Non Boxing Day football [moved to Tue. December 18th]

[Herr Tubthumper]

I've seen many people come up with numbers and ideas about how it can be done, but talking to transport people and the police about what it's like on the ground, I can't see anyone's figures stacking up.

Can you go through your figures again about how it can be done - without presuming that everyone else is fit / healthy / without small children, and without presuming that the majority of fans will be coming from BN1 / BN2 / BN3 (only about 36% do)?

The principle problem - though by no means the only problem - as I see it, is the buses taking up the strain of what the trains would normally provide - that's around 11,000 people in the first 35 minutes after the end of the game, or 138 full-up bus journeys. A split from Brighton Station and Lewes Station as a replacement service can be achieved, but where do you house 138 buses after the game?

This is assuming that the bus drivers are prepared to give up their Boxing Day, even with the temptation of a bumper payday, and that the club is prepared to fork out a six-figure sum for the bus hire.

Looking at it another way. The club are actively looking to use the venue for concerts. Given Southern's stock response to concerts in the Falmer area is to close Falmer station how do they anticipate sell-out crowds leaving the stadium with no trains after a gig? What transport strategy will they employ for sell-out music shows?

It's pretty clear the club would like to move this game as it will be easier and cheaper to play under normal circumstances, so I would take the views of police and transport people connected to the club with a pinch of salt..they will have an agenda.

 

[Bozza]

They can put a man on the moon you know.

They didn't do it on Boxing Day though, did they? There's a reason for that.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

They didn't do it on Boxing Day though, did they? There's a reason for that.

No buses? But in all fairness the Americans have crap public transport so every day is like Boxing Day in the US.

 

[Brovion]

They didn't do it on Boxing Day though, did they? There's a reason for that.

Is this where we're going wrong? People aren't being imaginative enough. All we've got to is get a load of old space shuttles from Nasa, train some stewards up to pilot them and then we can ferry people in from all over Sussex! The capacity on yer average space shuttle isn't that big admittedly, but on the other side of the coin they can they go bloody quick, quicker than P&R buses, so they can easily shuttle people all over the county in the length of time it takes one bus to get to Mithras House

I mean, how difficult can it be?

 

[Bozza]

Is this where we're going wrong? People aren't being imaginative enough. All we've got to is get a load of old space shuttles from Nasa, train some stewards up to pilot them and then we can ferry people in from all over Sussex! The capacity on yer average space shuttle isn't that big admittedly, but on the other side of the coin they can they go bloody quick, quicker than P&R buses, so they can easily shuttle people all over the county in the length of time it takes one bus to get to Mithras House

I mean, how difficult can it be?

It's this kind of blue-sky out-of-the-box thinking that is sadly absent at the club. Barber out.

 

[Ernest]

Why can't they move Boxing Day instead ?

 

[Brovion]

It's this kind of blue-sky out-of-the-box thinking that is sadly absent at the club. Barber out.

Well when you mentioned the moon landing it all just fell into place ...

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Re: P&R Boxing Day?

Only 11 weeks to build a fully automated working monorail. Barber needs to get some focus.

 

[The Large One]

It's pretty clear the club would like to move this game as it will be easier and cheaper to play under normal circumstances, so I would take the views of police and transport people connected to the club with a pinch of salt..they will have an agenda.

... which is?

It's the police who were first to say they wanted the game moved.

 

[Uter]

The principle problem - though by no means the only problem - as I see it, is the buses taking up the strain of what the trains would normally provide - that's around 11,000 people in the first 35 minutes after the end of the game, or 138 full-up bus journeys. A split from Brighton Station and Lewes Station as a replacement service can be achieved, but where do you house 138 buses after the game?

I don't think your figures stack up. 11,000 is also around 100 train coaches. Far more than past through Falmer station in any 35 minute period. You'd probably be looking at around 6 trains at Falmer in that time and an average length of 6 coaches, so 36 coaches. Even being generous and saying 8 trains at a maximum length of 8 gives only 64.

I'm not disputing that that many people use the train, but they do so over a much longer period than you suggest. And they won't all switch to the bus either, if the trains aren't running. If people are prepared to wait then a much smaller number of buses can cope with all the demand by making multiple trips. 40 extra buses were laid on after FBS so I don't see why a similar number wouldn't suffice for Boxing Day.

 

[The Large One]

I don't think your figures stack up. 11,000 is also around 100 train coaches. Far more than past through Falmer station in any 35 minute period. You'd probably be looking at around 6 trains at Falmer in that time and an average length of 6 coaches, so 36 coaches. Even being generous and saying 8 trains at a maximum length of 8 gives only 64.

Understood, but I'm going by the numbers Southern say they shift in that time after each match.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

... which is?

It's the police who were first to say they wanted the game moved.

Agenda? As I said, it will be easier and cheaper to stage it on another day. Like most people in life I'm sure the club will be looking to take the cheaper and easier option.

Did the police unilaterally state this? Surely they would have discussed this matter with the board/people which decide such things first? As an aside I remember seeing a list of the members of the board which decides such matters when there was a similar issue at Withdean....it looked very very cosy from a club and police perspective.

 

[8ace]

As we had no problem staging a game a Withdean on Boxing Day we should limit capacity to Withdean STHs. All the other JCLs probably won't even know there is a game anyway.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Understood, but I'm going by the numbers Southern say they shift in that time after each match.

And most people also take any information a rail company gives them with a huge pinch of salt.

 

[Giraffe]

As we had no problem staging a game a Withdean on Boxing Day we should limit capacity to Withdean STHs. All the other JCLs probably won't even know there is a game anyway.

Arguably the best suggestion yet.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Understood, but I'm going by the numbers Southern say they shift in that time after each match.

Next they'll be telling you they run a decent and reasonably priced commuter service to London

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

40 extra buses were laid on after FBS so I don't see why a similar number wouldn't suffice for Boxing Day.

And do not forget Herr Tubthumper's Human Train departing from Osborne Villas, Hove and picking up at all stops enroute to the AMEX.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Why can't they move Boxing Day instead ?

Exactly , when I worked at BT they used to move Boxing Day , all the club need to do is ask the FL to declare the 27th December as a bank holiday compensatory day due to transport difficulties.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Why can't they move Boxing Day instead ?

This, why dont we eat the leftover turkey on some day in August instead - if the club cant get it moved then its an absolute travesty !!!

 

[Pinkie Brown]

This is assuming that the bus drivers are prepared to give up their Boxing Day, even with the temptation of a bumper payday, and that the club is prepared to fork out a six-figure sum for the bus hire.

The hire of buses for 23 home league matches would surely have been budgeted into the transport plan at the start of the season? Whether the requirement to provide buses for a Boxing day match was included in the contract or slipped through the small print net at the time is another matter.

The transport budget would surely have included Southern trousering their subsidy for 23 home league matches, Boxing Day or not? The payment that Southern would normally get, but surely, should not receive on Boxing Day, seeing as they fancy the day off, should or could, go a long way to subsidising any extra payment to bus companies - In theory?