Obviously this Discussion stems from the (bad) idea that it might be worth moving from The Valley, in part, because of the strain any necessary expansion would place on the transport infrastructure in Charlton. So, I thought this may be a good place to discuss transport on match day, possibly giving those that need to know, some valuable insight (i know there was a survey) and suggestions.
We didn't quite solve what to do about penalties and deciding cup finals (tho I liked SaladSpinners thinking outside the box ;-), but maybe we can sort this out?
How do you travel to The Valley (mode of transport ie car, car with mates, bus, taxi, bicycle, scooter; via what place ie pub, bus stop, Greenwich, Blackheath etc)?
Where do you park?
What could make your trip easier?
What do you think would make it easier for others?
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Comments
Getting rid of those blinkin' crowds would make my journey easier.
Sorry, those weren't the answers you wanted, were they?
park about a 10-15 min walk away. content with that.
making life easier would be more trains 'on the loop' from the sidcup and bexleyheath lines, particularly after the game.
a park and ride scheme from North Greenwich would not appeal to me, but certainly would to others.
Evening games, Jubilee Line to North Greenwich then bus
Absolutely- the one time i've used N. Greenwich Stn ( when the there was engineering works a few weeks back), i was amazed at the amount of car park spaces that could be utilised for matchdays- I walked but i suspect at a good 30 min, almost aerobic walk, it's too far for most to want to do but, it's got to take the strain off everything else- it also amazed me was the lack of Charlton fans on the tube on the way back-
Tube to North Greenwich, or park very near the Blackwall tunnell- Get a shuttle- flash a match ticket ( like at St Mary's) and help to save some serious parking issues at the valley and congestion at Charlton main line station- got to be seriously looked at, surely!
Simple soultion, the club pays a little to TfL to buy in 3 or 4 Bendy buses to run shuttle services on the 486 to Charlton station from North Greenwich, match tickets get a free ride, and you suddenly have a huge amount of transport capcity, North Greenwich station in theory could handle everyone in the Valley in an hour, Charlton Station can't, so why not take some of the strain off that station, and put it onto one that can?
got boro friends who organise their own coach(pre-valley express).they all go for a few jars in their local.coach then takes them to the game and back.
Sounds almost too sensible. How much does it cost per person to organise the coach?
Hasn't Eltham station got a big car park and bus station? Perfect for a park/train-and-ride scheme, and simpler to organise than extra trains.
If I am then its a train to Stratford, Jubilee Line to North Greenwich and a bus. If you get a good connection it can be done in an hour.
If I am not then I drive through the Blackwall Tunnel and park near Topps Tiles. This also takes an hour.
If there was a better service between The Dome and The Valley i.e Park and Ride, DLR, tube then there is no question that I wouldnt use public transport for every game, takes the hassle away and means I can have a few beers to numb the pain.
Whilst North Greenwich has the capacity and is useful for commuters on evening games I suspect that not many people would make use of it for returning home, I guess it would be of more use to the opposition supporters. The idea of a park and ride from there has merit though.
Would also rather get the train, but the service from Sittingbourne to Charlton is a load of ****
Problem with any park and ride is shopping parking on a saturday.
I walk takes about 25 mins door to door..
perhaps our local roots are stronger than we realise ? or perhaps they are just more passionate about the club ?
we are a local pub for local people...
funny last night at this comedy club... comedian picked on one guy in the audience "where you from mate?"... "south london" was the reply... "whereabouts in south london mate".... "Crystal Palace" came the timid response, couldnt have picked a better person.
very funny
I heard that on the email list earlier today. Crazy if they do as the car park is already full by 9am on week days, with people queuing to get in there...... the alternative is to battle your way through Blackwall and park somewhere in the Wharf..... not fun.
Its a major pain considering Im only 8 or so miles from the Valley as the crow flies.
Cheers mate. May try that
If not fussed about drinkin or need to be somewhere staright after game then Drive M2 A2 park outside Ollie's Gaff then walk the rest of the way.
or a bus to lewisham and get a train from there or the bus that goes through blackheath onto charlton village
FAR quicker than the "door-to-door" 161 as it skirts all the traffic.
Have considered the Valley Express (VE)but like the flexibility of not rushing for fear of missing the bus. We also meet up with family friends sometimes which the VE would not allow us to do.
You and me on the Bus Smudge! Only if we can sit on the top at the back?!?!
How much is a bus journey these days anyway.......
On a normal matchday I reckon there are 300-400 that go back to the Jubilee Line. Add on people who would park there as its easy to get on the A2 then there would be demand for it.
The club will have to look at it if they want a 40,000 Valley.
I did see a little while ago the planned new rail and tube map for the 2012 Olympics and it did include an extension to the DLR or Jubilee to Woolwich via Charlton and I cant see us having a capacity of more than 31,000 in 2012.