With news of the expansion starting in January, it was also mentioned any development would need to include a "robust travel plan" - what could that include?
We've recently heard that the long-mooted expansion of the Liberty is due to get underway, but there remains an issue surrounding traffic management on matchdays. This is something that local councilors have already raised and, let's be honest, they're within their own rights to. Whenever the Swans are playing the Hafod, Plasmarl, and the Morfa retail park become completely gridlocked, and anyone who lives in the immediate vicinity must get pretty frustrated if they need to nip to the shop for a pint of milk any time between two o'clock and sixish.
There's only so much that can be done to alleviate traffic congestion, but you do get the feeling that it could be managed a lot better than it currently is. Buses, for example. Now, I've got a long-standing problem with First Cymru anyway, but a perfect example of the lack of planning came last season after one of the home Europa League matches (I forget which). The match over with, I wandered over to the shiny bus stop which is supposed to house bendy buses only to find that, well, no buses were expected any time soon. My vague memory is that it would have been close to an hour wait until the next bus, and I, along with thousands of others, ended up walking back through the Hafod. Ok it was around ten o'clock, but with thousands of fans needing to get home it seemed a hefty oversight.
Not the end of the world, but surely some kind of linkup could be put in place between the bus company and the club/the Liberty Stadium? We've got a bus lane which skips the congested area before coming out right by the Liberty, yet it seems there's no allowance for the thousands upon thousands of extra travelers who could, and probably would, use the bus to get to the stadium if it was a more viable option. If fans knew that from, say, quarter to two there was a bus every ten minutes they'd be much more inclined to get one. I know there are buses to the stadium on matchday, but I'm almost positive that these run on normal timetables and given the influx of extra passengers there's definitely scope for more regular services tied in with home games.
There's also been a mention of the train depot in Landore, and whether it'd be possible to create a small train station at this site. It was mentioned in passing when the stadium was first under construction, but I have it on excellent authority that the figures involved make this a complete non-starter, sadly. It's worth noting that trains in Wales are subsidised to the tune of 10p per mile traveled - that explains how they can justify the trains I get to West Wales to see my other half, where I'm often the only passenger! It would be great if we could one day justify transforming the train depot into a little train station, but unless we win the Champions League a few years on the trot I can't see it happening.
Short of some genius car park solution, the only immediate solution I can see is if more buses are laid on from the city centre, and perhaps other areas of the city, and fans are encouraged to use them. Maybe there could be a token discount for fans with tickets? Who knows, but I'm sure there's something in it. If the buses are there, people will use them. Especially if they know it's only a ten or fifteen minute journey down the bus lane, and they're guaranteed not to be held up in traffic.
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| The proposed new road between the city centre & the Liberty Stadium |
Agree? Disagree? How do you find traffic on matchdays? Do you live in the local area? Any ideas and comments are more than appreciated.