Lots of Rockies fans were frustrated on opening day before the game even started.
Newly-installed metal detectors at Coors Field caused a backlog of purple-clad fans, causing waits of over an hour to get inside for the home opener.
Some fans were still stuck outside baking in the hot Denver sun as the first pitch was thrown just after 2 p.m. As a result, some security officials ignored the detectors — a newly-implemented league-wide requirement from the MLB — to quickly get people inside, .
Other fans hoping to take transport service on Opening Day Friday say they were left high and dry.
Vicky Uhland of Lafeyette arrived at about 12:45 p.m at the Westminster park-n-Ride on U.S. 36, ready to catch a lift to the game.
No such luck.
“I talked to people who had been there since 12:15 and they said no RockiesRide had come. No rides came while we were there,” she said. “We got on a bus to Union Station at about 1:15.”
According to a Rockies Ride schedule on RTD’s website, the special service was scheduled to stop at the Westminster park-n-Ride at 12:35, 12:50 and 1:05 p.m.
RTD spokeswoman Pauletta Tonilas said all RockiesRide service was on schedule and running “just fine as expected.”
“The only issue was that later in the day — it was around 1:30-ish — we had a RockiesRide headed downtown that got a call about 15 people waiting at the Westminster park-n-Ride,” she said. “I guess they showed up after last RockiesRide already passed there.”
The bus driver, she said, turned the bus around to go pick up the riders. This didn’t sit well with some: “One lady on the bus got irate about that,” she said.
But Tonilas’ report doesn’t reflect Uhland’s experience.
“A woman by me called RTD and an operator said they couldn’t track the buses so they didn’t know why they were late. Blamed traffic,” Uhland said. “Meanwhile, we saw two different buses marked ‘stadium’ going down the turnpike past us.”
Tonilas said she wasn’t aware of anyone being left behind, and cautioned riders to be aware that RockiesRide service only runs between 60 minutes to two hours before the game.
Meanwhile, Uhland , packed with Rockies and miserable-looking commuters.
Laura Keeney: 303-954-1337, lkeeney@denverpost.com or twitter.com/LauraKeeney
