Bennetts Field Temporary Car Park at the Amex

[hans kraay fan club]

Then we need signs giving plenty of warning on approach. As it happens, they've just recently installed some brand new signs on the A23 and A27 (not yet in use) which can display variable messages. All that is needed on matchdays for away fans or those "ignorant" of the restrictions is for them to be set on matchdays to state something along the lines of:

"RESTRICTED PARKING AT AMEX STADIUM. TAKE A27 (W) / A27 (E) AND FOLLOW SIGNS TO PARK & RIDE"

That should deter most from attempting it. Or it could be changed to NO PARKING AT AMEX if necessary.

If that was me, heading to an away ground, I'd ignore it, and try my luck anyway.

 

[Oscar]

I do find all this concern rather odd. I thought all but the 1901 toffs were made aware that parking at the ground was not an option. In the season ticket presentation there was a big focus on rail services and travel vouchers, coaches and park and ride. It's not like we've been used to parking easily near to Withdean either.

Surely after the first couple of games, any home fan stupid enough to drive anywhere close to the Amex will realise it pointless on a match day. Away fans will just have to be properly informed and park and ride sites carefully signposted.

 

[Notters]

I'd agree about 15 minutes but I don't recall ever getting closer than that (although I admit we were coming from the east so don't know about the other side of Hove Park).

But there's also plenty of parking within 15 minutes of the Amex. Lots of spaces in Moulsecoomb and Coldean - not as many as in the Goldstone I grant you but the public transport is going to much, much better.

It isn't though is it? The Goldstone was 5 minutes walk from Hove station 10 from Aldrington, 20 from Brighton and within 5-10 minutes walk of about 20-30 bus routes on western road.

Also I can see mill road p&r being away fans only.

 

[Easy 10]

If that was me, heading to an away ground, I'd ignore it, and try my luck anyway.

You'd soon learn your lesson though. And word would soon get round not to bother trying to take a car to the Amex.

As others have said, its going to be trial and error for a while and there will inevitably be teething problems. There'll be plenty of DOOM merchants if we get massive problems and tailbacks all over the shop early on, but I'm fairly confident it will eventually settle down into a workable routine once people get used to what works best for them. There's no avoiding the fact that its going to take a lot longer to arrive and disperse than ever before, but we'll get used to it.

 

[Oscar]

The Argus will be all over this thread with another incisive piece of journalism complete with typos and copy-'n'-paste quotes from anonymous NSC oddballs.

 

[Titanic]

As I posted earlier - parking in Moulescoombe is not going to be an option. At the moment, I've not seen any plan for Coldean but if Moulescoombe residents have been given a parking scheme you can bet the Coldean residents will soon be asking for the same (understandably). My understanding is that Moulescoombe will have very strict parking controls managed and monitored by the club and B&H Council. If this doesn't work then they will go for a formal traffic order which will put in formal parking restrictions for residents only to coincide with events at the stadium.

I can see quite a lot of driveways being made available at £5 / £10 a pop if this is the case.

 

[Bozza]

I can see quite a lot of driveways being made available at £5 / £10 a pop if this is the case.

Won't it be scouser like protection money? "If you give us a fiver mister, we'll make sure no-one damages your car for you..." etc etc

 

[Bozza]

If that was me, heading to an away ground, I'd ignore it, and try my luck anyway.

Me too.

It's the same as 'Road closed - follow diversion' signs. The road is very, very rarely actually closed - it will just have restricted capacity such that they want most people to avoid it.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

You'd soon learn your lesson though. And word would soon get round not to bother trying to take a car to the Amex.

As others have said, its going to be trial and error for a while and there will inevitably be teething problems. There'll be plenty of DOOM merchants if we get massive problems and tailbacks all over the shop early on, but I'm fairly confident it will eventually settle down into a workable routine once people get used to what works best for them. There's no avoiding the fact that its going to take a lot longer to arrive and disperse than ever before, but we'll get used to it.

It doesn't matter - for the whole first season at least, every away fan in a car WILL try to park near the ground. Its what we do.

 

[Oscar]

Me too.

It's the same as 'Road closed - follow diversion' signs. The road is very, very rarely actually closed - it will just have restricted capacity such that they want most people to avoid it.

Genius. Ever tried your luck with "Bridge Out" signs?

 

[Gwylan]

As I posted earlier - parking in Moulescoombe is not going to be an option. At the moment, I've not seen any plan for Coldean but if Moulescoombe residents have been given a parking scheme

But Moulsecoomb ISN'T being given a parking scheme (or if it is, it's very secret). Here's the current list of B&H parking zones, the timetable stretches to 2012 and there's no mention of Moulsecoomb.

Resident parking schemes - Brighton Hove City Council

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Genius. Ever tried your luck with "Bridge Out" signs?

Have you ever SEEN a 'Bridge Out' sign, except in a cartoon?

 

[Notters]

I do find all this concern rather odd. I thought all but the 1901 toffs were made aware that parking at the ground was not an option. In the season ticket presentation there was a big focus on rail services and travel vouchers, coaches and park and ride. It's not like we've been used to parking easily near to Withdean

But we have! There was copious on street parking outside the parking restriction zone, only ten minutes' walk from the ground, used by thousands every match.

 

[Oscar]

Have you ever SEEN a 'Bridge Out' sign, except in a cartoon?

Let me think.... "ARCHER OUT", "BELLOTTI OUT", "LLOYD OUT"......no, you're right. Point taken.

 

[Notters]

It doesn't matter - for the whole first season at least, every away fan in a car WILL try to park near the ground. Its what we do.

Agreed, and the reason for this is that most grounds have plenty of parking, even when they say they don't, Stoke being an excellent example. I was really concerned about where I was going to park there but paid £4 to park five minutes walk from the away end.

 

[Easy 10]

Have you ever SEEN a 'Bridge Out' sign, except in a cartoon?

There was one in 'Speed'.

Anyway, despite what you and Bozza say, I don't think the majority of fans would totally ignore all the advice in the lead-up to the match, and then also choose to ignore the signs saying theres no parking. Most fans will be aware before setting off, it'll have been in the programmes, it'll be on our website about "how to get to the Amex" etc etc, and it'll (probably) be on bloody great neon signs on the approach "THERE IS NO PARKING". If despite the warnings people STILL go "naah f*** it, I'll just drive to the stadium", then frankly they fully deserve to sit in a traffic queue and miss kickoff.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Have you ever SEEN a 'Bridge Out' sign, except in a cartoon?

I think that French bird was seen holding up one of those before she shagged Terry.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

There was one in 'Speed'.

Anyway, despite what you and Bozza say, I don't think the majority of fans would totally ignore all the advice in the lead-up to the match, and then also choose to ignore the signs saying theres no parking. Most fans will be aware before setting off, it'll have been in the programmes, it'll be on our website about "how to get to the Amex" etc etc, and it'll (probably) be on bloody great neon signs on the approach "THERE IS NO PARKING". If despite the warnings people STILL go "naah f*** it, I'll just drive to the stadium", then frankly they fully deserve to sit in a traffic queue and miss kickoff.

Yes, they will.

 

[Bozza]

I'm not sure I've ever been to an away game where there hasn't been parking reasonably close to the ground. Sometimes you choose to not park as close as is possible in order to avoid the worst of the traffic when you need to get away, but there's always somewhere to dump the car. I reckon most people who regularly drive to away games have the same instincts for trying to locate convenient and free parking.

This away fan stuff is all a bit of a sideshow anyway - it's how the 20,000 Albion fans deal with it that's the concern.

 

[Notters]

Agreed bozza, I've even started using google earth the day before to look for likely parking spots