£360 for a season ticket parking space at The Amex

[Acker79]

Obviously the pricing is geared to encourage people to fill their cars. Interesting in this country how we always discourage things through punishments rather than encouragements through incentives - not a criticism of the club, just the way Britain works.

Here's a radical idea: car with one person in £20. 2 people in - £15. 3 people in - £10. 4 or more - a fiver.

Of course, it wouldn't raise as much money but as it's all about sustainability really ;-)

But, it works out that way anyway, without the club losing money. If more than one person uses the car and shares the cost of parking a group of four pay less than a single driver.

If the club charged differently based on how many were in a car it would complicate issues for them - what if someone will have 4 people for saturday games, but two them can't make midweek games, unless they're on a monday and half way through the season tuesday gam gets moved to a monday for TV - how much do they charge? How do they ensure that four people are in a car every week on this season ticket? Stewards at the parking ground might be able to keep an eye on it, but the complications around payment for under occupancy in the car, or refunds for over occupancy would be a hassle, no guarantee some guy has driven solo to the ground and got a friend to come in the car to fill it up but don't go to football?

Charge by the car and let the driver spread the cost through his companions and each of the individuals pay less than if they each drive their own car, thus get their reward for sharing.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Obviously the pricing is geared to encourage people to fill their cars. Interesting in this country how we always discourage things through punishments rather than encouragements through incentives - not a criticism of the club, just the way Britain works.

Here's a radical idea: car with one person in £20. 2 people in - £15. 3 people in - £10. 4 or more - a fiver.

Of course, it wouldn't raise as much money but as it's all about sustainability really ;-)

It is an incentive, the more buddies you take the cheaper it becomes.

 

[BensGrandad]

I live in that area and good luck finding a space.

I am travelling by train from HH but brother is going to try parking in Coldean Lane and walking as he travels from near Heathrow. I must have missed it but is Mill Rd still going to operate a P & R for people coming off the A23/A27

 

[Superseagull]

I guess Sussex & Brighton Universities will be charging the club for use of the carparks. So remember that a fair cut of money is probably not going anywhere near the club. Then there are the Stewards to pay for, of which I think there will be lots of especially in the Sussex Uni campus trying to maintain parking control, and maybe some sort of liability insurance for the club to have parking on the universities land. So I reckon £360 a year is about right to cover all the expenses of having this parking arrangement.

 

[Everest]

I must have missed it but is Mill Rd still going to operate a P & R for people coming off the A23/A27

Yes.

 

[Hunting 784561]

I can see Coldean and Moulscombe becoming the major parkling places. Possibly even firther down Lewes Rd towards the old Preston Barracks and then the normal bus service with a travel voucher.

B & Q's Lewes Road car park will be very busy on matchdays...

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

I guess Sussex & Brighton Universities will be charging the club for use of the carparks. So remember that a fair cut of money is probably not going anywhere near the club. Then there are the Stewards to pay for, of which I think there will be lots of especially in the Sussex Uni campus trying to maintain parking control, and maybe some sort of liability insurance for the club to have parking on the universities land. So I reckon £360 a year is about right to cover all the expenses of having this parking arrangement.

The Sussex Univ website says that the club is paying the Univ a "six figure sum" for the car parking so (with VAT) the annual cost is going to be £120k minimum. Say 50 stewards for 7-8 hours @ £8ph = £3k per game so around £75k per season - almost £200k already without thinking too hard, income from 700 spaces = £250k (ish). Some VAT to balance and the Brighton Univ/Falmer Academy costs to factor in but £360 doesn't seem an extravagant price to me either.

 

[Kneon Light]

Seems fair enough to me.
Am travelling down from Crowborough with family so it will probably be the best option for us.
Don't fancy overcrowded trains to Lewes with 2 small children every game. Could use the Mithras house Park and Ride (as we did at Withdean) but will be even less sustainable as we'd have to drive past the Amex to get there.

 

[Since1982]

I'm tempted to buy the car park voucher although put off somewhat by the bumper to bumper thing. Can't work out if it will be quicker to get out of the uni car park or catch the park and ride bus back to mill road and drive back to burgess hill from there.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

I looked at it, but was put off by the price, and I won't be travelling by car every game, so it's not worth it. Current option is parking in Lewes and taking a 28/29 from by the prison. Not sure what I'll do on week nights though, when I will usually be coming from London. Possibly get the train down and then get a lift back to Sharpthorne from Haywards Heath from the folks. My real beef is not the fact I won't be able to drive to games as I did to Withdean (I used to park in Patcham outside the exclusion zone). It's that whichever council is responsible for on-street parking in Haywards Heath has reduced all the parking near the station from 4 hours to 2, meaning it is useless on a Saturday. There is also only one train back from Falmer to Haywards Heath via Lewes in the evening, the 22.13. Okay, that will get me to Sharpthorne by some time after 11 pm, but if I am heading back to London the next day it's not so good. Still, everybody knew there would be compromises. Being that we had to build right on the east edge of the city, there was always going to be some inconvenience.

 

[Since1982]

Am I being thick? Where in the brochure does it say it will be bumper to bumper parking and where on seagulls.co.uk is the link referred to in the brochure to book the car parking? And, yes, I am unquestionably being thick.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

I'm tempted to buy the car park voucher although put off somewhat by the bumper to bumper thing. Can't work out if it will be quicker to get out of the uni car park or catch the park and ride bus back to mill road and drive back to burgess hill from there.

Having had some great fun in away car parks (Yeovil, Bournemouth, Stoke), I would love to have a system where you park squashed in, all get back to your cars and are directed out after the game, a bit like on a ferry. Mind you, I'd blatantly be behind the guy who takes 2 hrs to get back.

 

[The Large One]

Am I being thick? Where in the brochure does it say it will be bumper to bumper parking and where on seagulls.co.uk is the link referred to in the brochure to book the car parking? And, yes, I am unquestionably being thick.

Not in this instance.

It's on the University of Sussex's website.

 

[Since1982]

Not in this instance.

Too kind!

 

[warlingham seagull]

Football parking on campus to be carefully controlled

Local football supporters will park on the Sussex campus when Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club play their first games at the American Express Community Stadium later this month.

The 'Seagulls' reserves play Eastbourne Borough at the new stadium in the Sussex Senior Cup final on 16 July, before the first team take on Tottenham Hotspur in a pre-season friendly on 30 July.

As part of the planning approval originally given for the stadium, the club will use specific parking spaces on the University of Sussex campus - in addition to spaces elsewhere in Brighton.

Parking will be provided for up to 30 home matches during the 2011-12 Championship season.

The parking is being tightly managed and controlled by the football club in partnership with the University.

The formal management contract specifies that University of Sussex car parks can be used only by season-ticket holders or corporate guests, who will display a pass to prove that they have pre-booked parking.

Campus access for fans - for up to 1,100 cars on relevant Saturdays and 700 on weekday match days - will be only via the new link road through Stanmer Park.

The five car parks designated for use by the football club are the Sportcentre (P5), Sussex House (P4), Biology Road (P3), Science (P1) and Innovation Centre (P2, weekends only) car parks.

Fans will follow specific pedestrian routes to and from the stadium and they will not be allowed to use any other part of campus. Stewards will manage the arrival and departure of fans from campus.

Campus access for staff, students and visitors on match days will be via Knights Gate Road.

On Saturdays only, the use of space will be maximized with the use of block parking - i.e. bumper to bumper and not in parking bays. Students and staff are therefore asked to move their cars from the designated car parks by the time match parking starts (12noon on the relevant Saturdays). If they don't do this, they risk their car being blocked in.

Staff, students and visitors will be able to park in other car parks - Mantell (P6), Arts (P7), Park Village (P8), Lewes Court (P9) and East Slope (P10) - as normal and to use all those facilities and services on campus that would normally be open.

The University will not be extending parking charges for staff, students and visitors to evenings and weekends: this policy was proposed as a control measure but then suspended, has now been reviewed and will not need to come into force.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

What I find odd is the assumption that the Club have made that ALL 1901 Club members deserve priority access to the available parking spaces near the stadium? I thought the point of being a 1901 Club member was that you got access to fine wines at games. If I had a ticket to the hospitality areas, I'd want to drink myself silly and travel by public transport.

 

[BensGrandad]

Will the regstration numbers of cars parked in the Uni be matched with STH or will the car park be patrolled by attendants and then we get back into the illegal parking tickets scenario.

There is quite a lot of parking near the station in HH available evenings and Saturdays but you have to pay for the day.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

What I find odd is the assumption that the Club have made that ALL 1901 Club members deserve priority access to the available parking spaces near the stadium? I thought the point of being a 1901 Club member was that you got access to fine wines at games. If I had a ticket to the hospitality areas, I'd want to drink myself silly and travel by public transport.

The parking priority is just a single element of the overall 'premium' package which is what the 1901 club is. I have not joined the club to 'drink myself silly', more that I want some comfort and ease to go with my advancing years. The parking space adds a bit of ease if I choose to drive.

 

[Hunting 784561]

What I find odd is the assumption that the Club have made that ALL 1901 Club members deserve priority access to the available parking spaces near the stadium? I thought the point of being a 1901 Club member was that you got access to fine wines at games. If I had a ticket to the hospitality areas, I'd want to drink myself silly and travel by public transport.

That is a highly selective opinion on the perceived benefits of being in the 1901 Club.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

That is a highly selective opinion on the perceived benefits of being in the 1901 Club.

Of course it is. My point is ... will ALL 1901 Club members want the parking space that is part of the package? Or will some of them be prepared to forego the parking space and let someone else use it?