Getting home from ashburton...

northbankbren · Post by **northbankbren** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 7:47 pm

For evening fixtures.

Is our stadium the worst in the country to get home from?

I usually have a few pints after and wait for Holloway to re-open before heading home, so most of the time not a problem for me.

Last night I didnt go but it was my old mans first evening game at ashburton. He loved every minute of the game, and like many (of us real footy fans) just refuses to leave unless the game is over,

But he couldnt believe how hard it was to get home. It took him almost 45mins just to get to arsenal station. And found the queue quite cramped for his liking for a man of his age. Last year I took my mum to the ac milan game for her first game at ashburton and she was really nervous in the queue to the station said she would have had a panic attack if i hadnt been their to look after her.

Now for us younger lads and lasses these kind of cramped conditions arent such a big deal, but for the older generation can be very scary.

WHEN OH WHEN WILL ARSENAL, TRANSPORT FOR LONDON, AND THE POLICE GET TOGETHER AND SORT OUT THE MADNESS THAT IS LEAVING ASHBURTON? (ESPECIALLY EVENING KICK OFFS).

CLOSING SURROUNDING STATIONS JUST DOSENT HELP!!!!!!!

Irish Gooner · Post by **Irish Gooner** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 7:50 pm

It might stop people leaving early as well. Well some of them..

Post by **REB** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 7:55 pm

Irish Gooner wrote:It might stop people leaving early as well. Well some of them..

think thats the problem thou, people leave early to avoid the queues so when the game is over there is already a queue at the tube, holloway been closed as well as drayton park is a joke

and would ease a lot of congestion from arsenal and finsbury park

SillySteward · Post by **SillySteward** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:44 pm

I don't leave the stadium until roughly 45 - 60 mins after the game and there is still congestion getting into Arsenal station. Generally cleared up at Finsbury Park though.

Does anyone remember what the official reason given for closing Holloway was? I can appreciate that Drayton Park is tiny and just couldn't handle that level of people, but Holloway should be okay

pixie · Post by **pixie** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:47 pm

SillySteward wrote:I don't leave the stadium until roughly 45 - 60 mins after the game and there is still congestion getting into Arsenal station. Generally cleared up at Finsbury Park though.

Does anyone remember what the official reason given for closing Holloway was? I can appreciate that Drayton Park is tiny and just couldn't handle that level of people, but Holloway should be okay

I think Holloway station closes because there is only lift access to the platforms, which would cause congestion problems

Gooner Jim · Post by **Gooner Jim** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 11:09 pm

After the match I just go to Finsbury park. Usually around a 10-15 min que and your guarenteed a seat most of the time.

Number 5 · Post by **Number 5** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 11:18 pm

It's a bloody nightmare getting home from that place. But it always was even when we had 40,000 at Highbury.

Its one of football's tradition having to queue ages to get home. Just like the grubby burger or watery pint.

I love em. Even though they give me the trotts.

CelticTiger · Post by **CelticTiger** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 12:55 am

Its not that the Transport around the ground is shite,just that there's to many ppl,
Does Drayton Park have a tube station? i thought it was just overground rail

Post by **Chippy** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 12:56 am

The Holloway Road thing is a total cock up. Islington made it a condition of planning that the club upgrade the station to take high volumes and asked the club for about Â£7m. After permission was given TFL said it would cost about Â£100m and asked Arsenal for it. Rightly the club told them to shove it. It is just typical of this country that we have a 60,000 venue literally between 2 rail lines and it is impossible to get away by public transport.

The above numbers are off the top of my head and probably wrong but you get the picture.

A little tip but don't tell anyone, after evening games walk to the bus stop by the Tollington and get a 29 or 253 to Camden Town, Mornington Cres or Euston. They're pretty quick at that time of night. Not so good on Saturday.

nig1903 · Post by **nig1903** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 1:55 am

After the Spur game last October, we left after the final whistle and was still back at our hotel at Earls Court within an hour.

The previous Sunday, took us over an hour just to get onto the Tube at West Ham

wlchuccc · Post by **wlchuccc** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 2:32 am

Used Highbury and Islington last nite after the game with no problem (waited only 2 mins outside the tube station), arrived at London Euston at 10 past.

Post by **Belfast Boy** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 2:50 am

Chippy wrote:It is just typical of this country that we have a 60,000 venue literally between 2 rail lines and it is impossible to get away by public transport.

Spot on Chippy, it really is infuriating, the stadium is literally hemmed in by railway tracks and there's 4 tube stations practically on our doorstep, and we're only 4 stops from King's Cross it really is an embarrassment for a city as prominent as London, and is directly responsible for our early leaving problem

as people simply do not want to queue for an hour!

I don't think your figures are that far out either and IMO it was little short of corporate blackmail to even have us pay 7M to bale out an institutionally under-funded transport policy and the eventual ask from TFL of nearer the 100M mark bears that out and with the Olympics round the corner I can't see that level of investment anytime soon, not that it would have anyway

digger · Post by **digger** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 6:29 am

You're all fucking mental, I've only ever had a problem getting away from the ground once when Highbury and Islington was closed due to a fire somewhere else. I walked down to Upper St, caught a bus to Moorgate and was at Liverpool St about an hour after the full time whistle. Meanwhile, the people who left 20 minutes before the end of the game were probably still queuing down Blackstock Road.

If you all try to pile into the station immediately outside the ground, you're going to have problems. If you walk to the next station (FP) and try to get on the same train line, you'll probably find most trains are already full and congestion will ensue.

And they say football supporters are fucking stupid

Post by **REB** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 6:54 am

or just do what i do and stay in a hotel on seven sisters where there is no congestion

tel · Post by **tel** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 7:30 am

Do what I do, go to the pins for several more beers and then fallinto Finsbury Park station at closing time. Far better to get wasted than queue to get into the station.