Bottom of the travel table

[Alexander Litvinenko]

The Campaign for Better Transport has been looking at how football fans get to matches and what problems they have getting there without a car.

A survey of more than 1,000 fans and a study of how well (or badly) different grounds are served by public transport helped us put together a league table with some surprising results – the champions on the pitch weren’t necessarily the best at helping fans with more choices in how to get to watch their heroes.

We also looked at good examples from other industries and countries – such as the well-known German system where a match ticket will get you to the game for free on public transport over a wide area – and at what several stadiums learned from being used as venues during the 2012 Olympics. Our recommendations show that a lot can be done to make getting from door to turnstile easier.

Survey highlights :

- 23% of fans spend more on travel than they do on a match ticket. Fans travelling by train spend the most and fans that get to the game by walking, cycling and bus spend the least.
- The average fan spends £55 on match day, with £13 going on travel, while train travellers spend £74, with £26 of this spent getting to the game. Fans in cars largely share the driving and spend £50 each on the average matchday.
- For home games, 43% of fans drive, with 35% taking the train for at least part of their journey. For away fixtures, 57% take the train for at least some games, 44% drive and 20% travel by coach.
- Train travel is by far the most popular mode that fans ‘would like to use more’ (36%), followed by the bus (23%) and the tram or tube (17%).
Of the people who said they would like to use public transport more, cost was the most common barrier with prices named by 28% of fans who gave a reason.

Full report here : http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/files/admin/Door_to_Turnstile_CfBT_FINAL_web.pdf

Premier League Travel Table :

[Stuka]

Well I insist on following a team outside of London so I can't complain really but I think my travel costs for train and bus come a little under £20. I'm quite used to the routine, and enjoy the Nag's Head bus. Maybe more pubs should offer such a service.

The article says:

Reading fans have had a miserable season, and the
factors that led to their team coming bottom of our
table won’t help improve their mood. The Madejski
stadium is easily the most inaccessible in the Premier
League this season. Miles out of town and virtually
unreachable by scheduled buses, it is little surprise
that many Reading fans see no alternative than to
travel by car.

Despite providing some matchday buses, efforts
so far by the club, council and transport have been
unable to fully mitigate the problems caused by the
location of Reading’s ground, and plans for a new
railway station nearby are on hold. However, Reading
fans themselves are a bright spot: among fans who
travel by car, Reading fans are the most likely in the
Premier League to car-share rather than drive alone.

[BraisingsteakRoyal]

The report mentions the Green Park railway station being on hold. Is it on-hold, or has it been pretty much binned?

Not sure things were much better when we had the small multi-storey car park, but a new purpose-built multi storey, with multiple exits would probably help things, as would a temporary one-way system or re-routing of traffic before and after the game.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

The report mentions the Green Park railway station being on hold. Is it on-hold, or has it been pretty much binned?

Not sure things were much better when we had the small multi-storey car park, but a new purpose-built multi storey, with multiple exits would probably help things, as would a temporary one-way system or re-routing of traffic before and after the game.

On hold until housing development at Green Park ever restarts. Whether that ever re-starts is another question.

Not sure it's the number of exits from the car park that's the problem - it's the roads outside that they exit onto that are the hold-up.

[PieEater]

They discount the shuttle buses and all the other specials, but they are dammed expensive compared to a car share. Compare that to Man City which is further out of town but the buses are cheaper and more frequent.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

They discount the shuttle buses and all the other specials, but they are dammed expensive compared to a car share. Compare that to Man City which is further out of town but the buses are cheaper and more frequent.

And the tram goes there now - or if it doesn't it will soon.

[Elm Park Kid]

The report mentions the Green Park railway station being on hold. Is it on-hold, or has it been pretty much binned?

Not sure things were much better when we had the small multi-storey car park, but a new purpose-built multi storey, with multiple exits would probably help things, as would a temporary one-way system or re-routing of traffic before and after the game.

On hold until housing development at Green Park ever restarts. Whether that ever re-starts is another question.

Not sure it's the number of exits from the car park that's the problem - it's the roads outside that they exit onto that are the hold-up.

I understand that when Green Park was being built there were plans to have a junctions straight on to the M4. That would have made life easier for many.

[Norfolk Royal]

Apart from anyone using the M4 of course.

[Barry the bird boggler]

They discount the shuttle buses and all the other specials...

So doesn't that render the report on accessibility to the mad stad totally meaningless then

[Stuka]

What would be good is if they made a special extension to the Piccadilly Line with a station at Madejski Stadium.

[melonhead]

They discount the shuttle buses and all the other specials...

So doesn't that render the report on accessibility to the mad stad totally meaningless then

this.

there are loads of options which they dont address, so us being bottom is pretty daft

[ZacNaloen]

Is this for home fans or away fans or both?

[mr_number]

What would be good is if they made a special extension to the Piccadilly Line with a station at Madejski Stadium.

I'm sure you mean District Line, and if so, I fully agree.

Still, though 39 points! That's not bad. Any other season would have been enough for us to stay up.

[Silver Fox]

"Miles out of town and virtually unreachable by scheduled buses" is utter bollocks isn't it?

[Platypuss]

They discount the shuttle buses and all the other specials...

So doesn't that render the report on accessibility to the mad stad totally meaningless then

How?

[Jerry St Clair]

Newcastle are fortunate to have a ground which is smack, bang in the city centre and therefore surrounded by a ready made travel infrastructure. Arsenal, Fulham and Tottenham are in London so ditto (except White Hart Lane is an absolute shitter to get to on the tube).

Everton are are much further down the list than Liverpool, despite their grounds being next door to each other and sharing parking facilities.

[melonhead]

They discount the shuttle buses and all the other specials...

So doesn't that render the report on accessibility to the mad stad totally meaningless then

How?

because saying only scheduled services, and ignoring all the footy specials they put on is a bit mental.
" they have no buses!" (apart from the very cheap ones that come in from all over the surrounding area, and the shuttles that leave every few minutes from the station)

[southbank1871]

Why are QPR so low down?

[mr_number]

Why are QPR so low down?

Cos they know it's a real arse to go to West London when you leave on the other side.

[Stuka]

Southampton is a much shittier journey than Chelsea. I genuinely have no idea what these pcunts are going on about.

Nonetheless, I completely agree with them that every single thing about Reading FC smacks of being run by the most remedial of retards.

At least the recent home shirt designs have been good.