Padres fans face booze ban on postgame Coaster train

The BYOB parties on the Coaster’s ride from Petco Park may soon be a thing of the past.

The North County Transit District’s board - hoping to quell drunk, rowdy behavior on the Coaster - will consider banning open alcohol containers on trains after 9 p.m.

The restriction targets the Coaster train that departs the Santa Fe station 50 minutes after the last out of the game, NCTD spokesperson Sarah Benson said.

The board plans to discuss and vote on the booze ban at Thursday’s board meeting in Oceanside.

Current rules allow passengers to bring alcohol on the train and consume it en route to their destination, but the planning committee of the NCTD recommended a curfew ban after 9 p.m. to address alcohol-related incidents and customer complaints.

Some board members say the committee’s recommendation does not go far enough, and say an outright ban on alcohol on the Coaster is necessary.

“I don’t see a need for allowing alcohol on the train at all,” said Carlsbad city councilmember Mark Packard. If there is not enough support for a ban, Packard said he will support the 9 p.m. curfew.

“My take on it is that it is a one-hour train ride at the longest,” Packard said. “Anyone who is not an alcoholic can control themselves for one hour by not having a drink.”

There were 26 alcohol-related incidents - including fights, arguments, and loud or rude behavior - on trains with passengers leaving Padres’ games in 2008, Benson said. Some passengers had to be escorted off trains, she said.

Since January, there have been 11 alcohol-related incidents, Benson said. The San Diego County Sherriff’s Department has only documented one alcohol-related arrest in 2009, said spokesperson Jan Caldwell.

If the board approves the ban, Benson said she doesn’t know when it will become effective.

Carlsbad city councilmember David Roberts said he supports an outright booze ban on trains because he is concerned that alcohol consumption opens the NCTD up to potential liabilities.

Roberts also said alcohol consumption on the train sends a bad message to children.

“School children use these trains to get to and from school,” Roberts said. “We don’t allow alcoholic beverage advertising on the train because we don’t want to condone underage drinking, so what kind of mixed message does it send to allow people to participate in this behavior right in front of kids?”

Marcie Grube, 28, said she and her husband have enjoyed riding the Coaster downtown on Friday evenings from North County for years.

“Driving down the 5 [Interstate 5] to get down to the Padres is terrible,” Grube said. “Instead, we hop on at Oceanside or Carlsbad and enjoy the ride.”

Grube said she and her husband occasionally drink on the train.

“Usually my husband will buy a couple beers for himself and something for me to drink, too,” Grube said. “We only bring one or two for each other. Everyone else is laughing and having a good time; it’s fun.”

Grube said she has witnessed alcohol-related incidents on the Coaster after Padres’ games.

“Sometimes people who were getting drunk downtown, or who got drunk at the game can get a little rambunctious on the way home,” she said.

Grube said increased security on the train would be a better solution than a ban on alcohol.

“Put more cops on the train. Don’t punish the rest of us for just a few people’s bad behavior,” Grube said.

Roberts said the new restriction is not aimed at people enjoying alcoholic beverages in moderation, but at the “troublemakers.”

He said it is designed to help security and police officers implement a safer environment and casual drinkers would not be targeted for enforcement.

“This is just a tool they need in their tool chest to enforce public safety,” Roberts said.

Grube said she is concerned that the new rule will increase drunk driving on the freeway.

“This is kind of what the train is for: You go and have a night of fun, and you come back,” Grube said. “We’re not talking about the 5 a.m. commuter train here; this is the ‘we’ve-been-out-partying-and-having-fun’ train.”

The NCTD board will meet at 2 p.m. in Oceanside at 810 Mission Ave.

Wendy Fry is an SDNN intern.

Tags: SDNN

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