All Things Bennetts Field Car Park - including club statement (merged threads)

[Barrel of Fun]

I also think they need to cut off traffic coming from Falmer gym as clearly these people aren't in official car parks, but are presumably adding to the problem?

What about those that are paying to use the facilities and parking and have been doing so way before the first bit of earth was broken?

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Do people whine and grizzle when they are stuck on the A23 adjacent to Preston Park when the buses and trains whizz past?

I seem to remember getting stuck in the Reading car park for an hour after a 3pm and a 7.45pm match. Not fantastic, but no need to sit behind in the car cursing or attempting to pick a fight with a steward. It's not the end of the world.

 

[bhadeb]

This.

I know it's widely funny to laugh at 1901ers but unless you have experienced Bennets Field you won't understand what we are saying. I have no right at all to get home quicker than anyone else but I'm sure every reasonable person would think it is perverse that the most expensive packages are getting home an hour after everyone else!!

We don't want preferential treatment, just the same treatment. And please don't forget that the car park is made up of very long term fans predominantly and disabled fans. Yes there are some Range Rover newby wanker corporates but they are in the minority.

Additionally the "abuse" of stewards must only be a handful of fans because all I have seen is people sitting in their cars, frustrated but patient.

And that is my last post on this subject until Saturday when hopefully I will come back with a thread headed "congratulations to club/police - Bennetts Field now sorted." I am optimistic.

Yes I know it is, we are in bennetts field and long time albion fans and Hoops Seagull is disabled and in a wheelchair.That is the only reason we are in that car park. With regards to the abuse to stewards, the ones on Saturday were unhelpful when asked a question as simple as "why can't you open the barrier" The question was asked politely and answered with "we don't have to tell you" and " I don't know".

Now all the disabled fans were told that the car park was free. The club has "changed their minds" and now they have to pay £180.00. I fully appreciate that some people are paying £360.00 which makes it even worse. Most people that we have spoken to have said that they don't expect to be allowed to leave first but when everyone else is leaving ie North car park before us then this is unfair. On saturday there was hardly anyone up the top by the park and ride and they wouldn't open the gate yet cars were going past us from north car park. I cannot see why whilst the buses are filling that cars can't be allowed to leave. When we used to park on the slope at Withdean the stewards used to walk the cars out even with fans walking around in a very small space. we now have more space and stewards so it should be easier.

I hope that something can be sorted and very soon but I don't think that the comments via the argus today have helped. Its almost like if you say anything do as your told - you can't have an opinion or you are out. The club seem to treat people now not as fans but as customers as it's all about money.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

The conclusion that I am inevitably drawn to is that Bennetts Field is, by a long way, an inferior car park to at least four of the car parks on the Sussex University site. Its proximity to the stadium is its sole recommendation, but that is an illusion - because its location, behind the coach park, is its downfall. It contributes to the worsening of traffic conditions on the approach roads, to the detriment of more sustainable modes of transport, such as buses and coaches.

I believe that, for Saturday games at least, there are hundreds of unused spaces on the Sussex University campus, that have not been sold. Would it not be possible for many of the Bennetts Field parkers to be relocated to the vacant spaces at Sussex University - at least for Saturday games - and Bennetts Field left half empty? This obviously leaves a problem for weekday games (when one of the Sussex University car parks isn't available for football parking), and it might then be necessary to use the whole of Bennetts Field. But at two-thirds of home fixtures, at least, the situation might be very much improved for everyone.

 

[bhadeb]

People with different disabilities may have issues with being held in one place for a long period of time. One father of a disabled lad I know is reconsidering whether they can continue to use the car park as long times in a car like this ate not good for his condition. I doubt this is the only example but it's the only one I know of.

We have also been thinking of other options ie my sister in law lives close to the staduim maybe parking there and getting a taxi!

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Do people whine and grizzle when they are stuck on the A23 adjacent to Preston Park when the buses and trains whizz past?

I seem to remember getting stuck in the Reading car park for an hour after a 3pm and a 7.45pm match. Not fantastic, but no need to sit behind in the car cursing or attempting to pick a fight with a steward. It's not the end of the world.

I'd be interested to see who thinks this is nonsense and their reasoning behind it? According to the rep.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I seem to remember getting stuck in the Reading car park for an hour after a 3pm and a 7.45pm match. Not fantastic, but no need to sit behind in the car cursing or attempting to pick a fight with a steward. It's not the end of the world.

That's another stadium where using the park & ride service (or the train & bus option) is infinitely better than trying to park near the ground.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

That's another stadium where using the park & ride service (or the train & bus option) is infinitely better than trying to park near the ground.

Exactly. I've been to Reading 5 times (three times with Brighton, two times with Walsall) and the other three visits were P&R and we escaped within a matter of minutes.

They clearly need to sort out those that drive as a necessity and those that drive as a luxury. I can't imagine wanting to drive up to the stadium, unless we are talking about arrival within a matter of minutes to get to kick off.

 

[albionalbino]

And of course AlbionAlbino is now kind of famous thanks to the Argus using NSC to create reports !

I don't get it...... Why?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

How did the police intervention come about? Did the club ask them to step in? Are the police doing it on their own accord?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I don't get it...... Why?

They quoted your Hotel California post

 

[Superphil]

Actually, Phil, it isn't that simple. The suggestion that departing buses should be given equal time with departing cars will result in Park & Ride buses taking significantly longer to reach their destination. This will mean that they will take longer to return to the stadium. And this will mean that the queue of people waiting for the second runs of the Park & Ride buses will have to wait longer. In the wet, if it's raining.

It affects the minibus shuttle service that I am running, with a view to improving things for disabled supporters using Car Park 5 at the University. They are probably more affected by a longer wait in the rain than any other group of supporters.

I don't think this comes across as being a jobsworth. At least people waiting in their cars are in the dry.

I know, I was being a little simplistic, but when you do the sums, there are 650 cars in BF. Conservatively if 10 were let out a minute, then in that 5 minute spell that equates to 50 cars. Then another 5 minutes and another 50 cars, and so on, the net effect would be to clear the cars that want to leave immedeately after the game very swiftly, with minimal impact on the buses leaving (they must take 5 minutes to load anyway). Those that choose to stay on later in the bars will be faced with much less congestion. There were people in thier cars waiting over an hour on Wednesday, for 650 cars, that is just ridiculous, and the reason, agonisingly slow progress out of the car park, single file traffic up the slip road (why the traffic cones?) and up village way, once clear of the traffic lights it was plain sailing, and the returning buses etc were not in any way impeaded. Fingers crossed, a little experience and common sense from the Police, combined with a few lessons learnt, and things will be a lot better in the coming weeks.

I think a lot of this has to be put at the feet of the current stewarding. They seem to think that no-one has ever driven a car into a car park before. On Saturday, as on Wednesday, they insisted on stopping every car at the top of the slip road to tell them where Bennetts Field car park was (the big field covered in tarmac 100metres down the road that 90% of us have parked in previously already). Then, they stopped every car at the entrance of the car park, to tell them it was OK to go in. FFS, we all go to the supermarket, we all go to car parks all the time, we know how to f***ing do it. To cap it all, on Wednesday that also told us to put our hazard indicators on, WTF, it's a piddly car park in a field next to a football stadium, why do we need to drive with our hazard lights on? And, by the time we'd queued to get out, they had all gone, not one to be seen, and still a couple of hundred cars in the car park.

Honestly, I really think they have no idea whatsoever as to what they are doing. I cannot conceive that anyone with any experience in these matters has had anything to do with the planning of this, they can't have. We can all get in and out of Tesco/M&S without waiting an hour, and that car park is vastly bigger than this. They have buses going in and out all the time, and they have a single file exit onto a roundabout before a dual carraigeway, I bet they clear more than 300 cars an hour, in fact probably far far more. Once our stewards are trained appropriately, I'm sure things will improve.

OK, load your negative reps for me now, thank you.

 

[Superphil]

I fully appreciate that some people are paying £360.00 which makes it even worse.

The club seem to treat people now not as fans but as customers as it's all about money.

As far as I recall no-one in Bennetts Filed has paid £360 to park there, the spaces are provided as part of the 1901 Club Membership.

Secondly, I think the majority knew it was always about money, anyone who joined 1901 knew that from the start.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

y
Honestly, I really think they have no idea whatsoever as to what they are doing. I cannot conceive that anyone with any experience in these matters has had anything to do with the planning of this, they can't have. We can all get in and out of Tesco/M&S without waiting an hour, and that car park is vastly bigger than this. They have buses going in and out all the time, and they have a single file exit onto a roundabout before a dual carraigeway, I bet they clear more than 300 cars an hour, in fact probably far far more. Once our stewards are trained appropriately, I'm sure things will improve.

OK, load your negative reps for me now, thank you.

I think you've over simplified it again ! Firstly I don't believe Tesco and M&S shift 300 cars an hour - that's roughly 1 every 10 seconds and certainly when I've been there ( Christmas excepted ) there hasn't been nearly that high a flow. Secondly there aren't another 20k people leaving Tescos via bus, train or foot at exactly the same time so the comparison breaks down somewhat.

 

[ROSM]

okay - can I be allowed to say that my tolerance level of this topic is now wearing extremely thin? Lots of finger pointing at the club, stewards, car drivers, users of other sites on the brighton uni campus etc etc

Lord B has it about right, the car park is in the wrong location and there is no perfect solution. Those at least in their warm car have (generally) least complaints with regard to the whole situation, but somehow are being the noisiest.

What a strange world we live in

 

[Superphil]

I think you've over simplified it again ! Firstly I don't believe Tesco and M&S shift 300 cars an hour - that's roughly 1 every 10 seconds and certainly when I've been there ( Christmas excepted ) there hasn't been nearly that high a flow. Secondly there aren't another 20k people leaving Tescos via bus, train or foot at exactly the same time so the comparison breaks down somewhat.

I think the point I was making is that they have a traffic management plan that has been put together by people who know what they are doing, there isn't a steward in sight, not any traffic cones, yet we all know exactly how to get in and out. The situation at BF is quite different, again, why hazard light, why traffic cones, why stopping you twice as you drive in, why the holding back at the end? Answer, becasue they have not been suitably trained, therefore it must be sumised that the people training them have no idea how to do it. Drivers in the main know how to opperate their cars, and have an inbuilt mechanism for not running people over, and not crashing into other cars, and not having arguements with buses and coaches, I'm sure they can all share the 300metres of Village way the same way they share the entire UK road network.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Personally* even if I was a 1901 member I still dont think I would park outside the ground. Generally by definition out of all the grounds where there are alot of fans (bar one Cardiff) it has taken AGES to get out of a car park. AGES.

Im lucky I live in the centre so I use the bus or train, however if I lived further afield and had to drive I would use the P&R at the racehill or mithras because those systems have been operating for years like clockwork.


*and I realise that doesnt work for everyone

 

[Lord Bracknell]

To cap it all, on Wednesday that also told us to put our hazard indicators on, WTF, it's a piddly car park in a field next to a football stadium, why do we need to drive with our hazard lights on?

That is really bad practice.

No-one should EVER instruct motorists to break the Highway Code:-

96: Hazard warning lights. These may be used when your vehicle is stationary, to warn that it is temporarily obstructing traffic. Never use them as an excuse for dangerous or illegal parking. You MUST NOT use hazard warning lights whilst driving unless you are on a motorway or unrestricted dual carriageway and you need to warn drivers behind you of a hazard or obstruction ahead. Only use them for long enough to ensure that your warning has been observed.
Law RVLR reg 27

 

[Westdene Seagull]

That is really bad practice.

No-one should EVER instruct motorists to break the Highway Code:-

96: Hazard warning lights. These may be used when your vehicle is stationary, to warn that it is temporarily obstructing traffic. Never use them as an excuse for dangerous or illegal parking. You MUST NOT use hazard warning lights whilst driving unless you are on a motorway or unrestricted dual carriageway and you need to warn drivers behind you of a hazard or obstruction ahead. Only use them for long enough to ensure that your warning has been observed.
Law RVLR reg 27

Interesting - I used to do work for the CAA and when you drive to the control tower at Bournemouth airport you have to put your hazard lights on when you cross the runway ( which in itself feels like you're playing chicken with planes !!!! ). Surely the highway code only applies to public land / highways though ?

 

[BHAFC_Pandapops]

Yes that looked like evryone was blocked in by the bus system. I rode home with a mate who parked at the Falmer gym car park, and it took us 20 minutes to get out, and as we passed the stadium the Bennetts Field car park looked full still with all the cars trying to leave. Seems like the whole area needs proper traffic policing!!!!

i suppose it's still better than pick-ups blocking the busses from going, if not fans obliviously meandering along in front of the stadium exit. on tuesday the bus driver beeped and some bloke just kept walking slowly in front of the bus.