Car parking at the AMEX?

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

Park & Ride at the Racecourse was always built into the plans for Falmer - basically to serve traffic coming along the A259 corridor, rather than the A27. There could be problems at Falmer if the racecourse site attracts A27 traffic (because, for example, there isn't enough parking capacity elsewhere) - especially if there are also long queues building up to get access into Bennett's Field.

As you say ... the consultants' report that has been submitted to LDC seems to deal mainly with the isolated local impact of the Bennett's Field proposal. I'd also be concerned about the impact of Bennett's Field on the efficiency of all of the Park & Ride services. Will queuing to get into and out of Village Way mean that turnround times for P&R buses become significantly longer? That would have the effect of requiring more P&R buses (and more expense) to maintain the planned frequencies.

The issue isn't just a planning matter, though. It's also about the matchday experience of the customers.

Couldn't agree more. Mill Road P&R is already full with Withdean gates of 8,000 and away support at 800 max. If fans coming down the A23 or from the A27 (west) are going to be directed/diverted to the Race Course P&R then B&HCC surely won't want/permit this traffic to be routed through the city so it'll all have to go via the A27/Falmer interchange?
Mithras House is an option, we tried it out for first time at the Scummers game and it worked fine; car park wasn't full (75% ish) but the capacity is considerably less than Mill Road.
Otherwise there's always on-street parking in Moulsecoomb, Coldean, Withdean etc but who knows what the match day restrictions might be in these places?

 

[The Large One]

Those buses will be expected to serve people from saltdean, rottingdean plus peacehaven (who will use the 14 or 12 to Rottingdean) as well as routes via ovingdean and woodingdean. I'll be really surprised if it knocks a huge dent in the use of the race hill park and ride.

Prior to the bus company announcing that shuttle service, my brother-in-law and nephew, who live in Telscombe Cliffs, would have probably have been using the Racecourse P&R to get to the stadium. Now they have that convenient service, there's little need to do that. I suspect many people living in the same area might well do the same.

 

[Hunting 784561]

Couldn't agree more. Mill Road P&R is already full with Withdean gates of 8,000 and away support at 800 max. If fans coming down the A23 or from the A27 (west) are going to be directed/diverted to the Race Course P&R then B&HCC surely won't want/permit this traffic to be routed through the city so it'll all have to go via the A27/Falmer interchange?
Mithras House is an option, we tried it out for first time at the Scummers game and it worked fine; car park wasn't full (75% ish) but the capacity is considerably less than Mill Road.
Otherwise there's always on-street parking in Moulsecoomb, Coldean, Withdean etc but who knows what the match day restrictions might be in these places?

There is currently loads of on street parking at Moulsecoomb, and it's only a 5-10 minute walk.

They would have to move very quickly to put restrictions in by August.

 

[Hunting 784561]

Prior to the bus company announcing that shuttle service, my brother-in-law and nephew, who live in Telscombe Cliffs, would have probably have been using the Racecourse P&R to get to the stadium. Now they have that convenient service, there's little need to do that. I suspect many people living in the same area might well do the same.

This.

The Rottingdean shuttle looks like the most frequent of the lot.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

There is currently loads of on street parking at Moulsecoomb, and it's only a 5-10 minute walk.

They would have to move very quickly to put restrictions in by August.

It may be that it is only when August comes that people will wake up to the fact that they might need them.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

This.

The Rottingdean shuttle looks like the most frequent of the lot.

As long as it can keep to the timetable - and not get held up by the queue of previously unplanned for traffic waiting to turn into Village Way.

 

[Giraffe]

If parking on Bennett's Field is for 1901 members, then anecdotally, they may well arrive earlier than the usual pre-match rush. Not everyone, of course. Not that you'd want to set a policy around that notion.

Additionally, traffic using the Racecourse for P&R may not be quite so heavy as originally thought for people coming from A259 as Brighton & Hove Buses will be operating a shuttle service from Rottingdean High Street to the stadium on matchdays.

I would imagine that at least half of the 1901 will be arriving between 12-1 rather than 2-3. So this is a fair point. The problem (as it is at all football stadiums) will be at the end when regardless of what the club hopes most will be heading off at the same time.

 

[Hunting 784561]

As long as it can keep to the timetable - and not get held up by the queue of previously unplanned for traffic waiting to turn into Village Way.

Well that's in the hands of our friends at LDC now.

What's your view, do you think LDC will approve the Bennett's Field app, or be difficult towards us to the very end ?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

LDC is a different organisation these days.

 

[keaton]

If its not possible to demonstrate that the transport system can support 22,500 fans then they are hardly going to allow an application for another 7,500, are they? Its not a difficult conclusion to make. If the train + coach + cycle + bus + P&R isn't handled sensibly and it results in people making car trips and parking where they can then its not going to go down well is it.

I'd hope that's the same for all the parties though. For one thing, it wouldn't be great for us to spend money on a load of new seats, only for attendances to drop because transports so bad.

On another note, are we really using the Southern Water car park? Going by how hard people struggle to find their seat at Withdean I can see crashes and chaos if people try and get in there

 

[Uter]

1900 Club members have been promised priority for convenient parking spaces. The disabled parking spaces in Bennett's Field are no way sufficient to meet the demand for Blue Badge parking that a stadium serving 22,500 spectators requires. Other Blue Badge parking will have to be found elsewhere.

We were told that there would be Blue Badge parking in the small car park that has been squeezed in between the A27 and the railway. The attached document would suggest that there are 22 spaces (I am assuming the wider berths are the ones) at the left hand side.

Whether the plan has changed is unclear. Even if the spaces in Bennett's Field are in addition to these it's doubtful they would meet demand.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I don't know Lewes that well, but there must be bus routes to Brighton from that direction too?

And would there not be somewhere in Lewes from where a P&R could run?

 

[Titanic]

There is currently loads of on street parking at Moulsecoomb, and it's only a 5-10 minute walk.

They would have to move very quickly to put restrictions in by August.

Is there a public footpath through the High School / Brighton Uni, or do you have to venture out on to the A27?

 

[Hunting 784561]

Is there a public footpath through the High School / Brighton Uni, or do you have to venture out on to the A27?

Normally you could cut through the Falmer High School/Academy, but not sure right now because of the current building works going on.

If not you could walk up the cycle path alongside the A270.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I don't know Lewes that well, but there must be bus routes to Brighton from that direction too?

And would there not be somewhere in Lewes from where a P&R could run?

Yes. Every 10 minutes.

The Club have been looking for a suitable P&R site east of Falmer for years. Ees complicated. And difficult to find one.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Normally you could cut through the Falmer High School/Academy, but not sure right now because of the current building works going on.

If not you could walk up the cycle path alongside the A270.

There's a new pedestrian way, separate from the Academy site, on the stadium side of the A27.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

On another note, are we really using the Southern Water car park?

Yes. Temporarily.

According to the documents that have been submitted to LDC to accompany the current planning application.

 

[les dynam]

this is perhaps for a different thread... but do we know anything about the plans for trains yet? have seen hundreds of posts debating possibly options and problems, but has anything actually been confirmed yet by one of the railway providers?

i would image the better the train and bus links are, the less people will drive, and the strain on the car parks will be slightly eased

 

[Lord Bracknell]

The last time I travelled on the train from Lewes to Brighton for a match at Withdean (two Saturdays ago), there were only about 12 seats available in our carriage for non-football passengers. The other two carriages were just as crowded. We can't assume that the shoppers and trippers will go away when there's a match on.

 

[Titanic]

The last time I travelled on the train from Lewes to Brighton for a match at Withdean (two Saturdays ago), there were only about 12 seats available in our carriage for non-football passengers. The other two carriages were just as crowded. We can't assume that the shoppers and trippers will go away when there's a match on.

If you were a shopper and had a choice about when to travel to do your shopping... you would pretty soon learn to avoid the times of home games, if you don't like being jammed in like a sardine.

And if the rail companies are suitably customer focussed, you would think they might advertise the match days / times at the stations to help their customers chose a time when they can enjoy a more comfortable journey.