If you travelled to the last two games on a supporter’s bus, as many, many thousands of our fans do, you’ll know that the parking situation has become increasingly chaotic.
The matches involving the Ibrox club and Real Madrid were characterised by the utter shambles at the end in the bus parks, as bus drivers, un-stewarded and un-policed, all tried to leave the areas at once.
To say that this is a dangerous situation is to put it mildly.
It created predictable chaos, but thankfully nobody got hurt. I was in The Emirates after the Real Madrid match and our coach was one of the last to leave; an hour after the final whistle.
Coaches missed ferry transfers. Fans missed flights and trains. It was a shocking mess, and it happened although there were stewards in the area. I don’t know whether Celtic employ them or not, but people report having seen them standing in groups and allowing the chaos to unfold around them. There was not a police officer in sight.
This was not just the Emirates either. I have friends whose buses park in the area behind Janefield Street, and they reported similarly barmy scenes.
In the aftermath, John Paul Taylor was inundated with messages, and Celtic has since convened a meeting to discuss the matter with all the stakeholders including the police and the council. By God, fans deserve some answers.
The SLO has been as brilliant as ever in trying to get them.
Hopefully, even before the meeting has taken place, this will be the catalyst for those responsible to get the finger out and resolve this situation, which appears to be of fairly recent vintage.
Certainly, things cannot be allowed to devolve to the point where this kind of thing becomes routine. My supporters bus was just one of many which made complaints over this, and the Association has been busy expressing its own displeasure.
These two games were excellent occasions, played in front of full houses. But especially on Tuesday night, they ended with a lot of frustrated and angry people. That should not have happened and it cannot happen again.
It is the absence of any police on the scene which is especially odd, although I know, having once worked in one of the bus-parks, that stewards are perfectly capable of organising an orderly exit for the coaches.
So something went wrong here big time.
The club is determined to find out what, and hopefully whatever it was can be resolved quickly.
Surely this is a matter for the people who employ the drivers to tell them to behave more sensibly
Don’t think you can blame CFC, but I believe there should be a bigger police presence to help control flow of traffic
This issue is not ” fairly recent vintage” as quoted. The bus park at Jock Stein takes one hour EVERY game almost to empty. Police seem reluctant to shut off traffic lights and control traffic so max bus departure from Jane field is maybe 3 at a time. Can drive the 40 miles home quicker than the 300 mtrs to retail park. Numerous correspondence by individuals has resulted in zero improvement. Don’t be fooled because it’s now at Emirates park.
Stop cars parking where the buses park, it would ease some if not all the problems, too many cars around the buses.
This is not a new problem bus park has been a mess for most of last season,and has continued this season.I travel from Adrossan on supporters bus and on wed night I left home at 5pm to go to the game,got back on the bus around 10.10 after game and never left janefield till 11.40 we where in in row 5 and there was still another 3rows after us,Friend from Belfast whom I spoke to next morning missed Ferry because nobody took responsibility at Emirates,not allowing buses going for ferry to leave early which is common place Why don’t Celtic and Council get together and open up ground at side of bus park and build slip rs straight onto bypass,also buses heading towards Duke St and onto to motorway slip road closed so all buses and cars had to continue upto Garngad then along towards springburn to get onto motorway and this is not a one off lost count of times M8 or motorway closed for maintenance,sometimes makes you think this is done on purpose
This is not recent at the emirates bus park. When I travelled on the supporters bus until 2018 it was a regular free for all to leave, bus’ that were full ready to leave trying to manoeuvre out from those waiting on stragglers. Always a bottle neck at the exit. That is the reason I now travel by car. Nothing new here with stewards standing back, wisely, in fear of their life.
Doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch for the club to address this sensibly and sort it out; is it possible there’d be extra costs involved for them that they’re not willing to pay to implement the necessary procedures?
On another but more serious note, the moron who reportedly tossed a flare that burned a kid in the standing section needs a word!
Its bad enough the club will likely be sanctioned for use of these pyros, but when 9 year olds can’t even enjoy a game of football without needing medical treatment because some irresponsible clown decides to throw one amongst their own fans for who knows what reason, it becomes a much more serious matter!
Good article and should be brought to attention of authorities. Not only the official car parks but also on the Gallowgate opposite “Bull” pub. There is always a bus or two parked on a no stopping lane which forces all the inside lane to the outside backing up and slowing the traffic all the way to Parkhead Cross. Never a policeman to be found or any traffic control. Seems that the Police have washed their hands of any traffic duties after a football match at Celtic Parkhead. Why are these buses allowed to Park on the Gallowgate despite restrictions?
Ye would think they would be better organized. Tho remember the 70’s, 80’s, it was a field outside Celtic Park and a free for all. First ye had tae pay some guy who, appeared out of nowhere and looked anythin from 12 tae 30, 50p tae ‘look after yer motor’. After the game, when ye got tae yer car and that’s if ye managed tae find it and it wis still drivable, ( especially night games in the pitch dark because there wisnae any lights) pound of muck on each shoe, paid the extortionist, it wis like the wacky races tryin tae get out. Wonderful memories, glad ah wisnae drivin at the time.
I have, on behalf of my supporters club, raised this issue in the past in relation to the shambles of buses from Nuneaton St trying to exit onto the Clyde Gateway. It was clear that traffic regulations were being flouted within clear sight of police who ignored the chaos. To my astonishment I was told by the SLO that the police response was that traffic management was not their responsibility.
It’s not just the bus parks recently. The cycle lanes put in place on London Road towards the M74 cause chaos on matchdays. Another point is in years gone by on this route the police would turn the traffic lights to green for 15/20mins what a difference that used to make in getting away from the stadium. Now fans have taken to parking on the central reservation area on this route as well. Absolute chaos and dangerous.