MATCH DAY TRAVEL STILL AN ISSUE

19 September 2005

Huge crowds have flocked to Swansea's New Stadium for the opening games of the rugby and soccer seasons. But many have travelled by car rather than using the park and ride facilities. SHAUN GREANEY reports on the evolving traffic and parking situation in and around The New Stadium.

Swans fan Alan Owen drives to matches at The New Stadium from his home in Port Tennant. Like thousands of others, he hopes to park near the ground. But, he says, the traffic situation on match days and the search for a parking space is making life difficult.

"Why they don't open up the park and ride site at Landore for soccer games, I don't know," he said.

"There are lots of spaces there and it would make life that bit easier, especially for people going to games from the east of the city and beyond.

"To have to go to Swansea Vale or the Recreation Ground in Brynmill to park for evening matches is a bit much, especially when you can't park across the road."

Stadium bosses have been dogged by parking and ticket problems since the venue opened for its first match on July 23.

They were forced to pull the plug on one of the three park and ride sites - at County Hall - ahead of the international with Slovenia, after it was revealed just a handful of people used it.

And sports fans attending evening matches at The New Stadium have been barred from using the giant car park directly across the road.

Drivers trying to use the Landore park and ride site for evening matches, when it is empty, have been told they can not go in.

The site holds hundreds of cars and is not used at night. It is also just yards from the stadium gates.But bosses say it will stay off limits, despite its convenience.

The situation has been condemned by commentators, as it means motorists have to park miles away and catch a bus to the stadium.

Many have risked it by parking where they should not and 214 have ended up with parking tickets.

A total of 38 were fined for parking offences when the Swans played Bristol and 27 rugby fans fell foul of the restrictions when the Ospreys played Leinster.

To cash in on the problems, local businesses and even a school - Plasmarl Primary, which is just a stone's throw away from the home of the Swans and the Ospreys - have been opening up private car parks.

The primary school opens up its car park on match days, charging £4 a car.

All proceeds go straight back into buying resources for the pupils.

If every space is taken for each match, the school could make up to £10,000 a year from the facility.

But local newsagent Adrian Brown, of Wern Road, Landore, said he thought parking problems at the stadium had not been as bad as feared.

"It has been very good. It was bad in the beginning.

"There was parking on the top of the hill.

"But they are not parking all over the place. People have realised where they can park.

"The only thing I would say could be sorted out is at the end of the matches. They close the bottom road, the dual carriageway.

"What happens at the bottom of Siloh Road is that you have a little gap and everyone is gathered by the pub and the traffic is coming down through these people.

"There is also a bottleneck by Rossi's."

Police have tried a 20-minute road closure outside the stadium after some matches to allow pedestrians to clear.

Inspector Bill John has said: "While this may create some inconvenience, it is necessary to allow the crowds to exit safely.

"I would also appeal for members of the public not to park anti-socially or in residents' bays, as fixed penalty notices will be given out."

A review of parking and traffic arrangements around The New Stadium is to start within weeks.

Among the issues to be examined is the impact the stadium and the crowds of around 16,000 are having on residents in the Landore area of the city.

Traffic flow and the mingling of people and cars is another factor to be addressed.Landore councillor Rob Speht said there had been "teething problems" with the set-up, but said these should be ironed out when the situation was reviewed in about a month's time.

"In general, I would say it is going quite well," he said.

"When you have a new facility like the stadium, there will be queues.

"There's a lot of new parking bays and double yellow lines and that. By and large, it has worked quite well.

"There are a few little pockets in Plasmarl, in Salem Road and one or two other patches.

"A review of transport arrangements around the ground was always planned to take place after a trial period, said Mr Speht.

"We didn't actually know how it would work on match days," he said.

"It was agreed that two or three months after the opening, we would all sit down and review which bits were working and weren't working and would tweak the system."

He pledged that ward councillors would consult the residents of Landore.

"I would want to hold a couple of public meetings and maybe a focus survey to have some input from residents," he said.

Shops on the giant Morfa retail park have said that trade has slumped on match days.

TK Maxx manager Wayne Lewis said: "What we are finding is people are deciding not to shop with us on match days and supporters are using our car parks instead.

"Perhaps some people think they won't get a parking space and may feel intimidated by the large crowds.

"But I would like to reassure them they will be able to get here and park."

Swansea Council is urging sports fans to make full use of the park and ride facilities in the city.

A spokesman said the authority and the stadium management company worked closely with the police, First Cymru and other partners to provide a travel plan that ensured fans could arrive and leave as quickly and easily as possible.

"The plan more than caters for the demands of the stadium, even at full capacity, if fans follow it," said a spokesman.

"A massive amount of research and consultation went into the travel plan, including a number of fact-finding meetings with the police forces running the operations at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and St Mary's in Southampton.

"Nevertheless, we do need fans to co-operate with us and use the specified park and ride sites at Swansea Vale and the Recreation Ground, or public transport to get to and from the game.

"This will help us greatly in ensuring that everyone has a safe and enjoyable day out."Thanks to all this planning and effort by everyone involved, there is no need for people to park in residential areas close to the ground.

"Those who do park in residential areas should expect to face fines on their return from the game, because restrictions are in place and the police are actively patrolling these areas."

The Swansea Vale park and ride has about 2,500 car parking spaces, with free buses to the stadium. The charge is £5 for parking.

The Recreation Ground has approximately 800 spaces and is served by about 20 buses. Parking there is free and the charge is £2 for adults and 50p for under-16s for buses to the stadium.

The council spokesman added: "The Landore park and ride service, which has been developed to serve the city centre, is completely independent of the new stadium and is not an auxiliary car park for match-goers."