Everton Test Evacuation Procedure 65 Minutes into Second Test Event

I wonder if that's a fail for the certificate!

That aside, very impressive stadium.

Will the 3rd test event have an evacuation test?

Imagine that weighing bridge in the middle of winter? Without wanting to sound negative I do think a lot of people will start swerving a few night matches in those dark, cold and windy, winter nights.

I actually can't wait for the next local elections, and hope Steve Rotherham and his labour cronies are fucked right off.

"We didn't know if the stadium was going to be complete..." Good lord!

You sound incredibly negative. Did you stand outside and boo?

The infrastructure at BMD is poor, even the soccerbus today didn't calculate for the half marathon and took 40 minutes from Commutation Row to BMD, only had to go along Vauxhall Rd, would have taken 15 minutes.

The weighbridge stop/go was embarrassing and not required, there was a full bridge each time they let people pass onto it anyway, pointless.

If it was that lot over the park with the new stadium, LCC would have got everything in place for them.

I’m not being negative against Everton, who have just helped kickstart what is going to become such a massive and much needed regeneration, on a scale I have never seen before in our city, but when you read the mayor of Liverpool, saying they didn’t know if the stadium was going to be complete, are you supposed to say - I get what you mean there Mr Rotherham?

Build it and they will come makes a lot of sense but, if the infrastructure, that they have had years to sort out isn’t there, then I also think a lot of people will swerve going to the game on a cold, wet and windy winter’s night, and I don’t think I will be the only one blaming Liverpool City Council, if things don’t change.

Stand outside and boo, whilst they test infrastructure that just isn’t there.

Phil, I gave a fellow Evertonian, from Huddersfield, a lift back to the taxi club, because he was stranded, because there didn’t even seem to be any taxi- ranks near the stadium.

A few minutes later, we got one, get off at Sandhills to get gridlocked on the platform. Someone has to get their act together.
The ground was fantastic it seemed like an away game stadium!

A leisurely 25-minute walk back to town found us in the Pig 'n Whistle. Nice afternoon out.

Gross negligence imo, test event or not, that's no excuse.

Something I've just copied from a post doing the rounds on “X” - stand outside and boo!

Sandhills was busy but manageable, unfortunalty that was for the people that left just before half time, a full stadium leaving at the same time will be a logistical nightmare for that tiny station.

I was heading south towards town, so can't speak for those heading north. All I saw was a load of Delta Cabs either being diverted back towards town or confirming they were dropping off / picking up at the Titanic Hotel.

This really needs sorting out. Four years and it's nowhere near close to being good enough. We've ended up with a last minute afterthought.

Firstly, ridiculous comment about Tony booing. Secondly, if as seems quite likely based on reports this “test” highlights issues. Do you have faith LCC can reconfigure infrastructure involving roads, boats, trains etc in 4 months??

Now, if this were the dark side, would the Council move heaven and earth? Again no. Because it would already have been done.

Do I sound bitter?!!

Right now there's neither visible progress on transport provision or any hint at all on the re-constitution of the entire massive 10-Streets area, and way beyond in truth, for any hopefulness by any Toffee fan in terms of accessibility.

If some berks didn't know better, the rest of us might just point out that OUR club will be, courtesy of Kenwright for decades, forever cap in hand for a coupe of decades if we're lucky to politicians/capitalist shysters and the mega revenues they'd demand from fans/other-tax-payers, should anyone at all provide money to even start creating a viable public transport system between the Pier Head and even Bankhall, never mind the swathe of population/fans north of there.

Our state-of-the-art-midi-stadium-before-it-even-starts is to me like so much of what we all know has gone before; mega-promises from within, but sod-all when it comes to delivery.

I hope I'm wrong though.

No mate you sound realistic. The only thing I disagree on is the ability to fix it in four months even for the RS. But of course if it was the RS they would have prioritized infrastructure from day one so it would never get to this point.

I remember Delta when it first began in a crappy upstairs space on Moor Lane in Crosby. It’s a fecking monster now.

Paul W (10) and Andrew G (15), thanks for your posts and, sadly, you confirm everything that I find bizarre in Sandhills as a hub. There will be no solution inside four months and the biggest culprit is I don’t think it will be built Rotherham and his cronies who have not lifted a finger in four years to sort this easily predictable mess out.

If they don’t care about us they could at least care about the regeneration of a part of our city that has been neglected for a criminal stretch of time.

And sometimes on here it feels like the discussion is selfishly slanted towards us when, in fact, weekend trains will also be stuffed with shoppers. It’s sick. This will cause trouble. Imagine us and Chelsea fans being squeezed together on a little slither of a platform at Sandhills with hordes ahead of them waiting pissed off to get down the stairs.

I find the reports of today on both threads quite alarming. Brilliant stadium is a first impression. It’s lovely to hear. But in some respects its superficial and belies some very real issues underneath in transportation and infrastructure.

I fear the headlines on August 16 or 23 when the big story of the day turns out to be appalling and dangerous access /transportation issues after we murdered Man City 4-0.

Sandhills can’t cope with the numbers. Car parking policy makes things worse. Bus routes not thought through. Even safe walkways not properly established. The 30 minute walk back into town can’t be the solution for all, especially in a freezing December.
How amateur does it get…

Rotherham is running for cover. Blaming Everton and anybody he can.
Apparently Everton chaired meetings with LCC on this for years, what exactly did this group talk about or come up with.. ah yes, barriers at Sandhills.

I’m left with the conclusion this is either serious incompetence or deliberate act. Many LCC members will be loathe to see Taylor Swift move from Anfield to BMD likewise European football finals, they don’t like it.
And these Events wont happen without better infrastructure.
I understand that there is not an abundance of public funds to support this ( though there is for Manchester United it seems).
Surely we can sort the buses, sort the trains, sort the taxis, sort better pedestrian routes. It’s all we are going to get, but getting these basics right would be a big step forward.
When 53,000 leave at the same time this is not going to be pretty.

Looks like we're all talking the same language on transport infrastructure and regelation. We've been talking it for a few years, so to Ian's point, what have the club and LCC been talking about at these group meetings?

Worrying that you say that Danny after you have been to the Dock and seen it for yourself.

But, wow, it is a magnificent stadium inside and out mate.

I didn’t ask the man his name Liam, but he told us a wonderful story about why he became a blue. Watching the cup final in 1966, he said that when Everton, were losing 2-0, his Nin, said to him don’t worry about this they will go inside at half time and the players will all have a little tot of Rum, and then come out and win 3-2!

Everything his Nin, used to say was gospel in his eyes and that’s how he became an Evertonian👏

Tony, I've not heard the phrase "nin" in years!!!

I was worried about getting to the ground but the shuttle buses to and from Bootle worked well. I hope they work as well when 52,000 plus fans are due to turn up at the stadium.

The only downside from yesterday’s experience was the food and drink offering. Food was very expensive and cold. There were only limited places to eat it. Lots of people sitting on the floor to do so. I don’t think that will work when the ground is full.

I go to Spurs new stadium 3 or 4 times a year and their food and drink offering is streets ahead, cheaper and better. Lots of different options and ledges everywhere to put your pint and food down. Also, they have great bars where you can get a pint before and after the game which are available for everyone to use.

Putting aside that gripe what a great stadium BMD is in an iconic setting. Can’t wait to watch Everton winning in their new home.

Link

(warning: the STOP/GO thing on the bridge might have 'worked' on a Sunday afternoon, with 25,000 good-natured test-event attenders. However the mood could be VERY different should we lose a PL night fixture in pissing sleet in January, in front of 52,000 which includes 3,000 away supporters).

So moving on..

One thing inside the ground that surprised me a little, was the 'roof' (?)

Over the years, whenever I've seen pics (drone shots etc), I've thought the roof looks as though it's designed to be 'open' but keep out rain/wind (nb: I know nothing about design/architecture but assumed there must a reason for the roof design beyond aesthetics)

In pics it looks like there's a relatively small opening (fnaar!).

However once in the ground, I was a little confused because it looked a LOT more open than I'd imagined.

In fact I'll admit I even wondered for a moment "Can that roof move? Have they opened it up?"

Maybe because I've spent years (cosily?) tucked under the roof in the Upper Gwladys, BMD, once inside, felt very..um...open (?)

I watched the first half in lower east, row 28 and thought if you were sitting here and it was pissing down, you'd probably be ok (ie: dry).

However in the second 'half' (as there were empty seats) I moved forward to row 13 and thought I'm not so sure how dry you'd be here if it was pissing down.

Hopefully you'll all let me know that the roof was designed using some special magical design that utilises thermals to blow falling rain away from the roof and into the Mersey.

Btw, my seat next season is row 14 and i'm right against the metal fence that separates us from the visiting supporters.

"Let's give the cockneys, a little bit of 66 year old knuckle!"

Some of the stewards with the stop / go signs were facing the wrong way or looking up one of the side streets. The supervisors were having to steward some of the stewards!!!

They do it at West Ham on the approach to Westfield and the Stratford Stations. Brighton too. Although the latter don't use signs, but it's the same system to control access down to the station platform. Which is right next to the Amex. Now wouldn't that have been a good idea?!!

For now, until there is more around the stadium, I'm happy to walk into town.

Kieran @27, I know mate, I said the same thing!! It would have been in place already for them Call us cynical, but I am 99% certain.

Lack of black cabs after the match is probably down to the drivers not wishing to be gridlocked.

The minus points that I noticed are few but here they are:

Water on the staircase leading into East Stand, Section 12. Where did that come from? Easily fixable

Congestion in the South Stand around the food and drink outlets. Maybe caused by the likes of me wandering around the stadium and then doubling back again?

The South Stand is steep. Great for atmosphere but I wonder what it’ll be like when we score a last minute against Liverpool? At my age, I’m glad that I chose the lower East Stand!

There is barely a gap between the East Stand and the away section. I could see it getting a bit tasty there on occasions. Need for a safety screen?

But by far and away my biggest concern is Sandhills. The platforms are too small and narrow. Totally unsuited to big crowds. Having said that, on our return to Sandhills after the evacuation, we sailed onto a train to Central without waiting, even though there were large numbers waiting in the pens to travel to other destinations. Not sure how that happened. More park and rides are needed.

Still, a very enjoyable day out and am keenly anticipating the first full house. Only the Tottenham Stadium compares in my opinion.

Even with only 10,000 there, you could begin to envisage the problems that might happen with 52,000 going through that small entrance in the dock wall. Why oh why little thought seems to have been given to the transport links, I don't know,

When the season starts the fury of the fans will grow louder and louder about a problem that should have been addressed when work first started.

Leaving the transport problems to one side, I hope everybody was as impressed as I was with our new stadium, it's breathtaking both inside and out. I saw a clip of Dan Meis the architect being interviewed yesterday outside the stadium he designed.

My grandad told me it wasn't over till the final whistle, by which time I was beaming...

One of those black and white memories!

I was immediately in awe of the size of the stadium from the outside, and once inside, found it breathtaking. I was in the Upper East Stand and although concerned about getting into the upper area by stairs initially, I found them a bit more manageable than anticipated. I just took my time, but at that early stage of proceedings they were virtually empty, so no rush or crush encountered.

Not all aspects of everyone's visit was ideal. No doubt mine may fall foul of the issues that a lot of you encountered if I manage to get a ticket or two next season, so you are doing all of us a favour of bringing these faults to light through your observations and experiences; thank you.

My day went very well and I left with a magnificent image of the interior firmly etched in my mind. Wow!!!

RIP Michael Jones. God Bless You.

I had a good chat to the Blue from Huddersfield, didn't catch his name but he was in his sixties and well built and very easy to talk to.

He said he travels to Goodison most home games and he has a season ticket, so maybe he sits by you at Goodison?

Only 2% of pubic money used?

I hope the remainder is earmarked for a tasty new Brazilian.

Afterwards we went straight to SandhIlls after the evacuation sounded (I'm sure we went 1-nil up and decided to stop it there!)

Before half-time there was an announcement that the trains were off so I phoned the missus for a lift. There was a second announcement saying the trains were back on so I cancelled her but unbeknownst to me she decided to keep coming. We walked back via Great Howard Street which seemed to be much quicker.

Got to SandhIlls and got in the Southport queue. It was very busy but safe enough, I thought. I waited for about 25 minutes and no trains had come, then my missus arrived and we got a lift.

Leaving SandhIlls, the queue was big. Pretty much all the way to Great Howard Street. There were no screens telling anyone when trains were getting there or in fact any communication. There also needs to be some sort of sign in the queue letting you know if you're likely to get on the first, second, or third train etc.

It's a lot of walking to get there as well which won't be suitable for fans that don't qualify for a blue badge but would struggle to walk that far.

Don't think I know this lad from your description. But thanks for responding.

I had those exact same thoughts regarding the roof. I was in Row 11 (lower East) yesterday and thought on a wet and windy 'riverside' night it was going to get very wet down there!

Another thought was about coaches, there are usually half a dozen or so away coaches and up to 15 coaches for home 'ex pat' supporters from around the country parked up in Priory Road. Anyone know where they will be parked?

I noticed 4 buses waiting on Derby Road to take supporters to Bootle, one lane was coned off so I guess some could park there.

I wonder if away fans will be kept in for 20 minutes at the end like the old days otherwise there will be no post match segregation at all. At least at Goodison it's a short walk to Priory Road which limits flare up spots.

I posted yesterday and mentioned the underwhelming facilities under the stands. The more I have thought about it, the more I am perplexed by the bare concrete caverns with lack of colour, seating, shelving, tables etc.

It all looked great around the lounges etc in the publicity photos. However, I think that corners had to be cut to the stadium cost — and this really shows in the non corporate areas. Very poor.

Sorry folks if I am being negative but hearing about our cutting-edge new stadium made me expect a lot better. I may have spent out for one season on a lounge ticket if I had known what the alternative was.

Good post - particularly the last point regarding access for disabled or elderly fans who are not up for a bracing 30-minute stroll along the dock road.

We attend Goodison with a disabled fan at present and get dropped off on Spellow Lane and picked up on Westminster Road but I can see no consideration of ‘drop off' zones in the plans for next season although Blue badge holders will be catered for (allegedly).

Due to pressure from local businesses, the council have been forced to reconsider their plans for a restricted parking zone but they now need to consider the needs of fans too.

People walk to Goodison from all points of the compass. Parking up as close as they could and then walking the rest of the way. I used to park up at the Mons, you could bank on it raining, just as much as the shite getting a penalty every week.

If I fancied a bevy after the game, I'd get a cab with my mates. Needless to say, we used to jump out at the Carisbrooke as the driver wouldn't be able to get any closer.

What I'm saying is, there will be teething problems in August and September, maybe into October, but it'll settle down. To read the Red Rag and some of the posts on here, you'd think they had to travel to Outer Mongolia to get to BMD.

For anyone thinking about approaching private hire drivers that have not been booked. If they take a passenger who has not booked the journey, they will not be insured.

Fully agree mate. Some of the things that posters have moaned about are ridiculous.

Mike #51,

I saw more wheelchair users that managed to make it yesterday than I've ever seen at Goodison.

I got dropped off on the corner of Vauxhall Road and Boundary Street but noticed cars were coming further down Boundary Street dropping people off and doing a sharp turn back up Boundary Street or going further down to where you could go no further because it was cut off but you could do a left turn and travel towards town.

I walked down from Vauxhall Rd. and it wasn't too bad because it slopes down but coming back up after the match it wasn't as easy. Luckily Tony was around there and my great grandson got him on the phone and he picked me up from where I was dropped off and took me home so that made my day.

Hopefully the Council will sort themselves out and the travel difficulties as well by the time the new season starts.

If you look at the guided tour of the new stadium by a West Ham fan, you will realise why you saw a lot more wheelchair fans there than at Goodison. They were well looked after on a separate balcony. Good luck to them and well done Everton, not sure if that balcony goes all the way around the ground.

That Cockney saw 95% more of the new ground than I saw in the 10 minutes rushing to get in before the game started yesterday. It puts a whole new perspective of the ground and a great advertisement for the club, in fact Everton might have paid for it.

It's on another thread, Brian, if you haven't seen it.

I've seen the video, mate (the club didn't pay for it), and seen all the areas for wheelchairs at first hand, and that balcony is only one of several areas around the stadium for wheelchairs.

It doesn't go right round though, but as you say the club has done really well in providing areas for wheelchairs – and their carers/helpers.

After being dropped off at the Costco store, I walked up to the new ground and from there back to the Pier Head. I did not take much notice of the times it took but I believe from the ground to the Pier Head was about 30 minutes – maybe a bit more.

One of the things I thought of at that time was how are they going to clear the crowds after the game, as it seemed then and today there had been very little, even no planning on how to do this.

It appears to me that whoever have been in charge of Liverpool Council at the time, and at present times, have had ample time to have planned and organized some type of transportation plan to alleviate what could become a dangerous situation.

I doubt if this council is the first or last to have to solve this type of problem, but it has to be solved, otherwise this new stadium and the rest of the developments in this area will become difficult to live in or attend games.

My point however, is whilst Sandhills may not be ideally suitable at the moment, have any of you ever been to a London game by train, or maybe those that live down there, and used the London Underground to get to the stadium we are playing at? Trust me, they are a bloody nightmare, especially after the game. Once you get in, after standing in a long queue, you make your way to the platform which is rammed with people, and getting shoved around everywhere. Once the tube pulls in, it’s a mad scramble to get on, if you can get on that is. It can actually be quite dangerous. These tubes have been running for decades, carrying people around, especially during match days and are still horrendous. We’ve used Sandhills for two games and the moaning is off the scale. I’m reading about a barrier system to filter fans through to the platform, something which the London Underground use outside tube stations at many stadiums.

Things will improve before the start of next season, and it’s not as if all 50K of us are all going to be heading to Sandhills for a train. I’ve never even got on or off a train at Sandhills, so you’ll have to excuse me if I’m painting a prettier picture than many of you are complaining about.

I think a lot of fans are rightly moaning about the inactivity of the council and Merseyrail for coming up with the 'barrier system' to aid flow of fans getting to and from the game.

A prohibitive parking exclusion zone which is a blatant money maker which could see businesses fold rather than be a force for growth.

The council couldn't have done less to embrace the biggest development in the city for a generation.

Moan over for now.

Yesterday was a lot quicker than the West Ham one but, then again, it wasn't a full house.

I still think people need to accept it's going to be busy. My plan will be to enjoy the after-match hospitality at the stadium for half an hour or so.

As a matter of interest – where will the away coaches go and park??

Arsenal and Tottenham use one where they funnel you away from the ground and end up taking a lengthy walk to a tube station to avoid congestion at closer stations. Maybe that's just with away supporters? A similar system was in place on Wembley Way on the approach to the Wembley Park station at the 2009 Cup Final.

West Ham and Brighton do it. It's quite normal at a lot of stadiums.

Thanks - very helpful.

I suppose we won't really know until the first game at full capacity.

As extensive as the tube is, for football matches and rush hours, it is a nightmare. Sardines packed into a tin. In my experience, Tottenham and Arsenal have been the worse if you time it wrong, and especially coming out.

Then there are the tourists, who having annoying habits of stopping at the top of the escalators to check their maps. Wait until you're outside. And families who all want to go through the same barrier when there are several. Just get through and meet on the other side!!

Like you, I'll just walk from town and stop off if I need to.

Agree mate. It's not as though Goodison is a dream to get away from, or to get to for that matter. Wherever thousands gather for an event there is a certain amount of "chaos."

TW seems to be populated by those who appear to have never experienced the before and after of a big event. It's the only way I can understand the level of moaning.

Getting to big events is okay if you plan ahead and allow loads of time. Getting out is always carnage.

He player for Everton from 1936-1950 with 179 appearances and 5 goals.

Our master plan is coming together: Today, the docks, the city and high streets; tomorrow, the world ……

Alternatively, you can use, I think it's Northumberland Road overground station. A lot nearer walk, about 10 - 15 minutes, but then you're faced with a winding staircase up to the platform, surrounded by thousands of other fans. You then have to change at Seven Sisters to join the masses scrambling for the underground. The London Underground is not a nice experience on matchdays!!

A decent stroll from Queens Drive if I went that way and then stuck in traffic.

The necessity to walk some distance to stand a chance of getting a cab.

Any sport event will attract congestion, as has been alluded to above. And getting away is always more difficult..

I don't think that is the point with the new stadium though. It's not moaning. For those who have seen it first hand, yes, we accept business won't go away, that's inevitable, but to have little or nothing in place when this has had at least 4 years notice is nothing short of neglect and a missed opportunity to make an early start on the talked about regeneration of the infrastructure and the northern docks. They've failed to grasp the opportunity and get ahead of the game. Instead, they are now playing catch up.

So for me, it's not the fact it gets busy at a major sporting event that has frustrated many. It's the lack of foresight when they knew it was coming.

I know the derby is coming up, my emotions are building, and without sounding bitter, I don't think for one minute this would be the case if this was Liverpool's new stadium. It would have been sorted under the umbrella that this is investment for the city, just as it should be for us.

I have used Kirkdale since the days of steam trains and can confirm crowd control was only introduced last season, clearly as an experiment as MerseyRail knew full well that there would be major problems at Sandhills with BMD.

Kirkdale has wider platforms than most Merseyrail stations as it used to have substantial buildings before they were replaced by small shelters when the station was modernised and crowd control there is unnecessary and annoying.

A proposed new station at Vauxhall, nearer BMD than Sandhills, was ditched shortly before the first plans for the new stadium appeared and could have easily been revived, or an additional platform for use on match days added at Sandhills (which once had four) but the Council, Mersey Travel and Mersey Rail have failed miserably.

I am looking forward to the new stadium but dreading the return journey at Sandhills.

The whole Sandhills thing as the solution doesn't account for those travelling from other parts of the city and further afield, who come into Lime Street.

A station hub on the scale of Liverpool South Parkway, should have been planned close to the stadium. Not another low capacity Northern Line station.

South parkway can accommodate national services as well as Mersey Rail. Who knows, with a bit of creativity of thought, a BMD station could have with a tunnel from Lime Street. But, that train has passed now and we're still fudging around with a few buses, longer trains to Sandhills and a ferry from the Wirral to the Pier Head.