Queues

[Ric]

The Manchester Arena bomb was outside so lessons should be learned.

However it is near impossible to stop.

At least now we'll have a busker under a marquee providing the soundtrack for our final moments. Not quite sure if the club thought this would appease people, as it only seems to have further annoyed most.

 

[jrb]

I guess the way the club would look at it is that if something happens inside the ground it's their problem and they might be subject to liability, it happens outside they are not.......

To force 100's and 1000's of fans to queue up outside the stadium where an attack is more likely to take place than inside the stadium is negligent. There is no need to scan everyone. Commonsense tells you that people without a bag, a back pack, a coat, or anything that can conceal an explosive device pose the threat.

Question. Do the showsec stewards scan the souvenir shop bags or look in them?

The other Week when it was raining before the Liverpool game I was scanned by a Showsec steward. I was wearing shoes, a pair of jeans, and a shirt. Nothing else. I was already in the queue when it started raining heavily. Everyone was telling the Showsec Steward to hurry up. She started scanning every bit of me. By this time I was soaked. I told her She was taking the piss, etc. She told me if I didn't like being scanned, don't come to the matches. Then She told me to get to the ground earlier in the future. While She was mouthing off, she told me to turn around and to put my arms out, so she could scan my back. In the end I lost my rag and told her to f*** off and to hurry up. At that point I basically walked off. As I did this she was still mouthing at me, while other people in the queue were complaining.

Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your views about this subject, City will not listen. They will continue to insist that these searches and scans take place, regardless of the iconvience they continue to cause. And before the shit it's my fan. The searches are still random. Every Steward does them differently. It's pot luck which Steward you get, and how thorough and efficient they are at scanning you. But as others have stated, they will not deter a bomber from detonating an explosive outside the ground, and with 100's and 1000's of fans queuing up to get in before the game, you can imagine the outcome. Better to get the fans in quickly and safely, with commonsense searches being carried out on fans with bags, back packs, and if need be thick bulky coats, instead.

 

[west didsblue]

They really need to rethink the whole thing. An outer ring is needed with lots of access points where the searches could take place. Once inside the outer ring you'd have access to City Square and the rest of the area around the stadium. There would then be no longer a need for searching at the entrance which causes huge queues in some areas and none in others and the entrances could be reset so you could use any with access to your seats. The main thing would be to have enough access points and people trained to do proper searches quickly and thoroughly where necessary that would prevent a significant build up of people which is what they need to avoid. As @jrb has just said, searching everyone is pointless. Just need to focus on people with bags or thick coats.

 

[Sergio<3]

How long before the club go down the theme park route and start selling fast track/queue jump tickets! Wouldn't put it past them!

 

[jayfx]

Turn up earlier

Yeah, we could all turm up 2 hours before kick off or they could just sort it out and get emough staff on. If it wasn't bad enough queuing for an overpriced beer, it's now like queuing for a ride at Alton Towers just to get in ffs.

 

[ell]

Its got to the stage now where the queues are so big its a struggle to work out which one you are supposed to be in. At the sides of the ground you can go in a straight line but because the room behind the south stand is so small there are queues snaking all around, it doesnt then help when showsec are asking people to make another queue so people who have just rocked up are in before the people who have already been waiting. Im sure last season they used to have a big sign saying "queue for entrance N1 here" etc

 

[BlueMooner123]

Agree with the fact that this needs to be addressed, I don't think we will see much in the way of change this season though. The problem with creating an outer ring would only mean people congregating further away from the crowd but agree with this idea. Depending on how serious city view this matter and it seems they do view it as a serious matter then this is what I would personally propose,

A full secured perimeter fence around the Etihad (which I think we have, with access gates) with 5 outer access points. This area would be where you are searched as other posts have suggested. Have a canopy area at Gate 11, Away car park, The walkway at the base of the bridge, one on the Orange Car Park and another on Joe Mercer Way. Under these canopies they can have an x-ray machine for bags and several searching areas etc. The tram stops would need a fence built to funnel any supporters arriving in this way, to be directed to the search area on Joe Mercer Way. As @west didsblue said this would then allow people to move freely once inside the perimeter fence. This idea was taken from my recent visit to Disney. Ha. Either way though, there's no pleasing everyone. I turned up 45 mins before the match was due to start on Saturday and still queued at M1 for 5-10 mins.

 

[UUJblue]

I think if they brought a bit more of the pre match entertain into the ground then it would put people off. I know city square finished around 2.45 yesterday at which point a few thousand started moving towards the gates. The idea of an outer ring seems a good idea but difficult in practice. I would estimate 80% are there 30 mins before and hanging around but its just that one final check that slows it down.

 

[halfmist]

On my way to and from Piccaddilly station there were three groups of two lads with yellow jackets on linked to the club, but literally stood around doing nothing. If its to give fans directions to the ground , if any one asked them, they would surely respond with, are you taking the piss, it is there in front of you or, follow the crowd. I assume they are doing it for some sort of payment so it would be better to give them a wand and stick them outside a turnstile

 

[goaters shinpad]

They really need to rethink the whole thing. An outer ring is needed with lots of access points where the searches could take place. Once inside the outer ring you'd have access to City Square and the rest of the area around the stadium. There would then be no longer a need for searching at the entrance which causes huge queues in some areas and none in others and the entrances could be reset so you could use any with access to your seats. The main thing would be to have enough access points and people trained to do proper searches quickly and thoroughly where necessary that would prevent a significant build up of people which is what they need to avoid. As @jrb has just said, searching everyone is pointless. Just need to focus on people with bags or thick coats.

I agree with this one, makes more much sense to check tickets and do the security in an outer ring before we have 1000s of people milling around and hundreds queuing at each turnstile. I'm all for extra security checks and the more visible they are the better but we should do it properly. Never enough stewards available to do the searches and of one's that do some of them are frighteningly incompetent (I quote "have you had your bag searched already love?"..."Yes I have"..."ok then"!!!)

I propose they get rid of the complete waste of time jobs - e.g. "City Playmaker"...(one nob head tapping a tambourine and the other staring at their shoes on Saturday) and focus on getting the security bang on. Apparently we aim to be the best, so why is Mickey Mouse security acceptable?

 

[mekonmcfc]

i started queuing at 14:20 and got in the ground about 14:45 at entrance P. It is becoming an absolute joke, I'm starting to think can i really be arsed leaving home at 13:20 and then queue for ages. I was home for 17:15 and never leave before the end. When people got to the front on the queue they were saying take your phones, keys and money out and then scanning. This was slowing down even more. I didn't take mine out of my pocket and absolutely nothing happened. They either need more people scanning or dont scan everybody. Just randomly do people, yes the lefties will you say you cant racially profile !! but in this current climate i think you can.
City really need to get their act together on this

 

[blueparrot]

Agree with the fact that this needs to be addressed, I don't think we will see much in the way of change this season though. The problem with creating an outer ring would only mean people congregating further away from the crowd but agree with this idea. Depending on how serious city view this matter and it seems they do view it as a serious matter then this is what I would personally propose,

A full secured perimeter fence around the Etihad (which I think we have, with access gates) with 5 outer access points. This area would be where you are searched as other posts have suggested. Have a canopy area at Gate 11, Away car park, The walkway at the base of the bridge, one on the Orange Car Park and another on Joe Mercer Way. Under these canopies they can have an x-ray machine for bags and several searching areas etc. The tram stops would need a fence built to funnel any supporters arriving in this way, to be directed to the search area on Joe Mercer Way. As @west didsblue said this would then allow people to move freely once inside the perimeter fence. This idea was taken from my recent visit to Disney. Ha. Either way though, there's no pleasing everyone. I turned up 45 mins before the match was due to start on Saturday and still queued at M1 for 5-10 mins.

Thought this last season and thought it might have been implemented over the summer. The only problem I see with it is the tram stops which bring people up in City square I suppose they could be checked at the top of the steps . Just been to Wembley for the NFL. Got checked at the perimeter at the bottom of the ramps up to the stadium and got wanded again at the turnstile but there must have been 4 or 5 at each turnstile so no issues with queues.

 

[west didsblue]

It probably goes against some law or other but perhaps they need to introduce profiling. For example, searching groups that include small children or the elderly is pointless. Also people with Seasoncards are far less likely to be a threat so just the occasional random search would suffice. In short if they just focused searches on people with paper tickets who are unaccompanied or in a group without children, they would save a lot of messing around. If an outer ring had turnstiles that would just let Seasoncard holders through and make people with paper tickets queue for checks that would speed things up significantly.

 

[Octamali]

It probably goes against some law or other but perhaps they need to introduce profiling.

Bad idea. If other clubs are doing it, & we can prove it, then fine. We don't want to be the first to step forward though. The media would have a field day.

 

[UUJblue]

On my way to and from Piccaddilly station there were three groups of two lads with yellow jackets on linked to the club, but literally stood around doing nothing. If its to give fans directions to the ground , if any one asked them, they would surely respond with, are you taking the piss, it is there in front of you or, follow the crowd. I assume they are doing it for some sort of payment so it would be better to give them a wand and stick them outside a turnstile

haha yeah i spotted 2 lads at the end of Polland Street on the bench after the match and they were showing each other memes on the phone. Completely useless and would of been much better used at a turnstile.

 

[UUJblue]

It probably goes against some law or other but perhaps they need to introduce profiling. For example, searching groups that include small children or the elderly is pointless. Also people with Seasoncards are far less likely to be a threat so just the occasional random search would suffice. In short if they just focused searches on people with paper tickets who are unaccompanied or in a group without children, they would save a lot of messing around. If an outer ring had turnstiles that would just let Seasoncard holders through and make people with paper tickets queue for checks that would speed things up significantly.

But how many seasoncards that pass through the turnstiles are the holders. I passed my spare to a lad i met through the facebook buy and sell. That would mean IDing people aswell as tons are passed on to family, friends and others each matchday.

 

[west didsblue]

But how many seasoncards that pass through the turnstiles are the holders. I passed my spare to a lad i met through the facebook buy and sell. That would mean IDing people aswell as tons are passed on to family, friends and others each matchday.

Does it matter if they're the holders? You wouldn't lend your card to someone random and if you sell your seat on the ticket exchange, the buyer has to print off a paper ticket. Maybe do a one in ten random search as a deterrent as well.

 

[BlueMooner123]

Thought this last season and thought it might have been implemented over the summer. The only problem I see with it is the tram stops which bring people up in City square I suppose they could be checked at the top of the steps . Just been to Wembley for the NFL. Got checked at the perimeter at the bottom of the ramps up to the stadium and got wanded again at the turnstile but there must have been 4 or 5 at each turnstile so no issues with queues.

Yes, think this system was rushed in place given the recent events, they have slowly been taking measures, which we can all understand the reasons why. Unfortunately its still not working and that's why I think they will re-visit in the summer for a big change. I'm not sure what they could do in the mean time to ease it but you don't want to be stood outside for any length of time in the next 5 month or so or any time given the Manchester weather. Good to know about Wembley, I'm heading there this Sunday for the Saints - Dolphins game.

 

[quiet_riot]

Plenty of replies showing the general feeling

 

[Bozo]

To be fair, I thought queues this season have hugely improved. Haven't been waiting longer than 5 minutes to get in, but we'll see how they do with CL nights...