Football fans upset after long lines, short staffing and losing $60 on parking at Magic City Classic

MAGDALA, THANKS. SO MUCH. WILL $60 WASTED? NOW SOME MAGIC CITY CLASSIC FANS ARE FURIOUS AND THEY WANT THEIR MONEY BACK. WVTM 13 ERIN LEWELLEN IS LIVE AND LOCAL AT REGIONS FIELD TONIGHT. ERIN. FANS SAY THAT THEY PREPAID FOR PARKING, BUT WHEN THEY GOT TO THE LOT, IT WAS FULL. SATURDAY FOOTBALL FANS SAID THAT THIS AREA WAS A MESS FROM PARKING ATTENDANTS SAYING THAT THEY WERE SHORT STAFFED AND EVEN PEOPLE SAYING THAT THEY WAITED IN LINE FOR MORE THAN 45 MINUTES. AND EVEN PEOPLE PARKING IN SPACES THAT THEY DIDN’T PAY FOR. BUT NOW, BECAUSE OF THESE ISSUES, THE CITY SAID THEY’RE MAKING CHANGES FOR NEXT YEAR. PARKING PROBLEMS FOR SOME FOOTBALL FANS TOOK THE MAGIC OUT OF THE LARGEST HBCU CLASSIC. IT’S VERY INCONVENIENT TO THINK THAT YOU’RE PAYING FOR A PARKING AREA WHERE YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE WORRIED ABOUT TRAFFIC, AND THEN YOU GET THERE AND YOU DON’T GET THE SERVICE. BEVERLY ASHLEIGH MCCURDY TELLS ME SHE PAID $60 TO PARK IN LOT F FOR SATURDAY’S MAGIC CITY CLASSIC, BUT WHEN SHE GOT THERE, IT WAS FULL. THE LADY DID WALK UP TO THE CARS AND WAS LIKE VERIFYING THAT WE HAD PARKED AND EVEN LIKE PASSING THE POLICE OFFICERS. THEY VERIFIED THAT YOU HAD A PARKING PASS. AND SO PEOPLE WERE VERY UPSET. YOU KNOW, THEY WERE CURSING, JUST YOU KNOW, WELL, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO PAY ASHLAND? MCCURDY SAYS SHE CHOSE TO PAY FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF PARKING INSTEAD OF TAKING THE $5 SHUTTLE TO THE GAME. A LOT F WHERE THEY HAD THE PARKING, OUR TICKETS WERE THROUGH GATE 11, WHICH WAS ALL RIGHT THERE. SO TO ME, IN MY MIND, WHEN I PULLED UP, I WAS LIKE, OH, THIS IS PERFECT. PERFECT. OR SO SHE THOUGHT. WHILE SHE FILLS HER TIME. WAS WASTED. WE WAITED AN HOUR. WE SAT THERE. I MEAN, I THINK I DOZED OFF. SHE’S MORE CONCERNED ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE WHOSE PARKING SPOTS WERE STOLEN. BIRMINGHAM PARKS AND REC SAYS 500 PREPAID PARKING SPACES FOR LOT F WERE SOLD. THESE WERE OLDER PEOPLE, AND SO THEY PROBABLY PARKED FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF NOT HAVING TO WALK FAR. WE DID IT BECAUSE I HATE WAITING. IT WAS NOT A BIG ISSUE TO ME BECAUSE WE COULD PARK SOMEWHERE ELSE AND JUST WALK FREELY. THE CITY SAYS SHARING PASSES IS NOT ALLOWED AND THERE WILL BE CHANGES NEXT YEAR, BUT IT’S TOO LATE FOR ASHLAND MCCURDY. FOR ME, I’M A ONE AND DONE PERSON. I’M NOT USING THE SHUTTLE, AND I’M NOT GOING TO GIVE THEM ANOTHER $60 BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, IT WAS JUST A WASTE. IT WAS A WASTE OF TIME. MORE SO TIME THAN MONEY. BECAUSE OF THESE ISSUES, THE CITY SAYS THAT STARTING IMMEDIATELY, THE SPACES HERE IN LA F ARE GOING TO BE AVAILABLE ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE BASIS. AND THESE PARKING SPACES ON GAME DAYS WILL OPEN AT 5 A.M. LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM