Trains, planes and automobiles

[AV82EC]

There seems to be some people making the trek to Gravelly Hill station to beat the queues.Anyone do this?

That’s got to be a 30 minute walk hasn’t it?

[London Villan]

Here’s my journey via public transport from home.

Walk to station 45 mins – Or catch a bus to station 20-30mins with waiting time
Train to Aston 50 - 70 mins – dependent on train times
Walk 15 min to ground
Total - Good 85mins – Average 115min

Driving 45mins

Post match

Walk to Aston 15 mins
Wait for train 60 mins
Train 50 mins
Walk/bus home 45mins
Total almost 3 hours… for a 10 mile journey

Drive 50-60mins

Let alone any safety concerns about COVID or the cost if there are 4 of you buying tickets.

Add into this, I go with my 75 year old dad, who for health reasons can’t stand for very long or walk for more than about 15 mins.

Until public transport can beat those times, then if people can drive they will.

[The Edge]

 A fleet of shuttle buses into town would seem to be a short term solution. Regular specials to towns around the city ie:Tamworth, Lichfield, Redditch, Bromsgrove should also be added but the question is by who? WMPTE don't seem interested and then there's the issue that all these buses would add to traffic congestion unless a dedicated route could be found. It's a pickle for sure and is becoming a major H&S issue as well as a nightmare for travellers. It needs some out of the box thinking and it's going to need big investment. We are becoming a victim of our own success and this whole subject could become a huge stumbling block for our progression as a football club. The potential at Aston Villa is huge but given the current transport malaise does anyone think that expanding Villa Park would get council approval? No chance. Andy Street where the fuck are you?

[SoccerHQ]

To be fair it's one of the massive benefits, freeing up loads of paths for more local trains. Just going to be 10 years before we see those benefits - which isn't great for next Wednesday's game or Boxing Day.

Surely issue is more lack of carriages?

I mean they haven't yet gone back to 6tph on Crosscity line and they're citing lack of passenger numbers (even though numbers are pretty similar to 2019 at peak evening times) but in reality it's not having enough rolling stock to put 6 carriages on every train for 10 minute period so they have to go to 20 minutes instead.

Bit poor if the Commonwealth games is only served by a service going to Walsall every 30 minutes aswell, we'll see what the reality is soon enough.

[SoccerHQ]

Give a better option then?

Investment in public transport and cycling infrastructure. Usual rule applies - if Mrs Thatcher was against it, it must be the right thing to do.

Masssive missed opportunity not to extend the tram network out to Perry Bar/Aston imo. That could alleviate congestion a little.

Said before but given it's the biggest car park around, shuttle buses perhaps from Star City every 10 minutes for a small fee might work.

When I used to go to uni in Stoke they had shuttle buses to their ground given it's in middle of nowhere on a godforsaken hill and was always full to capacity.

Anyone at the club actually had a remit for transport or does it just go under general enquires. Just dismissing these suggestions as too costly or too difficult does feel a bit brummie.

[SoccerHQ]

There seems to be some people making the trek to Gravelly Hill station to beat the queues.Anyone do this?

Don't see the point of that as trains will be just rammed when you have go get on. More logical to walk similar distance up to Duddeston and you'll get a seat at least if you're heading Walsall/Sutton/Lichfield way.

I really missed my calling not working in the glamorous world of local transport planning didn't i?!

[SoccerHQ]

A fleet of shuttle buses into town would seem to be a short term solution. Regular specials to towns around the city ie:Tamworth, Lichfield, Redditch, Bromsgrove should also be added but the question is by who? WMPTE don't seem interested and then there's the issue that all these buses would add to traffic congestion unless a dedicated route could be found. It's a pickle for sure and is becoming a major H&S issue as well as a nightmare for travellers. It needs some out of the box thinking and it's going to need big investment. We are becoming a victim of our own success and this whole subject could become a huge stumbling block for our progression as a football club. The potential at Aston Villa is huge but given the current transport malaise does anyone think that expanding Villa Park would get council approval? No chance. Andy Street where the fuck are you?

If regular 10 minute buses were coming from Star City could just go via Holborn Hill and then perhaps use part of the Holte car park to put vehicles although pretty sure in past those shuttle buses from likes of Tamworth used to be parked up on side of the road by the Academy.

It does make you wonder the chaos eventually going to 51k would bring in terms of getting in and out of Aston on matchday. Perhaps why club are reluctant to push for planning permission as there's no coherent plan in how to shuttle an extra 10k in/out on matchday without massive gridlock in all directions.

[AlexAlexCropley]

There seems to be some people making the trek to Gravelly Hill station to beat the queues.Anyone do this?

Don't see the point of that as trains will be just rammed when you have go get on. More logical to walk similar distance up to Duddeston and you'll get a seat at least if you're heading Walsall/Sutton/Lichfield way.

I really missed my calling not working in the glamorous world of local transport planning didn't i?!

But it seems logical if you're going to town/Longbridge way

[SoccerHQ]

There seems to be some people making the trek to Gravelly Hill station to beat the queues.Anyone do this?

Don't see the point of that as trains will be just rammed when you have go get on. More logical to walk similar distance up to Duddeston and you'll get a seat at least if you're heading Walsall/Sutton/Lichfield way.

I really missed my calling not working in the glamorous world of local transport planning didn't i?!

But it seems logical if you're going to town/Longbridge way

Didn't think of that!

Perry Bar still closed isn't it otherwise that would be a quicker walk.

[devilla]

Now that I live a bit closer to the ground, in theory I could go by train instead of driving but reading the horror stories here I'm not so sure. Certainly the queues at Aston station that I've seen while sat in traffic on Lichfield Road weren't great.

I've also used Witton station before as my mate's brother lives in Willenhall so we used to park there and get the train from Walsall. It didn't seem too bad but it's been a couple of years since last did that.

It's a good point that someone made about whether the club could get involved in improving the local transport as it doesn't look like the council or the train companies are wiling to do anything.

[The Edge]

Now that I live a bit closer to the ground, in theory I could go by train instead of driving but reading the horror stories here I'm not so sure. Certainly the queues at Aston station that I've seen while sat in traffic on Lichfield Road weren't great.

I've also used Witton station before as my mate's brother lives in Willenhall so we used to park there and get the train from Walsall. It didn't seem too bad but it's been a couple of years since last did that.

It's a good point that someone made about whether the club could get involved in improving the local transport as it doesn't look like the council or the train companies are wiling to do anything.

That's the really annoying thing about all of this. The council is elected to provide a service. So is the mayor. Moving citizens around the city for work or leisure is a massive part of their duties. When a local event happens on a regular basis and transport armageddon gridlocks a large area it isn't good enough to ignore it and wash your hands of it as if it's none of your business.

[dave.woodhall]

Now that I live a bit closer to the ground, in theory I could go by train instead of driving but reading the horror stories here I'm not so sure. Certainly the queues at Aston station that I've seen while sat in traffic on Lichfield Road weren't great.

I've also used Witton station before as my mate's brother lives in Willenhall so we used to park there and get the train from Walsall. It didn't seem too bad but it's been a couple of years since last did that.

It's a good point that someone made about whether the club could get involved in improving the local transport as it doesn't look like the council or the train companies are wiling to do anything.

That's the really annoying thing about all of this. The council is elected to provide a service. So is the mayor. Moving citizens around the city for work or leisure is a massive part of their duties. When a local event happens on a regular basis and transport armageddon gridlocks a large area it isn't good enough to ignore it and wash your hands of it as if it's none of your business.

To be fair, ignoring it is a large part of Andy Street's job spec.

[AlexAlexCropley]

How about car sharing? Someone on Twitter was offering  lifts from Hunters Moon. It's a start.

[The Edge]

Now that I live a bit closer to the ground, in theory I could go by train instead of driving but reading the horror stories here I'm not so sure. Certainly the queues at Aston station that I've seen while sat in traffic on Lichfield Road weren't great.

I've also used Witton station before as my mate's brother lives in Willenhall so we used to park there and get the train from Walsall. It didn't seem too bad but it's been a couple of years since last did that.

It's a good point that someone made about whether the club could get involved in improving the local transport as it doesn't look like the council or the train companies are wiling to do anything.

That's the really annoying thing about all of this. The council is elected to provide a service. So is the mayor. Moving citizens around the city for work or leisure is a massive part of their duties. When a local event happens on a regular basis and transport armageddon gridlocks a large area it isn't good enough to ignore it and wash your hands of it as if it's none of your business.

To be fair, ignoring it is a large part of Andy Street's job spec.

He's performing admirably (at ignoring things)

[astonvilla82]

And you have the Labour council telling to use public transportation and leave the car at home, cracking idea.One of the reasons I didn't fancy going to Villa Park in the dark days before Dean Smith was getting to Aston station and queuing, think we played Arsenal one night game and got to Northfield Station 11.30