I spoke to a friend of mine yesterday who told me that there is going to be a massive expansion of residents only / 2 hour max parking around the Valley from sometime in October.
Can anybody living the the area confirm/post a map of the area?, as I understand residents have been informed. This could possibly mean a 30 min walk from available parking to the ground if this info is correct.
It's not like we need it even more difficult for people to attend is it?, the team are already doing their bit for that ............
Comments
You are right though - more reasons not to go for some.
Gillingham is a ground for slight comparison and they have residents parking for good reason, they are close to the station. Like Charlton BUT a lot more people who live in Gillingham own cars and if you go to the roads around the ground during the week you will see a lot of parked cars, drive down the roads around Charlton especially the ones off the Woolwich Road and church Lane and there is no shortage of spaces. The other thing to bear in mind, at Gillingham they have places where you can pay to park for the game. Where is the nearest place to The Valley you can do that now?
Have a word with Charlie and his mates. They've spent so little money in getting players and managers maybe they'd chip in with parking fines?
More Controlled Parking Restrictions for Charlton — Charlton Life (vanillacommunity.com)
1. Walk or cycle
2. Train
3. Bus or a coach
4. Electric vehicle
5. Hybrid
6. Ulez compliant vehicle
7. Car
1. Train where viable
2. Car (any available engine variation thereof)
3. Walk
4. Bus or coach
I'd guess that a relatively small percentage of the fan base lives close enough to enable walking.
Of course none are mutually exclusive. I drive my car to within a 20 minute walk from the ground and park up. After the game, a 20 minute walk to my car straight onto the road home is quicker than parking 5 mins from the ground and sitting in traffic for 20 minutes.
I think extending the restricted parking zone if it happens, will inevitably nudge people out of their cars.
I think the mixed mode is advantageous for many; parking and walking or parking quite far out and getting a train the last few miles.
Sadiq Khan and TfL have made it near impossible for me to drive across London. Now Greenwich will stop me parking if I manage to get there!
And do you think that has pushed me to use the train or just stop coming as often as I used to?The answer is the latter (although in fairness the rubbish of most of the last 15 years hasn't helped).
1. I don't cycle and not going to happen, and it's too far to be walking especially during winter months or midweek games
2. Living near the Bexleyheath line what's the train options? Genuine question can only think to change at Lewisham but all sounds very time consuming and a lot of hassle in particular getting to/from the train station along with the added time and expense.
3. No coach option. Bus? Did it about 11 years ago between cars and again is time consuming, hassle and extra expense.
4-7 Can't afford an EV or Hybrid right now but my car is ULEZ compliant.
I usually park the car a 5 mins walk from the ground and more often than not I'm back home in time for the 5:30pm kick off. Might just pack up going if it's going to become a hassle to get to the ground.
Same on the way back. Public transport has never been better in the area.
1. We will win the league, we have the best squad in the division and Chuks will score 25 goals
2. If we get the formation right (Have we tried 3-2-1-2-2 yet?) and the loans work out we will go up
3. If Leaburn and May stay fit and are not sold in January, and the defence wakes up, we're in with a shout
4. We'll have a brief purple patch mid-season but too many injuries will leave us in mid-table
5. An inconsistent season leaves us lower mid-table, Appleton survives but is sacked after four games next year.
6. We'll do enough to avoid relegation, mainly due to some of the loans, but they will clear off and we start again next summer
7. I only go down there to see my mates
8. I only go down there because I haven't got any mates
9. If they stop the trains, that's the end for me
10. My name is Oohaah
The train fare is around £50 return each (when they're not on strike)
So we drive.
The big difference now is that the wardens are employed by the council and they are issuing tickets around the area on matchdays.
I'm sure public transport has improved but it's still going to take longer and be more of an inconvenience than just driving my ULEZ compliant car.
That all sounds wonderful. I presume you'll be happy for the likes of me to never attend another match at The Valley.
I'm not going to walk or cycle 127 miles to get to Charlton and then do the same to return home.
Melton Constable used to play an important role in the railways up here but the last train passed through in 1964; when I used to work in London I had to drive 30 miles to King's Lynn for a train to King's Cross. Norwich is marginally closer but considerably more expensive. I bring my grandson most matches so that makes the cost rather prohibitive on top of the total faff of all the train switches to get to Charlton. It would rule out midweek matches as we wouldn't get home.
What about the bus? Well, at best we have two buses a day going to Norwich so, in theory I could catch a National Express coach to London (but then have train/tube/whatever at the other end to get to the ground) however I'd be stuffed trying to get home because the last bus from Norwich to my part of the world leaves by 5:30pm ... that's assuming I could get a coach back to Norwich in the first place. Again, this would rule out midweek matches.
I don't have an electric or hybrid car and have no plans to get one; I'm happy with my ULEZ-compliant (at least until the rules get changed) Ford Focus that gets me to footy and home on less than half a tank of fuel at about 65mpg.
I can see that the thing that stoos me attending Charlton in future won't be old age it'll be not being allowed to drive to London and park near the ground. At that point I'll say "thanks for the (mostly) shit memories" and tell football to Foxtrot Oscar; I'll get my life back instead.
It's like people moaning about aircraft noise when they buy a house next to an airport!
2) nope
3) naahhh
4) you paying for it?
5) no seriously ... are you?
6) are. you. paying. for. it.
7) hmmm i'm gonna go with yeah.
Live too far to walk or cycle
train means going into London, getting a tube and train out, turning a 40 minute journey into something like 2 hours.
bus - don't exist where I live except for schooltime. no coach
too expensive and enviromentally unfriendly
too expensive and enviromentally unfriendly
only realistic way for people in rural areas