Parking at the ground

We missed the match on Saturday, because despite our best efforts, we couldn't make the 2-30 deadline for the car park gates closing. I set off from home at 12-30 to collect my daughter and grandson from Tickhill. My next stop was to pick my mate up in Monk Bretton. This is normal timing to get us into the car park around 2 pm. On the way back from Tickhill I met two massive and unannounced roadworks. By 2-25 I was still trying to get onto Stairfoot roundabout, so I called my mate, pulled the plug and took everybody home. Under the old rules I'd have just carried on, perhaps missed the kick off but gone to the match. We are all season ticket holders and have been for years and years. Me and my mate started watching the Reds 65 years ago. We are both disabled now and the walk from the disabled places on the car park is as much as we can manage. Parking off site isn't an option, at all. So, a business takes money for a game, and a place on the car park, then locks us out. My grandson is 13 and he's been coming since he was 6. He was bitterly disappointed. This isn't good enough.

 

100 % agree , football clubs driving fans away.
Why it as to be locked at 2 30 is crazy.
Locking cars in after the match is crazy.

 

Oakwell Lane and Pontefract Road seemed to be gridlocked when I was walking down about 2.40. I think a lot are falling foul of this ridiculous new rule.

I must have missed the reason behind closing the gates at 2.30. Anyone enlighten me? There seems to be no logic to it at all and takes no account of traffic hold ups as described by the OP.

 

Khaleds incompetence strikes again, don’t forget what he said at that last meeting!

Oh and it’s gone quiet on the “big news” front.

 

It's not as though pedestrians have never walked through car parks before.
It's health n safety gone daft

 

There was a car trying to access the carpark from Pontefract road turning right, and another car turning left both after the 2.30 deadline both drivers refusing to move blocking all the traffic it was chaos arguing with traffic management staff.

 

God knows how we managed ,when there were 31 000 in ground against Man City in the cup.

 

There was only six people in the town had cars then

 

I'm not local but these types of posts are becoming more prevalent. Parking and traffic around the ground seems to have become a significant issue and with that in mind has the option of a park and ride been investigated for fans with limited mobility?

 

I would imagine the new rule is in place after suggestions from the safety advisory panel.

I would also imagine that safety is at the very top of the list of criteria that the safety advisory panel advise upon. It's more than likely the only issue they care about, and other, sometimes conflicting, issues are not part of their thought process because that's not part of their remit. Advising on the safest method of doing something doesn't necessarily mean that solution is practical. Taken to the logical extreme, we'd all be safer if we stayed at home, but that doesn't get 10,000 people inside a football stadium. I would argue that closing the car park for the event people are wishing attend is not the most practical solution either.

I believe we're much too eager to put into place what is only actually a suggestion and that some of the advice we receive we can legitimately choose not to implement as it's simply not a practical solution. This being a case in point. To become all analogous it's like Asda shutting the car park during busy periods or the Sheffield Arena closing the car park when they've got a band on. It's quite clearly the wrong solution.

 

My view - reduce the size of the car park significantly, even sell off some of the land or use it to develop other parts of the broader ground (pub, hotel, restaurant etc) and then keep it only for disabled/exec customers. It's a pointless asset if you're locking people out - you'd be better agreeing with the council to run a park & ride style offer from either Town centre or further afield.

 

It falls into the 'minor inconvenience' rather than 'major issue' category but closing the main gates onto the car park also causes a backlog of pedestrians getting through the side gates to get onto the car park, particularly if some are trying to get out at the same time as I did when going out of the top gate to buy a copy of Ey Up and Down. As I said, it's not a major problem but it does appear to me that the SAG seems to be causing some unnecessary issues.

 

I'm not sure it's down to the football club. They follow advice from the SAG or whatever it is that controls traffic. It is not Barnsley FC that close the roads. It's been gone over b4. And one guy was chasing it up under the freedom of information act. So I'd be reluctant to blame the football club until more is known. Maybe Newsbot could enlighten us. If it's not covered by the official secrets act. .
If the gates are not enforceable. Then I'd look elsewhere for road closures tbh. It's not just the entry/exit rds adjacent to the ground either. Eg Harborough hills turn off and under the flyover.

 

Problem there. s ownership of the Assets.(Ground etc) This board only own the club. Some believe and I know nowt. That may be the exciting news that got mentioned.

 

That's even more insane.

 

I live in Wakefield and usually set off at 1.30 and arrive at the ground at about 2.00.
I hit congestion somewhere near New Lodge WMC and eventually experienced roadworks and a closed road not too far from the ground.
I don’t know the town that well but eventually arrived at the car park entrance at spot on 2.30.
The attendant let me in but shut the gates straight after.
Before reaching the ground, I was fully prepared to miss the game as I have a disabled parking ticket and I would not have been able to park elsewhere and walk very far.
I wasn’t aware that the gates were opened again straight after kick off.. perhaps I overlooked that !?
I’ve been an ST holder since 80 ish and I am considering not renewing next season especially when you consider it took over an hour just to get out of the ground afterwards.
I realise that bad weather and roadworks are no fault of the clubs though.

 

This doesn't seem to be generally known. I don't think I could have realistically gone anyway as I had to get through Stairfoot, then Lundwood lights (all rammed) then Monk Bretton and back to Grove Street.