Last weeks (14 July 2006) Shrewsbury Chronicle talked about the lack of parking spaces being built at the new Shrewsbury Town football ground with only 630 spaces would be allocated for the ground.

This has raised concerns and a local govt representative for the Sutton ward has spoken about his concern and highlighted what he feels to be a partial solution to the potential issue of problem parking.

The suggest is that yellow lines could be put in the Sutton area of the town and that the new traffic warden positions due to brought in during Novemeber 2006 should be employed in the Sutton area during the 26 match days per year at the ground in the hope that visitors to the ground will be senbsible with regard to parking and no majors issues should arise from the development in the area.

It would be interesting to hear what the fans and people living in the Sutton area think about the development and possible parking problems.

Surely many will end up parking at the retail park and walk the 5 mintues to the ground?

This is something that has been suggested and I can imagine that the shops on the retail park would not be too impressed with the idea unless they bring in pay and display which could alientate shoppers

How about a special park and ride service during games from Meole Brace?

This could be promoted by both STFC and the team who are visiting to their supporters!

Another sensible suggestion to relieve traffic problems would have been to build a platform either side of the railway and stop trains there on match days but I suppose that would have actually involved the council thinking about it in advance.
The Cardiff to Manchester trains could stop directly outside the ground and this would encourage a lot of people to use the train instead of their cars, this would serve both local people travelling from the town centre as well as the many fans from North and South Shropshire. An additional bonus would be the reduced problems logistically for the local police who will now have to provide security for visiting fans arriving at the station to travel to the new ground, some 3 miles instead of 50 metres.
The ground itself is really starting to take shape and I am very excited by the project I just wish a little more thought had gone into the logistics.

An excellent idea. But opening new rail stations is prohibitively expensive these days. Some councillors have argued for new stations around Shrewsbury for some time, esp to the larger villages next to railway lines (like Baschurch, Bomere Heath and Hanwood) or to serve the park and ride at Harlescott and Meole Brace, but the final decision is in the hands of our virulently anti-rail government and whichever privatised outfits are running the trains this week.

A sensible policy for a sensible Britain...

oh hang on. :rolleyes: