(Raleigh, NC) – The RBC Center/Carolina Hurricanes Parking Operations Department will test a new traffic pattern for guests entering from Edwards Mill Road prior to Carolina Hurricanes games. The new ingress pattern will begin on Saturday, December 27, and fans will begin to be alerted of the change prior to the Dec. 16 and Dec. 18 home games. A variable message board will be placed on the RBC Center’s outer road stating “New traffic pattern test beginning 12/27/08.”

“On Saturday, December 27, we will set up and implement three ingress lanes around the RBC Center loop road to the West 5000 Lot at approximately 6:00 p.m., until the West Lot fills,” said Mike Alexander, Parking and Traffic Manager. “We have worked hard this year to improve the traffic flow for our games; including the addition of a second left turn lane from the intersection of Edwards Mill Road onto Trinity Road.”

Earlier this year, RBC Center/Carolina Hurricanes Management established an Ambassador Program with 35 Carolina Hurricanes season ticket holders. The program was created to advise and assist management in its endeavor to provide the very best customer care and fan satisfaction. Currently, the Hurricanes are ranked fourth among the 30 NHL teams in Fan Satisfaction and 17th among all 122 professional sports teams according to the 2008 ESPN Fan Satisfaction Survey.

To date, Ambassadors have attended meetings, reviewed plans, conducted live traffic surveys, and observed parking operations from 19 different locations; including the arena roof. “Ambassadors complete a personal travel log for each game in an effort to help analyze traffic operations, and we can’t thank them enough for their input,” said Larry Perkins, RBC Center Assistant General Manager. “Their feedback has been a valuable asset to the organization.”

The ingress pattern test will continue at the December 31 and January 2 hockey games. The plan will be re-evaluated at the conclusion of the test.