Colchester's stadium vs Falmer

[Simster]

So what percentage of our crowds use the Park & Ride facilities at Mill Road and Mithras House? I bet its more than 3%.

But Withdean is a temporary facility with parking for about 100 cars. When the club first moved into this place, anything was better than the 170 round trip to Kent.

Of course more than 3% use it - possibly 20% or even 30%. But I'll say this: over ten years, far far fewer people respect the local no-parking zones, and there are plenty of people who can't be arsed to wait for the buses anymore and actually walk back to Mill Road up the hill.

I've got nothing much against buses being used, but I simply can't see enough buses being available to make it work. We'll see.

 

[footychick]

Parking OK, took a while to get out.

Drum provided a good rhythm for our chants of "HOOF"

Unfilled in corners of stadium, terrible tannoy, fans who don't sing and completely soulless industrial estate don't help.

Agreed and the tannoy kept cutting out
I luckily didn't have to park as my dad dropped me off but it took ages to drive round to the car park, the steward said it was a mile away, more like 3 miles away.

 

[Brovion]

Excellent. Thanks for your enlightened insight on passenger movement.

I will count myself as being in the minority of not detesting going to a football ground on a bus.

To be fair to pork pie I don't think he's saying that. He's not moaning about going on a bus per se, it's the concept of driving, parking and THEN having to complete the journey in a bus that he's complaining about. Park 'n' Ride I think is the technical term.

 

[pork pie]

He has a point though. What percentage of football fans up and down the country get to the games by bus? I'm guessing 3% at the absolute most, and the reason is that people prefer to drive and walk or get the train and walk.

Exactly! How sad must the guy be to actually want to anywhere on a bus instead of driving (unless he wanted a drink)?

 

[pork pie]

But Withdean is a temporary facility with parking for about 100 cars. When the club first moved into this place, anything was better than the 170 round trip to Kent.

Of course more than 3% use it - possibly 20% or even 30%. But I'll say this: over ten years, far far fewer people respect the local no-parking zones, and there are plenty of people who can't be arsed to wait for the buses anymore and actually walk back to Mill Road up the hill.

I've got nothing much against buses being used, but I simply can't see enough buses being available to make it work. We'll see.

You can obviously appreciate that MOST people do not want the hastle of park and ride. It is ok for those who wish to use public transport to do so - that is their choice. But, I have a real problem with driving my car to a football match, then being expected to park miles away from the ground, stand and wait in the cold and or rain in a que for a bus, endure a crowded bus trip to the ground, then having to do the same but generally worse after the match. These is a lot of noise on here about the Withdean Faithful leaving their seats early - obvously a main driver is the fact that they do not want to be left standing waiting for a bus for ages.

 

[Man of Harveys]

To be fair to pork pie I don't think he's saying that. He's not moaning about going on a bus per se

Exactly! How sad must the guy be to like going anywhere on a bus?

 

[Brovion]

MOH - Yeah, I could have sworn he was only moaning about Park 'n' Ride! Ah well, my mistake.

 

[Zesh Rehman]

Its a horrible stadium

 

[pork pie]

MOH - Yeah, I could have sworn he was only moaning about Park 'n' Ride! Ah well, my mistake.

I was, and the guy was implying he actually liked the going by bus bit!?

 

[Man of Harveys]

MOH - Yeah, I could have sworn he was only moaning about Park 'n' Ride! Ah well, my mistake.

Sorry...it's just that I'm just such a big fan of pretty much everything that he posts on here, something I often show by putting "applause" smileys under to his particularly sensible and well-informed posts. Call it my NSC guilty pleasure.

 

[pork pie]

Sorry...it's just that I'm just such a big fan of pretty much everything that he posts on here, something I often show by putting "applause" smileys under to his particularly sensible and well-informed posts. Call it my NSC guilty pleasure.

Well, anyone who chooses a name after Lewes dishwater is never likely to see eye to eye with me anyway!

 

[Nottseagull]

Get yourself a history to be proud of first.

How does one go about that?

 

[Curious Orange]

You can obviously appreciate that MOST people do not want the hastle of park and ride. It is ok for those who wish to use public transport to do so - that is their choice. But, I have a real problem with driving my car to a football match, then being expected to park miles away from the ground, stand and wait in the cold and or rain in a que for a bus, endure a crowded bus trip to the ground, then having to do the same but generally worse after the match. These is a lot of noise on here about the Withdean Faithful leaving their seats early - obvously a main driver is the fact that they do not want to be left standing waiting for a bus for ages.

I've always found Park & Ride very convenient wherever I've used them - namely Colchester, Southampton, Cheltenham, and of course Brighton. Saves the hassle of finding somewhere to park - and I very rarely have to queue for very long either (if at all).

 

[Storer68]

I'd have considered going had it been their old ground. Half empty terraces are far more appealing that half empty seats.

Layer Road,a s anyone who went there will tell you , was a TERRIBLE ground.

Most of it unsafe - wooden terracing with seats plonked on in the main stand.


Compared to that theior new one is like Buckingham palace

 

[Storer68]

I don't get buses to football matches as such, but I have got park and ride many times. I think it is a good idea. I would even go so far to suggest at some stadiums park and ride is essential.

"I don't get buses to football matches but I have got the park ande ride many times"

Which bit of the park and ride has not involved a bus?

 

[Storer68]

But Withdean is a temporary facility with parking for about 100 cars. When the club first moved into this place, anything was better than the 170 round trip to Kent.

Of course more than 3% use it - possibly 20% or even 30%. But I'll say this: over ten years, far far fewer people respect the local no-parking zones, and there are plenty of people who can't be arsed to wait for the buses anymore and actually walk back to Mill Road up the hill.

I've got nothing much against buses being used, but I simply can't see enough buses being available to make it work. We'll see.

It will have to. There will be NO supporter parking at Falmer and the trains won't be able to cope with the numbers coming out all at one.

 

[Hove Lagoonery]

How does one go about that?

Take over Wimbledon FC?

 

[clippedgull]

It will have to. There will be NO supporter parking at Falmer and the trains won't be able to cope with the numbers coming out all at one.

I thought there was going to be 'premium parking' available at the University?

Car parking

Q: Why is the football club using University of Sussex car parks rather than those at the University of Brighton?
A: The football club will use a number of car parks including those at Brighton racecourse, Falmer High School and Mithras House, one of the University of Brighton sites in Lewes Road. The University of Brighton has only a small number of car parking spaces at its Falmer site.
Q: Won't visitors to the stadium try to park on the Sussex campus even when there are no matches?
A: The type of day-time use envisaged by the club will not involve University parking facilities. The stadium itself will have parking for 150 cars, which should be enough for whatever activities take place during the normal working day.
There is no intention of allowing parking on the University site other than for strictly specified events or of allowing parking at times when the University is undertaking its normal business.
The government's planning approval is conditional on a travel management plan being in place for any event at the stadium involving more than 500 people.
Q: What percentage of the total car parking will the University of Sussex provide?
A: Up to 1,100 parking spaces will be available on the University of Sussex campus. A further 1,000 spaces will be available at Falmer High School, as well as spaces at Brighton racecourse and the University of Brighton (Mithras House).
Q: Given that the University discourages staff and students from driving to campus, why is it prepared to become the car park for a 22,000-seater football stadium?
A: It is in the University's interests that Sussex staff work in partnership with those managing events. To do otherwise would expose the University to much greater disruption and expense through having to cope with illegal and unmanaged parking and use of the campus.

University of Sussex

 

[Billy the Fish]

You can obviously appreciate that MOST people do not want the hastle of park and ride. It is ok for those who wish to use public transport to do so - that is their choice. But, I have a real problem with driving my car to a football match, then being expected to park miles away from the ground, stand and wait in the cold and or rain in a que for a bus, endure a crowded bus trip to the ground, then having to do the same but generally worse after the match. These is a lot of noise on here about the Withdean Faithful leaving their seats early - obvously a main driver is the fact that they do not want to be left standing waiting for a bus for ages.

You're right when you say nobody WANTS to use the park and ride, but we don't have a choice because the club don't have a choice.

If the club were allowed to build a massive car park at Falmer I'm sure they would, but the government has said they can't.

The way you go on about it you'd think Dick Knight and Martin Perry invented the park and ride system just to annoy you.

Yes it's an inconvenience but it's not that bad, and it's not the clubs fault either

 

[03dpellett]

Boring stadium, all 4 stands are pretty much identical. Yess parking is a BIG issue. Either you pay a fiver to park at the ground and spend ages trying to get out of the place, or you park a mile away from the ground. Luckily, we managed to park on one of the roads leading off the roundabouts which arent actually open yet, so are consequently turned into car parks by many fans, but when they are properly built the affore mentioned are your only options!.. Plus the amazing brand of HOOFball played by them isnt exactly an attractive proposition!.. Lastly, they are a small club with no history whatsoever! so i wouldnt worry about falmer one bit!