Park & Ride - Any Suggestions?

[goldstone]

Waterhall!!!! We can't build there but there is nothing to stop us parking there? Right next to the current park and ride and the site is MASSIVE!

get in!

Exactly .... a bloody great multi storey car park at Waterhall would be great. Excellent location right on two main roads.

.... and while we're at it we could build a very nice footie stadium there.

 

[Lammy]

Why would you need to build anything there to park? The area is massive. You can access it from both directions off the a27 and the a23!!! Easy bus access to Withdean. There are NO residence to object around Waterhall.

In fact why aren't we building a stadium there?

sorry sorry....

 

[Lord Bracknell]

When I worked for ESCC and the County Council still had transport planning responsibilities in Brighton and Hove, I was involved in commissioning a consultants' report aimed at finding suitable sites for permanent park and ride schemes for the city.

Waterhall ...

... ah, the memories!

Yes. This is by far the best site operationally for a park and ride site for Brighton. Easy car access. Easy bus access. You could build a train station for rail access to Brighton (and Hove). You could use the car parking for rail travellers going to Gatwick, Croydon and London - and relieve city centre congestion by reducing demand for car parking at Brighton, and (incidentally) freeing up even more land for redevelopment on the Brighton Station site, making the whole project economically viable.

A perfect solution.

The politicians went apeshit, though. And out came all the arguments against it. AONB, future National Park, environmental damage, loss of treasured amenity space, views from the downs, damage to the chalkland aquifer, development north of the bypass, threat of out-of-town shopping development, etc, etc.

A non-starter.

This study was done in 1996. The reaction to it effectively killed off any prospect of Waterhall ever being considered for a stadium development as well.

 

[Lammy]

Waterhall ...

... ah, the memories!

Yes. This is by far the best site operationally for a park and ride site for Brighton. Easy car access. Easy bus access. You could build a train station for rail access to Brighton (and Hove). You could use the car parking for rail travellers going to Gatwick, Croydon and London - and relieve city centre congestion by reducing demand for car parking at Brighton, and (incidentally) freeing up even more land for redevelopment on the Brighton Station site, making the whole project economically viable.

A perfect solution.

The politicians went apeshit, though. And out came all the arguments against it. AONB, future National Park, environmental damage, loss of treasured amenity space, views from the downs, damage to the chalkland aquifer, development north of the bypass, threat of out-of-town shopping development, etc, etc.

A non-starter.

This study was done in 1996. The reaction to it effectively killed off any prospect of Waterhall ever being considered for a stadium development as well.

As a perminant site you would have to lay tarmac down etc. A nonstarter. But we are talking about a TEMPORARY site for parking. Surely cars can just park on the grass? Or some sort of matting put down? There would be no development there to speak of. During the normal week it would be back to normal. I honestly can't see the problem with this. We know we can't build a stadium there but can we at least park there whilst we wait for a proper ground? It would also put pressure on to get us a new ground!! (perhaps that is why they don't want it?)

 

[FG aka Football Genius.]

Lord B,

When you're next having lunch with Silents lap dog instead of putting a bowl of cold water down for him can you please suggest the b****** obvious that the P & R can wait in meantime table an amendment that the purchasers of tickets for the new stand (or equal other part of stadium) will not be travelling by car agree to travel by other means i.e. train, walk, bus (as do season tick holder be asked to provoide car reg and agree not to park in designated no[ark zone) so that these extra seats can be put into place NOW without any further delay. The P & R can come at a later date whats importsnt is building on the momentum generated by the play offs.

Even Stevie Wonder could see that this makes sense.

FG

 

[goldstone]

The indisputable fact is that Waterhall is the ideal place for a stadium. Much better than Falmer. Excellent road access, build a station on the railway line.

And then as part of the development we could have a decent out-of-town shopping centre (save all the hassle of Brighton's ridiculous anti-car road schemes), cinemas, bowling, etc. etc.

Sure it would take up a bit of downland, but there's bloody acres and acres of downs and losing a smidgen wouldn't make any difference. And in any case no-one can enjoy the downland around Waterhall now with all the traffic noise so why not build on it?

 

[Lammy]

FOR f*** SAKE!!!!!!!!!

I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT BUILDING A STADIUM AT WATERHALL!!!!!!

--- IT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN ---

I'M TALING ABOUT A TEMPORARY PARK AND RIDE SITE FOR WITHDEAN!!!!!! IT WILL BE AS DEVELOPED AS OUR CURRENT PARK AND RIDE SITES!!!!

I.E. THEY PUT A SIGN UP SAYING PARK AND RIDE. THAT IS IT. NO BUILDING!!!!!!!!!


ARRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! FOR f*** SAKE!!!!!


ARGH!!!!!


and breathe.....

 

[Lord Bracknell]

As a perminant site you would have to lay tarmac down etc. A nonstarter. But we are talking about a TEMPORARY site for parking. Surely cars can just park on the grass? Or some sort of matting put down? There would be no development there to speak of. During the normal week it would be back to normal. I honestly can't see the problem with this. We know we can't build a stadium there but can we at least park there whilst we wait for a proper ground? It would also put pressure on to get us a new ground!! (perhaps that is why they don't want it?)

In my working past, I actually organised an incredibly successful park and ride scheme that used both Mill Road and the eastern end of the Waterhall field.

It was a one-off, for just one day though. Wednesday 6 July 1994 - the day the Tour de France came to Brighton.

The problem with any temporary arrangement would be the lack of lighting for evening and mid-winter games and the potential for damaging the grass in wet weather, at a time of year when recovery would take some time.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

... these extra seats can be put into place NOW without any further delay. The P & R can come at a later date whats importsnt is building on the momentum generated by the play offs.

Even Stevie Wonder could see that this makes sense.

Unfortunately Mr Wonder is not a member of the City Council's Environment Committee.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I'M TALING ABOUT A TEMPORARY PARK AND RIDE SITE FOR WITHDEAN!!!!!! IT WILL BE AS DEVELOPED AS OUR CURRENT PARK AND RIDE SITES!!!!

I.E. THEY PUT A SIGN UP SAYING PARK AND RIDE. THAT IS IT. NO BUILDING!!!!!!!!!

Not true. When Mill Road park & ride site was introduced, they had to install street lighting along its entire length. Not cheap.

 

[FG aka Football Genius.]

and Lord B - it goes to show that Silent and his lap dog have no real clout when it comes to politial stance in the town (yes i still refuse to call this great town a City (wheres the Cathedral?)), so how the **** are they gonn aget Falmer off the ground with all the inevitable problems and hurdles facing a massive new building? They would be far better employed recruiting Steve Wonder to the board as a Director of this club.

 

[Lammy]

In my working past, I actually organised an incredibly successful park and ride scheme that used both Mill Road and the eastern end of the Waterhall field.

It was a one-off, for just one day though. Wednesday 6 July 1994 - the day the Tour de France came to Brighton.

The problem with any temporary arrangement would be the lack of lighting foe evening and mid-winter games and the potential for damaging the grass in wet weather, at a time of year when recovery would take some time.

At last some sensible ebate on the pros and cons of Waterhall as a temporary park and ride site.

I have to admit I hadn't thought of the lighting issue. Are any of the pitches floodlit? The grass I believe would only suffer serious damage during wet conditions. Like I said would it not be possible to put some form of protection down or would this prove too expensive and render the extra income from the 2000 seats null and void? The way I see it, if we haven;t come up with a perect site yet then there probably isn't one. We'll now have to start looking at nearly perfect sites. Waterhall is perfectly positioned and has plenty of space. We now need to thinkn of way to overcome the obsticals.

There is already an existing car park there, albeit a small one. There is also a longish section of road leading to the car park, could this be used or is at too narrow? The buses wouldn't have to make much of a detour to pick people up either.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

The indisputable fact is that Waterhall is the ideal place for a stadium. Much better than Falmer. Excellent road access, build a station on the railway line.

And then as part of the development we could have a decent out-of-town shopping centre (save all the hassle of Brighton's ridiculous anti-car road schemes), cinemas, bowling, etc. etc.

Sure it would take up a bit of downland, but there's bloody acres and acres of downs and losing a smidgen wouldn't make any difference. And in any case no-one can enjoy the downland around Waterhall now with all the traffic noise so why not build on it?

In the mid-nineties, there was a Chief Planning Officer at Brighton Borough Council who thought exactly this. They sacked him.

 

[Titanic]

What about encouraging more use of buses (and/or trains) from further out, like Horsham, Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, Steyning/Ashington/Storrington/Pulborough, Crawley, Worthing, Shoreham areas...

How many people do they need to accomodate in total? (200 cars = say 600 people = 10 double deckers ??)

I'm sure the club have the geographical info from the season ticket holders database... it would then be quite simple to offer people a local'ish pick up point ??

I know it would be quite a bit of work upfront and it would need some coordination with the transport providers, to make sure kick off times are easily met and return journeys are OK - but it might be a way of easing pressure from Mill Road ?

What money do the club have in the kitty to spend on this ... would they only offer the £2 (?) per head voucher. If so, is £120 enough to run a bus to and from Horsham for example?? How much would they need to offer the bus operators to make it viable ?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Or, rather, he "left by mutual agreement".

 

[Uncle Buck]

The grass I believe would only suffer serious damage during wet conditions. Like I said would it not be possible to put some form of protection down or would this prove too expensive and render the extra income from the 2000 seats null and void?

Surely if it pisses it down like the Swindon game you are then going to have the problem of cars getting stuck in the mud. Not sure the matting would work. Regarding the lighting, you could I guess put those temporary floodlights that are used during night roadworks, but it will probably make the costs higher and so not appealing to the club.

FG, of course the board have no real political clout, to get that you need to be elected and if they were elected there would then be a conflict of interests. All they can do is lobby and try and influence, which I suspect they have been doing, as if that had not been happening we would still be at pissfield and there would have been no Falmer application.

 

[FG aka Football Genius.]

the club should put in an amendment that extra seats can be in place on basis that the same number of said supporters travel by not using their cars its easy and so ****ing obvious im amazed the club have not already done this given the opposition re the P & R. It need not be for away fans (use same value no. elsewhere) and the new stand need not even be for away fans after all we used allocation vs. Swindon ok.

INFLEXIBLE SHORTSIGHTED SINGLE TRACK (Falmer or nothing) MIND OF SILENT IS SLOWING DESTROYING THIS GREAT CLUB.

 

[goldstone]

FOR f*** SAKE!!!!!!!!!

I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT BUILDING A STADIUM AT WATERHALL!!!!!!

No, but I am.

Clearly the best location. And undoubtedly if the time, money and energy that has gone into the Falmer application had been devoted to pressing the case for Waterhall we would have a good chance of being further ahead than we are now.

 

[Uncle Buck]

the club should put in an amendment that extra seats can be in place on basis that the same number of said supporters travel by not using their cars its easy and so ****ing obvious im amazed the club have not already done this given the opposition re the P & R. It need not be for away fans (use same value no. elsewhere) and the new stand need not even be for away fans after all we used allocation vs. Swindon ok.

and you really thing people are going to stick to this? There are enough issues with people flouting the current park and ride rules. Your suggestion is less workable than Belotti's proposed stadium at Toads Hall, so please drop it.

 

[FG aka Football Genius.]

goldstone,

WATERHALL FOR ALL

agreed wouldve made more sense but then so wouldve allocating 24 hours advance purchase to Season tick holder for cardiff but did the club do what even Stevie Wonder could see made sense. NO. All Silents eggs are in the one same basket its FAlmer or bust as far as he's concerned.

FG