Stewards & away coaches leaving the stadium

[Forty]

After Everton, there was a beauty of a barney between a tango and a scouse driver who'd parked his coach on the pavement halfway down the road from the SE corner to BHS.

As they were directing ped's onto the right hand side of the road (away from the pavement) on the way down, then letting the coaches come past, the coaches had to move even futher towards the RHS, and into the ped's.

It's a farce.

[cheeryoleary]

And those coaches were not exactly slow. The peds walking on the right of the road then encounter a lowered barrier forcing them to walk around.... on the slippy grass, or in front of a speeding coach/bus.

I've not renewed my STAR membership this year because of the lack of action on this simple point. I fully expect someone from STAR to defend their record, again, however talk is cheap.

[Royal Lady]

It's an accident waiting to happen, unfortunately.

The coaches should not be leaving until the main bulk of pedestrians have walked down the hill and are away from the road. I must remember to take pictures on my phone at the West Ham game.

[bigmike]

The thing that gets me is the stewards make the fans walk down the road allowing the coaches to travel down the road and then they allow traffic up therfore fans have to either get on the the Grass to their right and get over the barrier and walk along the slope or get run over.

I realise they are stewards but for gods sake if you make the fans walk on the right hand carridgeway to allow coaches down the left DONT allow traffic up the right hand carridge way. Are they wanting a fatality?

There are a few frail aged folk that walk down the road who are not nimble enough to walk on an uneaven grass slope.

[STAR Liaison]

I've not renewed my STAR membership this year because of the lack of action on this simple point. I fully expect someone from STAR to defend their record, again, however talk is cheap.

Sorry you feel like that. I am not going to defend 'our record' as it is pointless on here.

I will continue to raise the subject with the club as I have done in meetings with the various different people responsible, but I am not able to make them do anything.

You may say talk is cheap as an insult but it seems to be all some are willing to do on here as my request for specific examples to take to the club resulted in precisely zero. So I am by no means the only one who can be accused of that.

[bigmike]

if you want a specific example have someone from the club walk down the road after the final whistle and they will see it.

its dangerous I can cope with being put on the road but the stewards then allowing traffic up the otherway?

and it has happened every game we have had in the prem.

Do you want MMS clips e-mailed as proof?

[Forbury Lion]

It's an accident waiting to happen, unfortunately.

The coaches should not be leaving until the main bulk of pedestrians have walked down the hill and are away from the road. I must remember to take pictures on my phone at the West Ham game.

Set the video on your phone going, that way you get the speed of the buses recorded.

As a bus passenger, I'm not bothered about waiting a bit longer... as long as we leave before the cars.

I suggest also that the club keeps the carpark closed and locked down from 20 minutes before the final whistle, that way people won't leave early and those that do will hopefully be out of the way long before the final whistle

[Warfield Royal]

I suggest also that the club keeps the carpark closed and locked down from 20 minutes before the final whistle, that way people won't leave early and those that do will hopefully be out of the way long before the final whistle

That is a great idea.

At every home game the same family in my row leave early and has to go in front of me often a crucial moments of the game. What's worse is that she leaves at 80 mins, he leaves at 85 mins and the young one leaves at 82 mins.

[Forty]

I've not renewed my STAR membership this year because of the lack of action on this simple point. I fully expect someone from STAR to defend their record, again, however talk is cheap.

Sorry you feel like that. I am not going to defend 'our record' as it is pointless on here.

I will continue to raise the subject with the club as I have done in meetings with the various different people responsible, but I am not able to make them do anything.

You may say talk is cheap as an insult but it seems to be all some are willing to do on here as my request for specific examples to take to the club resulted in precisely zero. So I am by no means the only one who can be accused of that.

There's a definite, specific example from the Everton Game. Read my post - the idiot was parked on the kerb half way down th ehill, presumably for 90 minutes.

[cheeryoleary]

You may say talk is cheap as an insult but it seems to be all some are willing to do on here as my request for specific examples to take to the club resulted in precisely zero. So I am by no means the only one who can be accused of that.

1. This thread has been going for almost a year, hence I suggest talk is cheap. Are we going to be talking about this in September next year? When the accident does happen and the EP looks for someone to blame, will they find this thread and run the story 'STAR aware of the problem for over a year'

2. There are plenty of specific examples. One of which I have e-mailed to STAR directly.

3. I fully expected STAR to defend it's position, or to put it another way, have the last word. Seems to be the standard brush off. Oh, and I also find the 'we're actively talking to the club about such and such issue' overused.

You can reply to my post, but I'd rather you did something to avoid me posting 'I told you so' when the accident does happen.

[The 17 Bus]

As has been said STAR has brought this up with the club, there is not much else they can do, if an accident happens the EP can look at this thread and see that the CLUB were aware of the fears, as STAR brought it up with them and decided to do nothing about it.

In my opinion the traffic and pedestrians being mixed like this is an accident waiting to happen, which is the reason that cars are not allowed out until a short delay.

Those cars mind should be kept on the car park and not allowed into the access road in front of the hotel, that would allow safer exit and probably faster, for the pedestrians

[STAR Liaison]

1. This thread has been going for almost a year, hence I suggest talk is cheap. Are we going to be talking about this in September next year? When the accident does happen and the EP looks for someone to blame, will they find this thread and run the story 'STAR aware of the problem for over a year'

2. There are plenty of specific examples. One of which I have e-mailed to STAR directly.

Not sure how often I have to say this but the club will not acknowledge anonymous complaints - they have been taken for a ride before now and will take very little notice of what is posted on here if they wish not to. I did get your mail but it was the only one and if you think that one complaint is sufficient you have no idea of the level of complaint some people achieve.

The point I was making about talk is cheap is that too many people think that posting on here is the same as doing something - it isn't. And posting here telling me to 'do something' is not either. I need ammunition and anonymous examples will not be taken into account.

3. I fully expected STAR to defend it's position, or to put it another way, have the last word. Seems to be the standard brush off. Oh, and I also find the 'we're actively talking to the club about such and such issue' overused.

You can reply to my post, but I'd rather you did something to avoid me posting 'I told you so' when the accident does happen.

Can I ask what else you expect STAR to do but talk to the club? My role is liaison and my interpretation of that is to present the case of STAR members and fans to the club and to feedback to the members/fans the response of the club. That is to liaise between them.

I also do not see what you expect STAR to do. If you want to achieve something surely you have to talk to the people who are responsible and to persuade them to change their ways, even if you have the authority that is the best way to effect changes but when you do not have any authority it is the only way?

This is not just an attempt to have the last word - as apparently it would be only too easy for me to just ignore you all - but I would genuinely like to know just what you think STAR can do other than talk to the club.

I know Royal Goof wanted me to see what happens - but that is not going to make things change, I am willing to take what others say (I only ask for specific examples to be sent to me to present to the club because a variety of different examples from different people will have more impact not from my own need to be convinced) but I do not control the stewards so ultimately I not the one whose opinion matters. The club does have people there after the game and also have CCTV that is watched and so they are aware - but I would say that on Saturday there did seem a lot of coaches so will ask again about that specific example and see if they intend making changes following that.

[Royal Lady]

To be honest, if they have people at the club who have seen the problem with their own eyes, either in person or on CCTV, then someone at the Club should be held responsible for the lack of any input in stopping it!

[bigmike]

can the away coaches not be held back 5 to 10 mins to let pedestrians leave?

I cannot believe that would be too much for the club to do.

[Forbury Lion]

Reading Buses are quite good, if very slow, at addressing queries e-mailed though to them.

There's normally a supervisor on site to control the buses/liase with traffic control after the game.... If complaints get fed into Reading Buses and fed to him then the bus company may resolve the issue and/or bring it to the attention of the club (police even) from a safety perspective.

Contact details on http://www.reading-buses.co.uk

[bigmike]

Reading Buses are quite good, if very slow, at addressing queries e-mailed though to them.

There's normally a supervisor on site to control the buses/liase with traffic control after the game.... If complaints get fed into Reading Buses and fed to him then the bus company may resolve the issue and/or bring it to the attention of the club (police even) from a safety perspective.

Contact details on http://www.reading-buses.co.uk

Good idea however unsure what they could do being that the coaches that are causing the majority of the issues are not reading buses

[Royal Lady]

In my experience it is the away coaches that cause the problems, therefore the club, apparently already knowing of this situation, should hold them back until most of the pedestrian rush has subsided. Perhaps writing letters to someone at the club might alert them again?

[Behindu]

It's usually the police who dictate getting the away coaches to leave as soon a possible.
I don't know anything about the specifics of the situation but have certainly seen at other grounds that the police match commander puts great pressure on moving the away coaches to avoid a potential flashpoint.
It may be here that there are two different objectives (a police one and a crowd safety one) and they are in conflict. The police will always win in these situations as a coach driver being told one thing by a police officer and another by a steward will obey the police officer !

May not be the correct interpretation but thought I'd throw it in the pot !

You'd hope that the police and the safety officer could get their heads together and work out a way of getting the coaches away with out leaving a trail of bodies onthe floor though....

[Jerry St Clair]

May not be the correct interpretation but thought I'd throw it in the pot !

If it is the correct interpretation then it is outrageous, and indefensible.

I thought the police over-emphasis on "crowd control" as opposed to "crowd safety" had been dealt with by the Taylor Report? If the Match Commander is pressurinsing the Chief Steward to get coaches away quickly in a way that endagers pedestrians, then he should be removed from the role immediately.

[Jerry St Clair]

In response to starliaison, I do sympathise with your position and think some of the brickbats on this thread are undeserved.

I will email you with my observations after the West Ham game.