Are Braves fans willing to buy tickets, parking in advance to keep traffic moving?

So how bad will traffic be around SunTrust Park before Atlanta Braves games?

That may depend, in part, on whether Braves fans can break some old habits. In short, the team hopes you’ll stop showing up without tickets and parking reservations.

That would be a big change for a lot of folks. At Turner Field it was often relatively easy to show up, find a place to park and buy a ticket at the box office. It was easy in part because most parking was fairly close to the stadium.

Braves officials tell The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that showing up without tickets and parking reservations won’t work well at SunTrust Park.

For starters, parking at SunTrust is fairly dispersed. Second, most of the lots – the ones controlled by the Braves – won’t take cash. They will take reservations. But if you don't have one, you could be driving around looking for a spot – and mucking up traffic while you’re doing it.

Finally, interest in the new stadium is high, and tickets are selling fast. You may not be able to buy a ticket if you show up at the box office.

So to sum up: The Braves want you to buy tickets and parking in advance – even if you make a last-minute decision to go to the game. It’s a key part of their traffic-management plan.

Of course, the state and Cobb County have spent millions of dollars on improvements like wider intersections and pedestrian bridges. And the Braves have taken other steps to keep traffic moving. Look for a full report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this weekend.

But in the meantime, I’m curious: Braves fans, are you willing to buy your tickets and parking online in advance if it helps keep traffic moving? Great idea? A desecration of the Church of Baseball?

Would love to hear your thoughts. If you're willing to be quoted in my article, shoot me an e-mail at dwickert@ajc.com.