Stewards & away coaches leaving the stadium

[Warfield Royal]

Statistically if something can happen then given enough time it will happen.

25,000 supporters for 20 matches a foot fall of around 1/2 a million people per year and is roughly 5 million people in a 10 year period.

If there is a 1 in a million chance of being hit by a bus then an average of 5 people will be hit by a bus in the next 10 years.

[anR]

Statistically if something can happen then given enough time it will happen.

25,000 supporters for 20 matches a foot fall of around 1/2 a million people per year and is roughly 5 million people in a 10 year period.

If there is a 1 in a million chance of being hit by a bus then an average of 5 people will be hit by a bus in the next 10 years.

Actually that is a very good point...

Don't worry though. I have an idea.

After each match has finished we just need to hold everyone in the concourse. Then all those with bus tickets are allowed out, but they must show the bus tickets.

Now the only people outside the stadium will be people with bus tickets. After every bus is full up (taking that there will be an average of 5% of coach passengers per game who can not provide bus tickets, who must be left behind), they can leave. When the last bus has gone, everyone else can be let out.

The best thing about this plan is there will be no people walking about when the buses leave!

Byebye 0.5 people getting hit by a bus each year!

[Warfield Royal]

Statistically if something can happen then given enough time it will happen.

25,000 supporters for 20 matches a foot fall of around 1/2 a million people per year and is roughly 5 million people in a 10 year period.

If there is a 1 in a million chance of being hit by a bus then an average of 5 people will be hit by a bus in the next 10 years.

Actually that is a very good point...

Don't worry though. I have an idea.

After each match has finished we just need to hold everyone in the concourse. Then all those with bus tickets are allowed out, but they must show the bus tickets.

Now the only people outside the stadium will be people with bus tickets. After every bus is full up (taking that there will be an average of 5% of coach passengers per game who can not provide bus tickets, who must be left behind), they can leave. When the last bus has gone, everyone else can be let out.

The best thing about this plan is there will be no people walking about when the buses leave!

Byebye 0.5 people getting hit by a bus each year!

Great plan

Clear proof that you can prove anything with statistics

[RoyalBlue]

danger of a death.

Common sense, simple common sense. Death is a ridiculous assumption. If you see a bus you move. I find it laughable that this is a serious concern of yours. Nanny state indeed...

Kids have eyes in the back of their heads do they?! Death is by no means a ridiculous assumption if you go under the wheel of a bus.

My daughter nearly got hit by one last season and was only saved by the fact that my son realised what was happening and yanked her out of the way.

Which is exactly what Guardian's should do in situations like this, then the danger is reduced dramatically.

Having been in a road accident, I find it strong that people want further things changed to make sure that something unlikely of happening will ever happen.

Can we have the statistics of all serious accidents involving buses in the 7 years of our stadium please? Thanks.

I suggest you stop studying statistics and have a look at the law instead! The club have a legal obligation to take all reasonable steps to ensure the health & safety of supporters. A risk has been identified (no matter how small you might try to argue it is) and it would be fairly easy to mitigate. It just does not make sense to try to send coaches/buses down a road whilst there are thousands of pedestrians in that road with their backs turned to the approaching traffic. The club go nuts about fans standing in the seated area but I reckon the buses are every bit as much of a risk. It doesn't take that long for the roads to clear of pedestrians so why not make buses/coaches wait a little while just like the cars have to?

As for being in a traffic accident and finding it strange that people want to reduce the risk/danger, why do the government and vehicle manufacturers spend so much time and money trying to do that? If they hadn't, perhaps you wouldn't have come out of yours quite as well. In my mind (and that of the law) if fairly easy things can be done to reduce the risk of someone being hurt or killed, then they must be done.

As for duties of guardians, I'm not aware of any of them that have eyes in the back of their heads either! I was just lucky that my son happened to look over his shoulder.

Finally, if something isn't done and the ever so unlikely event (in your view) does occur, perhaps you would care to speak to the victim/victim's family to explain that ensuring their safety really wasn't felt to be worth a tiny bit of trouble.

[STAR Liaison]

In an attempt to get the away coaches on their way, stewards were forcing all supporters to walk in the road....not onto the footpath!!

Then as they let the coaches go - you guessed it - they drive down the road, motoring past the pedestrians.

In hours of darkness and with small children amongst the fans I (and many others that were present last night) consider this to be a dangerous situation.

I spoke to the safety officer and he was unaware of any such instructions to force supporters into the road. Can you by more specific about where it occured so that he can find out which stewards were responsible and find out what was happening. I assumes from the date of posting that it was the Man City game, but which road? How close to the stadium? Was it near the coach layby?

[Barry the bird boggler]

By the way, anyone experience that incident on Saturday where one of the away coaches actually stopped to let thugs off to start trouble

I do hope some follow up can happen and that action can be taken against the driver and idiots on board.

[Lower West]

Seems odd that the away coaches aren't escorted away from the ground by TVP. Cos people travel on coaches doesn't mean that they are official supporters club, any group of people can hire a coach.

Must say that the lack of TVP outside the stadium at the bottom of Hurst Way and along the A33 was disturbing on Saturday. Such an obvious flashpoint.

[STAR Liaison]

By the way, anyone experience that incident on Saturday where one of the away coaches actually stopped to let thugs off to start trouble

I do hope some follow up can happen and that action can be taken against the driver and idiots on board.

You may have heard that BBC Berks was certainly calling for people to send their experiences to STAR this morning. We have had several disturbing reports through already. If anyone wants to follow this up with more information please send it to info@star-reading.org.

[TFF]

By the way, anyone experience that incident on Saturday where one of the away coaches actually stopped to let thugs off to start trouble

I do hope some follow up can happen and that action can be taken against the driver and idiots on board.

You may have heard that BBC Berks was certainly calling for people to send their experiences to STAR this morning. We have had several disturbing reports through already. If anyone wants to follow this up with more information please send it to info@star-reading.org.

Lots of disturbing stories hereand here.

[STAR Liaison]

By the way, anyone experience that incident on Saturday where one of the away coaches actually stopped to let thugs off to start trouble

I do hope some follow up can happen and that action can be taken against the driver and idiots on board.

You may have heard that BBC Berks was certainly calling for people to send their experiences to STAR this morning. We have had several disturbing reports through already. If anyone wants to follow this up with more information please send it to info@star-reading.org.

Lots of disturbing stories hereand here.

Yes we have read them but I am afraid that anonymous accounts do not have any weight when we talk to the authorities as they cannot be verified. This is why we ask those who witnessed something to send us details - we can then use them without having them dismissed with 'anyone could have written that'.

[royal goof]

In an attempt to get the away coaches on their way, stewards were forcing all supporters to walk in the road....not onto the footpath!!

Then as they let the coaches go - you guessed it - they drive down the road, motoring past the pedestrians.

In hours of darkness and with small children amongst the fans I (and many others that were present last night) consider this to be a dangerous situation.

I spoke to the safety officer and he was unaware of any such instructions to force supporters into the road. Can you by more specific about where it occured so that he can find out which stewards were responsible and find out what was happening. I assumes from the date of posting that it was the Man City game, but which road? How close to the stadium? Was it near the coach layby?

Yes it happened after the Man City game and in fact happens after EVERY game. Man U was the same. Obviously it is more of a risk after dark though.

Its on Shooters Way (the slope going away from the South stand).

Away fans coaches are allowed to leave whilst thousands of fans are still walking past (after having to walk around the stadium) and are then forced into the right hand side of the road by a line of stewards... The footpath adjacent to Shooters Way is left empty (apart from a few 'rebels' that choose to make their safety a priority)

He is lying if he says he isnt aware of this happening!!! One of the stewards leading this wears an orange jacket and has a beard.

[cheeryoleary]

Star - I'd like to highlight the dangerous driving displayed by the Station buses exiting the North of the ground.
In a similar way as one sees in the town centre, the bus driver considers that he has right of way when a pedestrian is in the road. The speed of the lead bus leaving on saturday was unbelieveable. There were people in the road and the bus just drove as fast as he thought was safe in order to scare people out of the road. One guy behind me dragged his your daugther out of the way just in time and shouted at the driver "slow down".... the response he got from the driver was a finger. the driver was driving the two tone (creme/brown) modern bus, was overweight, and baldy.
I understand that bus drivers have a difficult job, but to endanger and intimidate the people supporting their wages is a disgrace.
You might ask 'why don't I write to the bus company'. I don't want to go direct as I'm just one voice - I would ask Star to represent me and others in this instance. If you need a statement from me, other that the above, just ask.

[RoyalBlue]

I'd like to back up Cheery on this one.

The real daft thing is that the stewards wait till the road is completely full of pedestrians before using a loudhailer to tell them to make way for the buses!! Just where are the thousands of pedestrians meant to make their way too? The pavement isn't big enough to hold them! It's an accident(s) waiting to happen and the risk is significantly increased because of the delight that the bus drivers appear to take in playing chicken (or is it skittles?) with the pedestrians.

Simple and safe solution is to make the buses wait for the comparitively few minutes it takes for the pedestrians to clear the roads leaving the stadium. Furthermore that approach fits the PC philosophy of foot being the preferred mode of transport!

[STAR Liaison]

Yes it happened after the Man City game and in fact happens after EVERY game. Man U was the same. Obviously it is more of a risk after dark though.

Its on Shooters Way (the slope going away from the South stand).

Away fans coaches are allowed to leave whilst thousands of fans are still walking past (after having to walk around the stadium) and are then forced into the right hand side of the road by a line of stewards... The footpath adjacent to Shooters Way is left empty (apart from a few 'rebels' that choose to make their safety a priority)

He is lying if he says he isnt aware of this happening!!! One of the stewards leading this wears an orange jacket and has a beard.

I have passed this info on - though do you mean Hurst Way as Shooters Way is blocked by the safety gate isn't it?

And Cheery I have also passed on your comments.

More when I get a response

[Platypuss]

I'd like to back up Cheery on this one.

The real daft thing is that the stewards wait till the road is completely full of pedestrians before using a loudhailer to tell them to make way for the buses!! Just where are the thousands of pedestrians meant to make their way too? The pavement isn't big enough to hold them!

And of course one of the footways is already full of people queuing for the buses - leaving just one free.

I would also like to know what the club's view is regarding the footway alongside Hoops Way that ends abruptly at the roundabout (Hoops?) outside the TO carpark -

What route do they want/expect people to take if they come up Northern Way and want the East Stand or Gate 6 of the North?

[RIP ELM Park]

I would also like to know what the club's view is regarding the footway alongside Hoops Way that ends abruptly at the roundabout (Hoops?) outside the TO carpark -

What route do they want/expect people to take if they come up Northern Way and want the East Stand or Gate 6 of the North?

I would guess they expect people to cross the road via the marked crossing to the path on the other side.

Of course you can't actually get to the crossing as the programme sellers are blocking half the pavement and the queue of people trying to buy a programme, are blocking the other half.

[cheeryoleary]

And Cheery I have also passed on your comments.

Cheers then

[royal goof]

Yes it happened after the Man City game and in fact happens after EVERY game. Man U was the same. Obviously it is more of a risk after dark though.

Its on Shooters Way (the slope going away from the South stand).

Away fans coaches are allowed to leave whilst thousands of fans are still walking past (after having to walk around the stadium) and are then forced into the right hand side of the road by a line of stewards... The footpath adjacent to Shooters Way is left empty (apart from a few 'rebels' that choose to make their safety a priority)

He is lying if he says he isnt aware of this happening!!! One of the stewards leading this wears an orange jacket and has a beard.

I have passed this info on - though do you mean Hurst Way as Shooters Way is blocked by the safety gate isn't it?

And Cheery I have also passed on your comments.

More when I get a response

I could mean Hurst Way....sorry.

I found a photo on the website - its 11th one up from the bottom of the page - the the stretch of road I am on about is on the right hand side of the photo - the one that the away coaches leave via..

http://www.readingfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Outside/0,,10306,00.html

I look forward to hearing an update. Thanks Starliason

[royal goof]

Yes it happened after the Man City game and in fact happens after EVERY game. Man U was the same. Obviously it is more of a risk after dark though.

Its on Shooters Way (the slope going away from the South stand).

Away fans coaches are allowed to leave whilst thousands of fans are still walking past (after having to walk around the stadium) and are then forced into the right hand side of the road by a line of stewards... The footpath adjacent to Shooters Way is left empty (apart from a few 'rebels' that choose to make their safety a priority)

He is lying if he says he isnt aware of this happening!!! One of the stewards leading this wears an orange jacket and has a beard.

I have passed this info on - though do you mean Hurst Way as Shooters Way is blocked by the safety gate isn't it?

And Cheery I have also passed on your comments.

More when I get a response

I could mean Hurst Way....sorry.

I found a photo on the website - its 11th one up from the bottom of the page - the the stretch of road I am on about is on the right hand side of the photo - the one that the away coaches leave via..

[/url]http://www.readingfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Outside/0,,10306,00.html[url]

I look forward to hearing an update. Thanks Starliason[/url]

Sorry, cant do hyperlinks!!

[Royal Lady]

I'm still of the opinion that the safety gate is more of a hindrance than a help. You still bump into away fans as you walk past the hotel, having had to circumnavigate the entire ground when leaving the East Stand. If there's going to be trouble, there's going to be trouble - as was witnessed on the A33. Just have loads of police and stewards milling about where the gate would normally be. That way, people coming from the East Stand area can get down the hill quicker and the issue of possible accidents from buses would be more or less alleviated.