It was no secret that UBS Arena was not going to be 100% completed for the New York Islanders’ home opener on Nov. 20, 2021. However, it was guaranteed that the arena would be 100% safe for the grand opening. After attending the game myself, I believe that was not at all the case. The parking situation at UBS Arena was not only a headache, but it felt extremely dangerous.  

Entering the South Parking Lot

My dad and I are season ticket holders and had purchased a season parking pass for the South parking lot. The lot is only accessible from Exit 26A off of the Cross Island Parkway. The exit ramp is not nearly long enough and caused the right lane on the Cross Island to be at a standstill. My dad and I got in the line of cars to get off at Exit 26A at 4:55 p.m., nearly two hours before puck drop. We waited in the bumper-to-bumper traffic for over 30 minutes just to get to the South parking entrance.  

The entrance was only one lane which made the process even slower. There were some workers directing cars on where to park. However, none of them checked our parking pass. It is very likely that people who did not purchase South parking passes were entering the lot. The lot closed at 6:30 p.m. after reaching capacity. This led to UBS Arena employees denying access to season ticket holders who paid $1,200 for a South parking season pass. 

The South Parking Lot

The South parking lot was obviously not ready for Islanders fans. There were barely any lights in the parking lot making it difficult to see fans walking and navigating the lot. There were also no lines painted in the street to direct traffic. The lot also lacked signs to designate sections in the lot such as “Section A,” “Section B,” and so on, like those that can be found in an airport parking lot. Instead, it was just a giant, dark lot with no way to identify where in the lot you were. 

Leaving UBS Arena

Getting a parking spot in the South parking lot was already a hassle, but trying to leave was worse than anything you could have imagined. To get to the South parking lot, fans have to walk past the Diamond Parking, under an underpass that is beneath Hempstead Turnpike, and then go past the parking garage which is still under construction. While walking by the underpass, cars exiting the Diamond Parking lot were flying through the lot at well over 40 miles per hour heading right towards fans. It was very scary to watch because there were a bunch of little kids around and the drivers showed no intention of slowing down. No one was doing anything about it either. I was shocked there were no accidents. 

Because the South parking lot spaces had filled up, people started making their own parking spots and parallel parked along the sidewalk by the parking garage. Several of those people tried backing out with Islanders fans standing right behind them instead of just waiting for the crowd to clear. It was like the cars were playing a game of chicken with the pedestrians. My dad and I watched a car nearly back over a child.  

#isles fans honking at each other while being stuck in standstill traffic in the South Parking Lot at UBS Arena pic.twitter.com/Oh5RtLuidy

— maisy (@maisy2688) November 21, 2021

In the lot, traffic was at a dead halt. Cars were getting in super long, disorganized lines and boxing parked cars in. Workers finally showed up to direct traffic at 10:20 p.m., 40 minutes after the game had ended. Even then, the workers were no help. They were directing cars away from exits to get on the Cross Island, to have them get in an even longer line to exit by Hempstead Turnpike, which was on the opposite side of the lot. People were fed up with the fact that traffic was at a standstill and they had been sitting there for almost an hour. So, some people started arguing with the workers and leaving the lot using the closer exits, which they were advised against doing. 

South Parking Lot at UBS Arena is a complete free for all and a total nightmare. #Isles pic.twitter.com/NlFCbnIbh0

— maisy (@maisy2688) November 21, 2021

UBS Arena Needs to Fix Parking ASAP

Not only was the parking situation at UBS Arena extremely disorganized and poorly planned, but it was also super dangerous and put many fans at risk. After going on Twitter after the Islanders’ home opener, it seems everyone’s main complaint about UBS Arena was the parking. UBS Arena has a packed schedule this week with three more Islanders games and a Harry Styles concert. They need to do something to fix the parking situation as soon as possible because, at this rate, it seems like only a matter of time before someone gets hurt. 

Maisy Healy

I am a huge Islanders fan and love spreading my passion for the team here at Drive4Five.  Along with writing, I also co-manage the Drive4Five TikTok and Facebook accounts.