by Clyde1998 »
20 Aug 2024 06:50
windermereROYAL The number 9 bus that travels from the station to green park station is my new way of travelling to the games, it passes very close to my home and drops off at South oak way (Costco) that`s a short 5 minute walk to the ground.
It`s been my intention to go home on the return journey from the bus stop opposite at 16.57, just need to leave the JMS at 16.50 even if it means missing injury time but it will save me a 40 minute walk home.
Well that was the plan anyway, left the stadium, turned right only to find the gates locked and stewards telling me there was no access,
I suppose it`s to stop the home fans mixing with the away fans even though 2000 C1871 fans leave that way.
I was hacked off, a 40 minute walk home again in that heat.
Based on the route of the number 9 bus, I'm guessing you're going to Witley Wood or Witley - neither have an obvious alternative bus-wise.
There's a stop called 'Reading Stadium' on the number 9 bus route - which is between the two roundabouts at the bottom of the hill outside the South Stand and is the next stop along to (and slightly closer than) the Costco stop and is scheduled to leave at 16:58.
Google reckons it's around 800m (10mins 30 secs) from the middle of the East Stand to that stop (going the long way around the stadium). Based on your time estimate to get to the Costco stop, I reckon you would do it faster than Google suggests by around two minutes (and that's without trying to walk faster).
Assuming the bus isn't affected by any of the shuttles (IIRC, it would be either the F2 and F3 from that stop), that may be a little more achievable than aiming for the Costco stop before it (albeit not significantly). It's slightly closer, you'd have a scheduled extra minute to get to it and it's possible it will be delayed with football supporters getting on at the previous stops; you would have to make it very clear to the driver you're not waiting on the shuttles though.
I would've thought Reading Buses would want to delay that specific bus to align with people leaving the ground, but maybe it messes up scheduling for the following buses.
