on Sept. 19.
That's a lot of people traveling to and from campus, and the university has developed a transportation and parking plan to handle the throngs of anticipated visitors.
Maria Wallace, director of parking and transportation services, has been in the thick of the planning process. Her words of advice for members of the UB community are simple: "plan accordingly."
"The logistical side of me encourages people attending the event to plan accordingly," says Wallace. "We anticipate 30,000 individuals to be on campus on Tuesday, the 19th. We are encouraging people to be on campus and in the stadium by 1 p.m., when formal programming begins."
The Dalai Lama is scheduled to take the stage at 3 p.m.
While classes will not be in session that day, Sept. 19 will remain a regular workday and special Day of Learning activities have been scheduled on campus to give members of the UB community an opportunity to learn about global issues that are of interest and particular concern to the Dalai Lama. Wallace urges faculty and staff to plan their movements that day, even if they are not attending the lecture or Day of Learning.
"Arrive to work early and plan an ending time," she says. "You may want to bring a lunch in that day and limit appointments. Guests will not be able to come onto campus as they normally do. Plan accordingly," Wallace advises. "Your ability to move your vehicle will be very limited, at best. At approximately 4:30 p.m., it will be difficult to exit the campus. Expect delays."
Wallace says that to coordinate the large volume of visitors to campus while satisfying the needs of faculty, staff and students, the access of vehicles to campus will be strictly monitored. "We are encouraging limits on the number of vehicles traveling around campus for obvious, traffic-related concerns," she says.
Only passenger vehicles with UB faculty/staff/student hangtags and special Dalai Lama hangtags purchased by DSS ticket holders will be allowed on the North Campus. Vehicles without these hangtags will be turned away from campus by University Police and Amherst Police officers stationed at the main entrances to campus.
A drop-off/pick-up location has been set up in the Center for Tomorrow lot. Shuttles will be available to ferry visitors to and from UB Stadium.
Metro buses will be allowed on campus, Wallace notes, and UB faculty, staff and students also may ride the UB Stampede buses to North Campus. The North Campus shuttle service also will be running.
Wallace urges members of the UB community who drive to campus that day to arrive early. The parking lots surrounding UB Stadium—Lake LaSalle, Arena, Alumni, Stadium, Slee, Baird and Special Events—will be closed to faculty, staff and students. "Aside from these lots, individuals will be able to park near their normal work sites until 9:30 a.m.," she says. After that time, cars arriving on campus, including faculty, staff and students, and those with Dalai Lama hangtags, will be directed to parking lots, moving east to west from the Slee lots.
Wallace says that shuttle bus service for those without UB or Dalai Lama parking hangtags will be available on the South Campus at the NFTA University Station for a $5 fee, and park-and-ride sites will be located at the Pepsi Center and the Boulevard Mall. The university has 74 buses available to assist in transit efforts, she notes. Buses will be color-coded, and bus aides will lead riders to and from the event with color-coded flags. Signage and aides also will assist at the Main Circle bus stop on the South Campus to direct students, faculty and staff to the UB Stampede buses or Dalai Lama patrons to the color-coded buses.
The university also expects a large crowd—approximately 6,500 participants, of which 3,000 may come from the university community—for the interfaith service on Sept. 18 in Alumni Arena. Wallace says parking lots near the arena will be taken "off-line" for members of the campus community, and parking also will be available at the Pepsi Center.
"Given the use of the Pepsi Center and the large population of UB members, we will have a 'scaled back' version of a DSS event, as it relates to parking," she says. "We obviously are encouraging car pooling and bus loads."
On a personal note, Wallace says it's been "challenging" some days to coordinate the parking and transportation for the Dalai Lama's visit. "Overall, it has been enjoyable working with a variety of people at this university and within the community," she says. "The efforts of many people working toward a common goal will make the Dalai Lama's visit a truly memorable day."
For more information about parking and transportation for the Dalai Lama's lecture on Sept. 19, go to http://www.buffalo.edu/dalai_lama/directions.html.