FOXBORO - Two New England Patriots unbeaten streaks are on the line tomorrow.

One is a home game - 4:15 p.m. vs The Washington Redskins; the other is a road game if there ever was one, as police officers on traffic detail and Gillette Stadium patrons try to beat gridiron gridlock on Route 1, North Street and other local streets.

"For us, the consensus is its still worse than last year," said Mark Lightbody, 26, of Mansfield, who along with brother, Matt Lightbody of Foxboro, and friend Justin Kenney of North Attleboro manage a 178-space satellite parking lot at Pine Brook Office Park on Route 1 a mile south of the stadium.

Lightbody said he's had to leave home "earlier and earlier" to beat the crush of traffic to the lot, which charges $40 per car.

And some of his fans are getting cranky. "People tend to get aggravated really quick," he said. "We find ourselves in situations and we try to be nice and try to be firm at the same time."

Because of the game-day traffic squeeze, he said, patrons are more quickly entering the remote Pine Brook lot and walking the mile to the stadium.

"Some people driving by think we're crazy for being that far back," he said. "But the closer you park to the stadium, the harder it is to get out. You can walk out in 15 minutes."

According to police and some patrons, traffic to and from the stadium has improved since the Patriots' Sept. 16 home opener, when a miles-long backup stretched from the stadium past Foxboro center.

But for each of the three regular-season home game to date, police and other concede, traffic still remains worse than during any Pats game last season.

"The traffic has been worse this year," Lt. Jeff Stuart, commander of the state police barracks in Foxboro, conceded Friday. With construction under way for the Patriot Place mall next to the stadium, most of the stadium parking has been shifted to the P-10 lot and other lots across Route 1. "It only makes sense it's not going to be as good as last year," he said.

Lots open four hours before game time. He is prepared, if traffic gets too heavy, to authorize opening lot P-10 and satellite lots early tomorrow. "Stadium lots except P-10 won't open earlier than noon."

Both Stuart and Foxboro Police Chief Edward O'Leary say the backups are shrinking with each passing game, as drivers get used to the new traffic patterns. Those changes, and tips for drivers, are posted on the Patriots Web site: www.patriots.com/news.

"As we're progressing, it's getting closer to what they experienced last year," O'Leary said.

Not everyone suffers equally. "If you're a Patriots season-ticket holder and a Foxboro resident, you can use the access road" off North Street, said Thomas F. Ryan, 40, of Adams Street, who's had six tickets since 1993. "I'm probably the first or second car in there." He uses the lot designated for Foxboro residents.

For a 1 p.m. game, Ryan said, he and his friends meet at his house at 8:30 a.m. "and head up there, get the grill going, have some breakfast. That Foxboro lot is like one Foxboro cookout."

For Ryan, who doesn't have to use Route 1 at all, this season has been no worse than last.

But his family friend, Christine Crowley, 34, of Charlestown, who goes to about one game per year, suffered with two friends as they drove from Boston to the Sept. 16 home opener against the Chargers. Heading south on Route 1 from Interstate 95, she said they sat in traffic - without moving - for at least an hour, and had a long wait leaving the stadium after the game.

"You'd have to miss the last quarter to get out of there early," Crowley said. "There's not much you can do."

If some businesses are hurt by traffic jams, the liquor business is not one of them. At least not Central Wine and Spirits in Foxboro center.

"It brings action from the game traffic," said owner Bill Varkas. "I can't complain about it."

But many Foxboro residents can.

He said the wife of one of his employee, who lives near Mechanic Street, heard about tomorrow's game and said, "It looks like I'm not going out Sunday."

With part of Patriot Place about to open, Foxboro's traffic challenge, to many, appears here to stay.

"If you're not used to it by now, you must be new in town," Varkas said.