College Drive checkstop causes frustration for Rams, Huskies fans

A checkstop on College Drive last week left some Saskatoon football fans feeling frustrated.

Following Friday’s game between the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and University of Regina Rams, an impaired driving checkstop was waiting as the crowd of 10,054 – the largest ever for a Huskies football game – tried to exit the stadium.

In a social media post, Huskie Athletics acknowledged that the checkstop was causing “significant delays” for those leaving the game.

“We regret the inconvenience to our fans,” the Huskies wrote. “Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

USask and Huskie Athletics are aware of significant delays in getting out of the stadium parkade following tonight’s football game. This is due to a police safety check stop.

We regret the inconvenience to our fans.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

— Huskie Athletics (@HuskieAthletics) September 9, 2023

Darren Ulmer shared his experience at the game with CKOM/CJME’s John Gormley on Wednesday.

As he was leaving the parkade, Ulmer said traffic was at a standstill. He said it took an hour for him to get through the checkstop.

“They took all four lanes of traffic and ran them into one lane and stopped everybody,” said Ulmer.

“They basically turned three lanes into a parking lot. They would then take vehicles and drive them in there and ask them questions.”

According to Ulmer, traffic was backed up all the way to the river.

Ulmer said he doesn’t have any issue with police stopping drivers to make sure they aren’t driving while impaired, but wishes they had moved the location so fans could get out of Griffiths Stadium more quickly.

“Two hundred yards down the road they had a level ditch, and they could have done the exact same thing,” said Ulmer.

Ulmer said some visiting family members who attended the game in a separate vehicle took much longer to get home after the event.

“At the end of the game, I had forgot my phone in the cup holder of the seat in front of me,” Ulmer said. “We were able to get through the checkstop, drove to Evergreen, turned around, came back to the stadium, got my phone and I still beat them home.”

According to the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS), the checkstop was held because of a request from the university.

“The traffic project was a U of S Protective Services initiative that the SPS was asked to assist with,” a police spokesperson wrote in an email.

Wade Epp, the university’s associate vice president for services, also joined Gormley’s show to explain what happened with the stop.

“We did ask SPS to initiate a traffic stop. They had two vehicles set up at the location during the fourth quarter,” said Epp.

“But they take the lead in those situations and we are just there in support.”

Epp said the university relies on the police service’s expertise when it comes to setting up a traffic stop on College Drive.

“To my knowledge, they set it up and planned it,” said Epp.

According to Epp, around 700 vehicles left the main parkade after the game, and he said that he is aware of two vehicles that were taken off the road as a result of the stop.

Epp said the Huskies regularly hold briefings with all of their in-house and third-party event staff, and those conversations have begun.

He said he expects the university and police service will also hold a debriefing regarding the checkstop.