Manchester United may be the footballing champions of England but they are in a relegation battle when it comes to transport – according to a survey conducted by The Campaign for Better Transport.
United’s cross-town rivals Manchester City didn’t fare much better finishing 13th in the transport table, leaving a lot to be desired for transport to Manchester’s major football clubs.
The table was calculated by taking into account a variety of factors including cost, urban access, walking and cycling, public transport, car use and role of the club.
The survey suggested that the public transport infrastructure that supports travel on Manchester’s match days is inadequate.
“Old Trafford’s distance from the centre of Manchester means it is rare for supporters to walk to the ground, while public transport services to the ground don’t have the capacity to make up for this,” the study read.
“Little surprise, then, that car use is relatively high for a big city club and, with more than 70,000 watching each home game, that can mean a lot of cars.
“The club’s efforts at improving things also disappoint, with nothing yet to match the travel plans developed by other big clubs. “
City fans are also prone to avoiding public transport for matches.
“If I drive I can be sat at home half an hour after the final whistle,” said a City fan from Oldham.
“If I get the bus then I am not home for an hour and a half, maybe even two hours.”
As well as the league table compiled the study also rated clubs on the travel information provided on their website and their future travel planning.
United and City both scored a measly two out of eight for their travel planning and the summary of the Reds’ plans was damning.
“Old Trafford has more than 6,000 car parking spaces and is not particularly well served by scheduled buses, though there is a Metrolink stop within half a mile,” read the summary.
“Disappointingly, no active travel planning with Trafford Council appears to have been conducted by the club since it applied for expansion in 2004.”
The Premier League champions did even worse in the website rating, scoring only one out of five for the travel information they provided.
One United fan from Cheadle had an alcohol related solution to the problem.
“Create a better atmosphere before games with cheaper beer and food prices and more choice to encourage fans to get there earlier therefore spreading out the rush of crowd,” he suggested.
To read the full report click here.
Image courtesy of Parrot of Doom, with thanks.
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