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Post by suedehead on Apr 26, 2024 10:20:18 GMT
The blunt answer is there probably won't be anywhere within a 5/10 min walk, unless you've got a blue badge. There's the car park behind the Albert on Castle Street which is always available if you're early but beyond that I don't think we'll be catering for fans to park that close to the ground (except the suits at the ground). Nor should we, really. It's a residential area. A space big enough for a big car park should be used for homes or green space. And this is all coming from someone who drives everywhere and wouldn't use a bus even if they paid me for the journey. Those who coming because they can't find a parking space when turning up at the last minute will probably be a tiny minority. The wider benefits far outweigh their inconvenience. Fine, but surely if we are trying to attract more fans to EP we might actually be putting some current ones off if you are right. You are making a really good case for an out of town flatpack with football specials catered for those who haven't or do not want to use a car. Maybe, but i think it’ll be a tiny number. I choose to drive, but getting the train would be fine. Takes a bit longer, bit of a faff but I’d still go. Nobody is saying you can’t drive, you just have to park a bit further away. You can then walk that extra half mile or get the bus.
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Post by suedehead on Apr 26, 2024 10:21:06 GMT
You can’t really park right outside any other L1 club, most you have to park at least 10/15 mins away. Were going to be the same.
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Post by Stranded Hatter on Apr 26, 2024 10:27:15 GMT
The blunt answer is there probably won't be anywhere within a 5/10 min walk, unless you've got a blue badge. There's the car park behind the Albert on Castle Street which is always available if you're early but beyond that I don't think we'll be catering for fans to park that close to the ground (except the suits at the ground). Nor should we, really. It's a residential area. A space big enough for a big car park should be used for homes or green space. And this is all coming from someone who drives everywhere and wouldn't use a bus even if they paid me for the journey. Those who coming because they can't find a parking space when turning up at the last minute will probably be a tiny minority. The wider benefits far outweigh their inconvenience. Fine, but surely if we are trying to attract more fans to EP we might actually be putting some current ones off if you are right. You are making a really good case for an out of town flatpack with football specials catered for those who haven't or do not want to use a car. It's not a good argument for an out of town flatpack in the slightest. Colchester have one of those, the queues to get out of their massive car park some 20-30 minutes after the match were still enormous. Was glad I'd parked further afield on someone's driveway. The NCP car park at the station is good for people who need to drive, and that's 15 minutes walk if you're slow (10 at average walking pace). It's never been close to full on the occasions I've walked past on a match day. The transport connections to EP are fantastic. There's no advantage on trading those for an out of town flatpack. I bet if you surveyed how people get to County games drivers would be the minority.
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Post by Stranded Hatter on Apr 26, 2024 10:30:01 GMT
Fine, but surely if we are trying to attract more fans to EP we might actually be putting some current ones off if you are right. You are making a really good case for an out of town flatpack with football specials catered for those who haven't or do not want to use a car. An out of town ground might have more parking immediately around it, but it’d be a bigger pain in the arse to get to for the majority of fans. The only thing EP could do with is more disabled parking, it’s walkable, or easily accessible on public transport or easy to park within 10 mins walk for everyone else, more disabled parking with the ground improvements and it’s as perfect as you’ll ever get for accessibility What could be good is if some of the spaces in the car park at the ground can be made available to people with disabled match tickets on a pre booked basis. For all I know the club could already be looking at this.
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Post by vicar on Apr 26, 2024 10:39:23 GMT
Most people commenting on this subject live outside the Borough and I get the need to drive but living in High Lane when in England we have a bus to Stockport every half hour, a train from Middlewood which stops at Hazel Grove, Woodsmoor and Davenport, there are also trains from Heaton Moor, Cheadle Hulme, Bramhall, public transport is the way to go.
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Post by timberwolf on Apr 26, 2024 10:40:05 GMT
The transport connections to EP are fantastic. There's no advantage on trading those for an out of town flatpack. I bet if you surveyed how people get to County games drivers would be the minority. Could be a situation if you are correct that people in the area have not turned their backs on public transport like in the smaller towns in the country who might have lost more transport links over the years. Only go to valley parade when we play there but the journey back even for a nightgame is horrendous after a game going up the main road at the top of the ground towards bingley and the by pass. Most these will have gone to the match and there is a bus alternative going no slower than the car infront of it.
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Post by timberwolf on Apr 26, 2024 10:46:23 GMT
Most people commenting on this subject live outside the Borough and I get the need to drive but living in High Lane when in England we have a bus to Stockport every half hour, a train from Middlewood which stops at Hazel Grove, Woodsmoor and Davenport, there are also trains from Heaton Moor, Cheadle Hulme, Bramhall, public transport is the way to go. Its horses for courses as with most things. I,d guess there will still be some coming to EP whose vehicles will not be up to optimum coolent heat when they arrive and will moan about not finding a space or ask if you are going yet when you are sat in the car park behind the albert with a County scarf round your neck with a bag of pie and chips in your hand eating them.
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Post by suedehead on Apr 26, 2024 10:49:08 GMT
Fine, but surely if we are trying to attract more fans to EP we might actually be putting some current ones off if you are right. You are making a really good case for an out of town flatpack with football specials catered for those who haven't or do not want to use a car. It's not a good argument for an out of town flatpack in the slightest. Colchester have one of those, the queues to get out of their massive car park some 20-30 minutes after the match were still enormous. Was glad I'd parked further afield on someone's driveway. The NCP car park at the station is good for people who need to drive, and that's 15 minutes walk if you're slow (10 at average walking pace). It's never been close to full on the occasions I've walked past on a match day. The transport connections to EP are fantastic. There's no advantage on trading those for an out of town flatpack. I bet if you surveyed how people get to County games drivers would be the minority. Because I've got nothing better to do and I'm on a company town hall until 12, have gone through L2 grounds and what the parking is like based on the last couple of seasons - only one I've not been to is Crawley. What a loser. Wrexham - can park at the back of the ground on the uni car park but will take you a good 20/30 mins to get out as only one exit Mansfield - paid town centre parking, probably ten mins walk away MK - paid parking on a retail park, no real street parking alternative unless you like walking Doncaster - got lucky and found a spot on some gravel but mostly private land on an industrial estate so little street parking and £5/£7 to park privately and then queues to get out Crewe - mostly paid for parking on retail parks. Can park on streets if early. Barrow - probably the easiest for street parking, managed it less than 5 mins away this season and last. Crawley - *shrugs* Bradford - street parking 10 mins walk away Cba doing the rest! But I think we measure up very well as stands. At worst, we'll be in line with most L1/L2 clubs if permit areas are extended. But from a brief look, parking is easiest at the traditional non-league grounds like Salford, Barrow and Harrogate. Notts was fine as it was a Tuesday night and only permits until 5pm, but on a Saturday would have been more difficult. Point is, even in L2, you can't just rock up and park outside a ground (unless you are there early and pay over the odds, but then have a bottle neck getting out). Suspect L1 will see parking near grounds even more challenging. It's a very small cost of success.
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Post by nelly on Apr 26, 2024 10:49:46 GMT
Most people commenting on this subject live outside the Borough and I get the need to drive but living in High Lane when in England we have a bus to Stockport every half hour, a train from Middlewood which stops at Hazel Grove, Woodsmoor and Davenport, there are also trains from Heaton Moor, Cheadle Hulme, Bramhall, public transport is the way to go. No Trains from SK6 though. Easier to get to Manchester than to Stockport. Needs sorting, Metrolink would be nice.
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Post by Stranded Hatter on Apr 26, 2024 10:50:47 GMT
It's not a good argument for an out of town flatpack in the slightest. Colchester have one of those, the queues to get out of their massive car park some 20-30 minutes after the match were still enormous. Was glad I'd parked further afield on someone's driveway. The NCP car park at the station is good for people who need to drive, and that's 15 minutes walk if you're slow (10 at average walking pace). It's never been close to full on the occasions I've walked past on a match day. The transport connections to EP are fantastic. There's no advantage on trading those for an out of town flatpack. I bet if you surveyed how people get to County games drivers would be the minority. Because I've got nothing better to do and I'm on a company town hall until 12, have gone through L2 grounds and what the parking is like based on the last couple of seasons - only one I've not been to is Crawley. What a loser. Wrexham - can park at the back of the ground on the uni car park but will take you a good 20/30 mins to get out as only one exit Mansfield - paid town centre parking, probably ten mins walk away MK - paid parking on a retail park, no real street parking alternative unless you like walking Doncaster - got lucky and found a spot on some gravel but mostly private land on an industrial estate so little street parking and £5/£7 to park privately and then queues to get out Crewe - mostly paid for parking on retail parks. Can park on streets if early. Barrow - probably the easiest for street parking, managed it less than 5 mins away this season and last. Crawley - *shrugs* Bradford - street parking 10 mins walk away Cba doing the rest! But I think we measure up very well as stands. At worst, we'll be in line with most L1/L2 clubs if permit areas are extended. But from a brief look, parking is easiest at the traditional non-league grounds like Salford, Barrow and Harrogate. Notts was fine as it was a Tuesday night and only permits until 5pm, but on a Saturday would have been more difficult. Point is, even in L2, you can't just rock up and park outside a ground (unless you are there early and pay over the odds, but then have a bottle neck getting out). Suspect L1 will see parking near grounds even more challenging. It's a very small cost of success. Crawley had really good free parking on a commercial estate behind the ground when I went last season. I got in easily and by the time I got back to the car from the away end there was no queue to get out, plus it's Crawley and most people there probably don't know they have a football club. That said it was an early season Tuesday night game.
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Post by herbiedumplings on Apr 26, 2024 11:01:19 GMT
Most people commenting on this subject live outside the Borough and I get the need to drive but living in High Lane when in England we have a bus to Stockport every half hour, a train from Middlewood which stops at Hazel Grove, Woodsmoor and Davenport, there are also trains from Heaton Moor, Cheadle Hulme, Bramhall, public transport is the way to go. No Trains from SK6 though. Easier to get to Manchester than to Stockport. Needs sorting, Metrolink would be nice. Surely if you live in SK6, you can get the chauffeur to drop you on Hardcastle Road and come back for you after the final whistle’s gone?
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Post by hedleyverity on Apr 26, 2024 11:01:55 GMT
The worst places are always new out of town grounds, massive car parks which takes forever to get out of and more often than not no train station anywhere near. EP is one of the most accessible grounds in the country, tens of thousands live within walking or cycling distance, there’s a mainline train station 10 minutes away, buses in all directions, loads of car parking within 10 or 15 minutes walk, we’ve even got a major international airport close by for our legions of overseas fans.
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Post by philtheglass on Apr 26, 2024 11:08:52 GMT
Most people commenting on this subject live outside the Borough and I get the need to drive but living in High Lane when in England we have a bus to Stockport every half hour, a train from Middlewood which stops at Hazel Grove, Woodsmoor and Davenport, there are also trains from Heaton Moor, Cheadle Hulme, Bramhall, public transport is the way to go. No Trains from SK6 though. Easier to get to Manchester than to Stockport. Needs sorting, Metrolink would be nice. Plenty of buses though, 358/384 both drop you outside the College & its a 10 minute walk up Greek St
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Post by timberwolf on Apr 26, 2024 11:23:33 GMT
The worst places are always new out of town grounds, massive car parks which takes forever to get out of and more often than not no train station anywhere near. EP is one of the most accessible grounds in the country, tens of thousands live within walking or cycling distance, there’s a mainline train station 10 minutes away, buses in all directions, loads of car parking within 10 or 15 minutes walk, we’ve even got a major international airport close by for our legions of overseas fans. Plus the future for clubs like us might be a lot brighter in the future when things like pay per mile comes into being and those presently who have cars could easily be priced out of motoring in years to come. There could quite easily get back to a situation of 100 years go where fans had little options but watch their local clubs play. Fortunrtly for me in what few years i have left all that will come in too late for me to be bothered about but if i was a 20 year old i,d be thinking seriously about supporting a club where you might have more difficulties to attend than you have now.
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Post by Duncan McOchin on Apr 26, 2024 11:52:51 GMT
You can’t really park right outside any other L1 club, most you have to park at least 10/15 mins away. Were going to be the same. Makes you miss the NLN days, where you could park where you want & sometimes the locals weren't even aware there was a football ground nearby.
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