Arsenal

Transport problems around Arsenal's new stadium remain "a complete nightmare" despite assurances from the football club, residents have said.

Residents complained of overcrowding, parking problems and poor Tube links to the Emirates Stadium in north London at an Arsenal community liaison meeting.

The Highbury Community Association said: "On match days you can't move in or out before or after a match."

But Arsenal said access to the venue was "in line with expectations".

Resident and business groups, Islington Council, police and transport officials attended Thursday's community liaison meeting.

The club moved to the 60,000-seat Ashburton Grove venue last summer, and supporters have complained that it can take up to an hour to get away after matches.

'Same disruption'

Martin Jones, chairman of the Highbury Fields Association, also said: "Signs near the venue point out that there are parking restrictions on match days. But you need to know exactly when those match days are to avoid receiving a fine."

Residents also complained of match-day overcrowding at the main Tube stops for the stadium - Arsenal, Finsbury Park and Highbury & Islington.

After the meeting Trevor Wilson, of the Highbury Community Association, said: "Nothing has changed since the beginning of the season. We have the same amount of disruption with cars and people running around."

Islington Council has commissioned research into match-day congestion around the stadium, which it will publish after the current football season ends in May.

The council would not publish its early findings, but an Arsenal spokesman said they were "in line with expectations".

Kevin O'Leary, Islington Council's director of environment and regeneration, said: "It is important to remember that this is only the first season at the new stadium, and a great deal of monitoring, assessment and compromise is taking place."

He said the council would continue to work with Arsenal, the police and Transport for London (TfL) to make match days "as efficient as possible for everyone involved".

A TfL spokesman said: "On match days, we run extra trains and have extra staff on hand to move passengers through the four stations serving Emirates stadium as quickly as possible.

"However, with large numbers of fans all arriving at the Tube stations serving the stadium at the same time, there will be some delays."

He said TfL had allocated more than £50m to improve transport in the area, including looking at ways of increasing capacity at Finsbury Park and Highbury & Islington Tube stations.

Have your say

We want to hear your views and experiences of getting away from the Emirates Stadium.

Email: yourlondon@bbc.co.uk

Your comments

I am an Arsenal season ticket holder and as far as I am concerned Transport For London and Ken Livingstone are an absolute disgrace as regards to the transport situation regarding Arsenal Football Club and the Emirates Stadium. TFL in the final stages of Arsenal building the Emirates promised a 50 million injection into the transport system around the new 60 thousand stadium.
Why at this point did they not put the money into taking the lift system out of Holloway Road tube station and replacing it with an escalator? As I can see from what is happening with Regents Park station, the work would have taken possibly a year to do. As Holloway Road is a less popular station than zone 1 stations closing it with Highbury and Islington station so close I do not think this would have been such a hard ship for residents of the area.
The fact that Holloway Road station is closed to incoming passengers on match days is an absolute disgrace.! Tim O'Toole had years to solve the situation as the Emirates was built and yet the travel situation after games is intolerable and in my opinion dangerous! The fact that Drayton Park station that could quickly transport the fans to Kings Cross after matches is closed, is totally baffling! I think the situation around the ground is a total disregard for the fans in their thousands!
While Ken is trying to get American Football up and running in London which would not have so much support from Londoners, he has no time for the thousands of Londoners who support Arsenal or those travelling supporters from other London clubs! I am sure the Olympic committee are watching this closely. None of the situation does any good for our hosting of the 2012 Olympics! - Raphael

Why is everyone in such a rush? Its better to have a drink after the game, either close to the ground or in the ground and wait for the mad rush to end. After one drink the stations are almost back to normal. People just need to slow down. Alistair, E2


I have to agree with the complaints made so far about the congestion after Arsenal games at the new stadium. I've been going to watch the Arsenal for nearly 30 years now and for the last 8 years have been taking my children. This season is the last one we will regularly attend. I have been astounded at the poor way in which fans are treated by TfL and the police after the games. More often than not, routes are arbitrarily cordoned off then re-opened without reason. Tube stations close down without warning. Police officers are verbally abusive to - and often "physical" with - people who only want to get home after the game. The route home is always a complete lottery - bus, tube, train, foot, who knows? What is really sad is that, rather than trying to help the fans, Arsenal Football Club new seems more interested in making a mint from overpriced catering and merchandise inside the stadium, leaving what goes on outside to others. If the move to Emirates Stadium is what marks out the next generation Arsenal as a "great" team, I'd rather support Enfield Town - Stephen


I don’t have a problem when coming out of the stadium as its 6.30pm when I come out the stadium and everyone has long gone! Thank goodness for the bars at the stadium, use your common sense go home see the wife early or stay at the stadium and have a few pints while watching the highlights of the day's game - Steve, Season ticket holder


It’s hard to feel any sympathy for residents who will either remember the crowds of 70,000 or will have moved into the area more recently knowing that there was a football club in their midst. There’s still more that different parties could do to make things easier, particularly for evening games. Starting evening games at 7.30pm and reducing the price of food inside the stadium would both help.
There’s no point opening Holloway Road tube station as the Piccadilly Line is already full with those getting on at Arsenal and Finsbury Park. There is, however, some wasted capacity on First Capital Connect services with trains leaving Finsbury Park soon after a game less than full because those entering the station have to join the queue for the Tube whether they like it or not.
Opening Drayton Park station would make it easier for fans travelling to Southgate, Barnet and Enfield thereby reducing pressure on the Piccadilly Line. Having said all that, Network Rail have engineering works affecting services out of Finsbury Park for four of the five remaining home games. John, Barnet.


The last time I went to an evening game I didn't get home til 12.30am. All of the surrounding stations as far as Essex Road had been closed, (my brother informed me of this as he had to get home to Chelmsford). We were unable to take short cuts to Finsbury Park Station as there were police and security blocking certain roads and estates, we were forced to walk the longest route taking us past Michael Sobell's just to get there. After the long walk with a 12 year old in tow, who had to get up for school the next morning, we waited just over an hour to actually get into the station. Don't blame Arsenal, blame the police or London Transport for closing stations on matchdays. It is a joke.
And as for those residents who keep complaining - you complained about the parking when Highbury was in use - did you not know that the stadium was there when you decided to move in? The bottom line is to open ALL train/tube stations on match days and give us some chance of parking as was the case many years ago. Nancy

I am a season ticket holder at Arsenal and have been reading the comments on the BBC web site with interest. Especially the quote from the spokesman from TFL saying they have allocated £50m for transport improvements. Perhaps if TFL start spending it rather than just allocating it, we may see some improvements. I have been travelling via Highbury & Islington/Arsenal Station for the last 10 years and have seen no improvements at all. In fact the Silverlink over ground service from Stratford to Highbury & Islington seems to have got worse. The trains seem to be less frequent and even slower than last year.
Last May I went to the Champions League Final in Paris and was dreading the journey back in to the City centre, thinking the French organisational skills would be on a par with TFL. Not at all. They must have had trains lining up in the tunnel as they came in one after the other and whisked us back in to the city in no time. I realise the whole transport system cannot be run just for the benefit of football fans and the residents around the stadiums but they could surely do better than they do at the moment. I swear some evening games seem to come as a total surprise to TFL. Bill Billericay

I use Highbury and Islington Station, normally on the Silverlink line. I get there 45 mins ahead of game time and it's been fine - so no problems. Jonathan

While I understand the difficulties of getting to the Emirates on the tube I regularly travel to and from games there with no trouble whatsoever. Living near Shepherds Bush I either take my bicycle which takes 30-40 minutes ‘door to door’ or use the car in inclement weather. It’s easy to drive to the edge of the parking restriction zone, leave the car and walk 15-20 minutes to the stadium. But my preference is to ride and I reckon it has to be the quickest way for anyone living within 10 miles of the ground to get there. But shame on Arsenal for not providing anywhere to lock the bikes – I was told by the police this was considered a security threat, please! Paul

I have followed Arsenal for 35 years and in that time I have seen many games at Highbury with standing room only with crowds in excess of 44,000 (54,000 v Liverpool) and I do not recall too much aggravation with travelling to or from the ground. Whilst not wishing to be unsympathetic to the residents in and around the Emirates, I am sure many have moved to the area through their on choice in the last few years and would have been aware that Arsenal were building a new stadium, if they are that upset they have the freedom of choice to move, if only a mile so away. Arsenal, have invested heavily in the community and land regeneration, whilst many will feel disappointed that match days play havoc with the transport systems and road closures I am sure those businesses in and around the area would have been most aggrieved had Arsenal relocated along the M25 corridor. In life you cannot have everything, the residents should accept things for what they are. Paul

A problem is getting away from the stadium after matches. Most people going to Finsbury Park station use St Thomas's Rd, which often results in being held by the Police near the station in order to avoid overcrowding. I doubt whether many people are using Isledon Rd, a good alternative but which appears to be poorly signposted - Roger

It is expected that a football stadium is busy but think about the business that Emirates is brinigng to Islington. Also, what is Old Trafford like to get in and out of? At least Emirates has transport facilities. plus, instead of using the tube why don't people use the buses? You can get the bus from stops around islington and get off a few minutes away from St. Pancreas...its loads quicker and you don't get all squashed or have to wait around for a tube!! Tasha

I would be delighted to get on to a tube train within an hour of the final whistle. I sit in the upper tier. At the final whistle it takes 10 minutes just to get onto the upper tier concourse. By the time I queue at Arsenal/Finsbury Park or Highbury & Islington, it is always way over a hour before I get on a train. I would say 75 minutes is the best time so far. I travel up from the Isle of Wight to watch Arsenal play. However it takes longer to get to Waterloo after the game than the rest of the journey to the island.
I am now considering driving to the game and paying to park a mile or so away from the ground. Either that or hand in my season ticket. No wonder everyone starts leaving 10 minutes before the end of the game! The sooner they improve and open Holloway Road and Drayton Park the better - Sue

Do you REALLY want to know why there are so many problems with congestion around the Emirates? Because the TWO closest public transport stations to the stadium (Holloway Road Tube and Drayton Park Mainline - which you can see from the stadium!) are CLOSED on matchdays! It wouldn't happen anywhere else in the world would it! Shuttle trains every 5 minutes from the end of the game from Drayton Park to Kings Cross and the promised (but undelivered) upgrade of Holloway Road would dramtically dilute the crowd in to 5 exit stations instead of three.
Then perhaps the stadium wont be empty with 5 minutes to go as everyone tries to avoid the rush! Chris, Silver Member


The problem at Arsenal is that there is always an announcement during the game that one or more of the station has problems and therefore alternative arrangements should be sought. If there are problems on the TFL underground network why blame the club - why not get rid of the Mayor. As to parking restrictions everywhere around the ground and the roads as far as Liverpool road and beyond there are signs telling people next match dates. Surely Londoners do not need to be spoon fed and be told what the date is? Or do they? It must be said that Arsenal supporters spend a lot of money in the area, and real supporters did not get season tickets after waiting close to 8 years because Islington residents were given priority…….some people have nothing better to do than whinge, otherwise Ken will slap you with a congestion charge on weekends as well!!! - Raj

We have a burger van outside our house every match - sometimes it doesn't leave till gone midnight with a noisy generator running making sleep difficult, especially disruptive on week nights, this is because fans tend to hand around so long after matches. Every match we end up with rubbish - half eaten burgers and fried chicken and beer cans and empty pint glasses to clear from our garden. 

Our road is not part of the planned match road closures closures but frequently the road is closed without warning. The complex parking rules have left me with 3 tickets already this year despite having a valid residents permit. Did you know residents only get ten visitors permits per year for guest parking despite having to use them on both Saturdays and Sundays and Islington only just increased that from FIVE a few weeks ago? - Jane, N4

Admittedly the first few games at Emirates were incredibly difficult to get used to, actually now, some 23 games later, people have worked out their own routes away. 

Now, the game finishes and there are a lot of people who remain behind in the bars around the concourse and generally in the stadium. Arsenal are trying to encourage this to help ease the pedestrian flow after games. However, they need to do more ! 

Sitting in the West side of the stadium, my easiest exit is down to Holloway Road. The police/London Underground put clear signs up in the station concourse before the match to say the station will be closed for up to one hour after a match - which usually means until 5.45pm if we play a 3pm match. These timings are clearly stated on the notice boards on the concourse. Usually by 5.40pm there is a small crowd gathering outside the tube station with a handful of brightly clothed station workers and police holding a line to stop entry. Fine - but when it gets to 5.45, then 5.50 and then 6pm and sometimes 6.15pm, the crowds are longer, the crowds are angrier and the station workers take on a military stance instead of understanding the crowd outside the station - usually developing into some "light hearted" banter between all parties.

The usual excuse for the delayed opening is that "there was no signboard saying 5.45" (so all supporters are liars) or there is overcrowding at Arsenal station or even Highbury & Islington (an altogether different line !!). Everyone looks at each other and truly no one appears to be in a position of control.

If everyone is going to be happy then all parties have to work together. Arsenal - you keep the fans happy in the stadium if that's where you want them after a game - London Underground sort your station managers (and lippy staff) out and get your stories correct every week and - the police please try and understand that all we supporters want to do is go home - win, lose or draw !! - Darren, Mill Hill


If you double the capacity of a stadium inevitably you'll double the number of fans attending. That means a doubly heavy demand on transport infrastructure which, if only adequate in the first place, will be stretched beyond reasonable acceptability.
It doesn't need a highly paid quango or 'advisors' to work this out! - Delphine

As an Arsenal supporter I am really forced to drive to the stadium as the public transport after the game is so awful. I pay heavily for the privilege of parking near the stadium, but the alternative, using the tube, is unthinkable!
Only in London could anyone be allowed to build a 60,000 seat stadium without one single public parking space. I've been to many stadia in France which were purpose built with enough parking for a substantial number of fans - why not this one? Of course it's better for the environment to use the train, but it simply does not work - Simon, Chesham

Its time tfl brought back bus route 279 and also looked at other routes which still serve Arsenal's old location - Melvyn, Islington

Something has to be done. It should have been done whilst the ground was being built, instead of leaving to surveys and problems that have arisen now. It doesn't cost that much to stop trains at Drayton Park, I'm sure Network Rail could find the sources.I rememeber when Wembley had 75,000 capacity there never use to be that many problems - Andy, Arsenal fan