Lifts out of action, disabled supporters

[H_Blue]

Sorry to be late responding to this. I hadn't heard about any problems at entrance D on Sunday. I used it myself and arrived early, with no queues and no problems. The whole Access Team were on duty on Sunday and I did talk to two of them briefly, just before kick-off, and they didn't mention any reports of problems either. The issues with the queues at the Brentford game were caused by a breakdown of the new lift at entrance W, with security there sending people to D, when they should have been sent to S. As far as I'm aware, everything was fine for the Inter match and there were no breakdowns on Sunday. The lift at H is still out of action, whilst being replaced, and will still be out of action for the Fulham game. After that is back, the lift at D is scheduled to be replaced. So there will be more disruption, for a few more weeks yet. I will check with the club tomorrow whether there was any other issue causing queues at entrance D, on Sunday, and why you were told that the capacity was only 6, when it is supposed to be 12.
Please drop me an email at manchestercitydsa@gmail.com, so I can get back to you, when I have an answer.
For info, the explanation I got previously from the club, about why this is happening during the season, was that they are only allowed to replace one lift at a time, due to events and activities in the summer, which require the lifts, and the summer break is not long enough to do all of them. Still seems madness to me, but that's what they told me. The problem is that the old lifts keep breaking down and need to be replaced urgently. So they didn't want to do half in summer 2024 and then wait till next summer to do the others.
Howard Cohen
Chair of the Disabled Supporters Association and disabled fans rep on City Matters.

 

[levets]

I waited in the queue over 30 minutes to get into the stadium today, the lift I normally use has been closed for refurbishment (you'd think that should have been done during the closed season), I had to get around to entrance D, the lift there can only take 6 people at a time I was told by the lift operator. The queue was huge with well over 200 disabled people, some in wheelchairs having to wait for ages to get in.

The security company just held there hands up and said that they couldn't do anything about it, which is understandable, although some of them were getting a hard time! I spoke to someone from City called Matt who had come to see what the hold up was in the queue, he said "I'll come back in a minute" - that was the last we saw of that guy.

Anyway I could go on, but I'd be interested to hear if any other disabled people or their carers had a bad experience like I and many others had today and in the past? For a club the size of ours I don't know how they could get something so easy as getting people safely into the stadium so wrong.

I was in that queue for 30 mins. I knew this would be an issue when they emailed us to advise us to use entrance D. Why on earth do they decide to service the lift at entrance H (Joes, 93:20) at the busiest time of the season with 4 games in a week? They had all summer to sort this out.
I queried why they were only letting 6 people in the lift at a time (the notice on the wall states Max 26? people), the operator said anymore and it keeps breaking down. Absolute shambles. It still won’t be available for the next match in October.

 

[mexico1970]

This should be a priority, we shouldn't need to have a representative for something as obvious as a lift not working for disabled people trying to get into the ground.

Some of the people who run the club don't care, they must know surely?

 

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

I occasionally borrow a pair of season cards, one of which is for a 'carer'. I take it in turns with my eldest to pretend to be disabled and have to say both the staff and lift at entrance W have always been spot on.