New York to Nets' Fans: Take the Subway to Barclays Center in 2012

An agreement between New York State and Forest City Ratner requires the builder develop a series of carrot-and-stick incentives at Barclays Center in hopes of getting Nets fans out of their cars and onto mass transit when the arena opens in 2012.

The agreement covers a wide variety of issues related to the construction and operation of the arena from storm sewers to air pollution.  For Nets fans, the biggest issues covered relate to getting to and from Brooklyn. 

Among the requirements placed on FCR: construction of a new subway entrance at the arena which must be "operational" on opening night; provision of free round trip subway fare for Nets fans "who would otherwise drive"; free shuttle buses from satellite lots near the arena and free charter buses from two park-and-ride lots in Staten Island; as well as free indoor parking for up to 400 bicycles. And if fans drive, the state wants FCR to "impose high-occupancy-vehicle ('HOV') parking requirements"--three or more people in a car--for the bulk of parking spaces on-site.

Bottom line: the state wants to limit traffic at the arena to "approximately 800 arena inbound auto trips during the pre-game peak hour."

• Amended Memorandum of Environmental Commitments at Atlantic Yards (Pages 11-13) - Empire State Development Corp.