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

[Giraffe]

Oh! and anyone who has parked in Bournmouth's car park ( £2.40) for 4 hours, probably appreciates Bennets Field as being quite easy to emerge from on the same day.

I've done that on three occasions and on each occasion was out much quicker than Bennetts Field. But that's not really the point is it. It clearly isn't working, but it appears the club are going to try something new on Saturday so let's hope it does the trick and we can stop talking about it.

 

[fosters headband]

I've done that on three occasions and on each occasion was out much quicker than Bennetts Field. But that's not really the point is it. It clearly isn't working, but it appears the club are going to try something new on Saturday so let's hope it does the trick and we can stop talking about it.

You must have left early then, because to me Bournemouth has to rank amongst the worse with half the crowd that attends the Amex.

 

[manilaseagull]

we can stop talking about it.

I think you mean so YOU and a few others can stop moaning about it,

We use the train and have been back in Portslade within an hour of the final whistle on 3 occasions

Let the train take the strain......


moan moan moan moan

 

[Giraffe]

I think you mean so YOU and a few others can stop moaning about it,

We use the train and have been back in Portslade within an hour of the final whistle on 3 occasions

Let the train take the strain......


moan moan moan moan

Yes you're right. Although the term "we" suggests more than one. It does relate to 900 supporters so I don't I was wrong to use "we" instead of "I".

Thanks anyway though

 

[Gangsta]

When the Club's transport consultants did their traffic flow predictions (as part of the planning application for Bennetts Field), they predicted congestion problems at the right turn that takes traffic down on to the Brighton-bound carriageway of the A27. The solution that was decided upon was to slow down the egress from Bennetts Field. It will be interesting to see if this new problem materialises on Saturday. If it does, traffic will back up to the Village Way junction, and no amount of traffic control by the police at that junction will clear it.

LB,

This doesn't make sense to me. Once you are out of village way and on to the Woodingdean Rd, its plane sailing turning right and off to Brighton. This is partly (as I have been told by a colleague who is parking on Sussex Uni site), as they are stopped from exiting via this road at the north end of bridge from the Uni. Overkill?

 

[manilaseagull]

Yes you're right. Although the term "we" suggests more than one. It does relate to 900 supporters so I don't I was wrong to use "we" instead of "I".

Thanks anyway though

Please show me where 900 (NINE HUNDRED) people have voiced a complaint.?

 

[Gangsta]

I've done that on three occasions and on each occasion was out much quicker than Bennetts Field. But that's not really the point is it. It clearly isn't working, but it appears the club are going to try something new on Saturday so let's hope it does the trick and we can stop talking about it.

Yeah the sooner we can move on to the trains etc the better.

 

[CheeseRolls]

Argus article available online now.

Police to step in to clear post-match Albion congestion From The Argus)

 

[manilaseagull]

Argus article available online now.

Police to step in to clear post-match Albion congestion From The Argus)

football liaison officer, PC Darren Balkham, said some drivers verbally abused stewards on Tuesday night, while others refused to give way in “road rage” behaviour.

He said drivers risked being barred from the car park or the ground itself if they behave unacceptably


Oh yes please......make them walk, or join the plebs on public transport.

 

[portlock seagull]

Then I think they should review the phasing again. There is nothing more frustrating than watching a static queue of buses and cars (12,000ish people), sitting at those lights, knowing they are waiting for 1 car from Westdene, and then empty road. The last 2 games I have just missed the green light, and sat at the front of the junction. First game, I watched about 3 cars go past and then nothing whilst we all sat there. Last night there was only one car go past on the light change. Really frustrating.

BTW, I have no problem with the buses going first. As this is where the majority of the people are, but they could go faster as well if they reviewed the phasing of the lights.

Well, if there's no policeman and no cars, why are you still sat waiting at the lights staring at the empty road?! That's the trouble with this country, everyone sits there meekly waiting for permission when common sense should prevail. If I can see the road's empty coming the other way for a mile and there's a temp.set of lights for say a pothole job on the road when I;m driving home at e.g. in the dead of night I just keep going. What's the point in slowing down?

We all need to take a leaf out of the continentals book and BEEP our horns until the Falmer residents complain that the noise is SO DEAFENING it gets the club into trouble to perhaps police it as you and everyone else says. Sorry, I'm just being mischievous really. Keep the red flag flying high and all that!!

PS can I have a lift on Saturday? I have left you a message, but sounds like you need me riding shotgun or even in the back to do some quality backseat driving!

 

[portlock seagull]

football liaison officer, PC Darren Balkham, said some drivers verbally abused stewards on Tuesday night, while others refused to give way in “road rage” behaviour.

He said drivers risked being barred from the car park or the ground itself if they behave unacceptably


Oh yes please......make them walk, or join the plebs on public transport.

There's some dullhead comments on there already. The article's about BFCP and yet some people are switching to arguments about illegal parking which has nothing to do with 1901. Ow, and timely reminder that lots of th 1901 drivers are disabled and have no choice but to drive - it's a necessity not a previlage.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

LB,

This doesn't make sense to me. Once you are out of village way and on to the Woodingdean Rd, its plane sailing turning right and off to Brighton. This is partly (as I have been told by a colleague who is parking on Sussex Uni site), as they are stopped from exiting via this road at the north end of bridge from the Uni. Overkill?

Your hope for "plain sailing" may be a forlorn one.

All I can say is that it is the Football Club's own transport consultants who have predicted that the number of vehicles exiting from Bennetts Field and wishing to turn right on to the slip road down to the Brighton-bound carriageway of the A27 would be sufficient to cause severe congestion at that right turn, that would tail back to the Village Way junction.

Their proposal (which the ESCC highway authority didn't like) was for that right-turning movement to be banned during the post-match period and for all traffic to proceed over the flyover and do a U-turn around the mini-roundabout adjacent to the Swan, and then return back over the flyover for a second time, to do a left turn on to the slip road down to the A27.

I have to say that such a solution doesn't look credible to me - it would run the risk of severely disrupting the efficient operation of all bus and coach services that would have to do the U-turn around the mini roundabout. Mini-roundabouts aren't designed to allow long vehicles to do U-turns. Disruption to buses and coaches at that point would, of course, ADD to congestion at the Village Way junction.

 

[somerset]

Your hope for "plain sailing" may be a forlorn one.

All I can say is that it is the Football Club's own transport consultants who have predicted that the number of vehicles exiting from Bennetts Field and wishing to turn right on to the slip road down to the Brighton-bound carriageway of the A27 would be sufficient to cause severe congestion at that right turn, that would tail back to the Village Way junction.

Their proposal (which the ESCC highway authority didn't like) was for that right-turning movement to be banned during the post-match period and for all traffic to proceed over the flyover and do a U-turn around the mini-roundabout adjacent to the Swan, and then return back over the flyover for a second time, to do a left turn on to the slip road down to the A27.

I have to say that such a solution doesn't look credible to me - it would run the risk of severely disrupting the efficient operation of all bus and coach services that would have to do the U-turn around the mini roundabout. Mini-roundabouts aren't designed to allow long vehicles to do U-turns. Disruption to buses and coaches at that point would, of course, ADD to congestion at the Village Way junction.

Why dont they just time-share,.... 5 mins of bus traffic followed by 5 mins of BF traffic, all controlled by the Police with the lights off,..... at least that would allow the wait load to be shared instead of entirely on the 1901 shoulders.

I am assuming it isnt as simple as this.

 

[CheeseRolls]

There's some dullhead comments on there already. The article's about BFCP and yet some people are switching to arguments about illegal parking which has nothing to do with 1901. Ow, and timely reminder that lots of th 1901 drivers are disabled and have no choice but to drive - it's a necessity not a previlage.

Agree on the first point but can not accept your second point. Driving may be a necessity for some disabled customers, but attending a football match is a privilege. No one should expect an exemption if they are found to be abusing stewards or queue jumping.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Well, if there's no policeman and no cars, why are you still sat waiting at the lights staring at the empty road?! That's the trouble with this country, everyone sits there meekly waiting for permission when common sense should prevail. If I can see the road's empty coming the other way for a mile and there's a temp.set of lights for say a pothole job on the road when I;m driving home at e.g. in the dead of night I just keep going. What's the point in slowing down?

We all need to take a leaf out of the continentals book and BEEP our horns until the Falmer residents complain that the noise is SO DEAFENING it gets the club into trouble to perhaps police it as you and everyone else says. Sorry, I'm just being mischievous really. Keep the red flag flying high and all that!!

The problem with the phasing of the traffic signals is that the job of re-phasing them to deal with the traffic movements arising from the opening of the Bennetts Field car park hasn't yet been done. ESCC have said that it will be done by the end of September. That should remove the need for police control of the junction.

If the junction had been DESIGNED with Bennetts Field in mind, this problem wouldn't have arisen. The trouble is that the Club initially intended that the only traffic emerging from Village Way after matches would be the 60-odd coaches using the Coach Park.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

The traffic congestion that is arising at the moment is all on private land. Shifting it on to the public highway is a high risk strategy, if the football club are serious about submitting a planning application to increase the size of the stadium.

 

[geoff2021]

saturdays parking

police are going to turn off traffic lights at junction and regulate buses and also cars from bennetts field, should run smoother but they warn road ragers will be banned from car park, especially those w--nkers in their 4x4s who just barged their way through the car park, lets hope is make the day better for everyone who travel by bus, car and skate board

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Why dont they just time-share,.... 5 mins of bus traffic followed by 5 mins of BF traffic, all controlled by the Police with the lights off,..... at least that would allow the wait load to be shared instead of entirely on the 1901 shoulders.

I am assuming it isnt as simple as this.

I'm not sure a 50/50 split is entirely fair. 600 odd users of BF versus 20k+ using other methods.

 

[Superphil]

Why dont they just time-share,.... 5 mins of bus traffic followed by 5 mins of BF traffic, all controlled by the Police with the lights off,..... at least that would allow the wait load to be shared instead of entirely on the 1901 shoulders.

I am assuming it isnt as simple as this.

The thing is, it is as simple as that, dispite the fact that some are going to say it isn't. And no doubt some jobsworth will step in to make it more difficult than that.

 

[Giraffe]

Why dont they just time-share,.... 5 mins of bus traffic followed by 5 mins of BF traffic, all controlled by the Police with the lights off,..... at least that would allow the wait load to be shared instead of entirely on the 1901 shoulders.

QUOTE]

This, at least there would be a feeling that we had some movement. And given buses are carrying 40-50 people each the numbers equate fairly well.

Have now read the Argus news article. Some of the comments are frankly a little ignorant and without any basis. Anyone who was in that car park on Tuesday night will tell you there were no stewards in sight so not sure how anyone can have abused/harassed them!!