A Cultural Shift: How Travelling To AFC Bournemouth Will Be Changing

AFC Bournemouth supporters travelling to the Vitality Stadium could soon find themselves paying less to travel by bus, train or bike - and driving will become increasingly "discouraged" under ambitious new transport plans submitted as part of the club's stadium expansion.

The club's proposed Travel Plan, submitted to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, outlines how it intends to cope with crowds of more than 20,000 once the redeveloped stadium is complete.

Rather than creating more parking, AFC Bournemouth wants to reduce the number of cars travelling to Kings Park altogether, offering incentives for supporters to use public transport, cycling and walking instead.

The strategy is built around one clear objective: make travelling by car less attractive while making sustainable transport cheaper, easier and more convenient.

For many supporters, this will represent the biggest change.

As part of the Travel Plan, a survey found that around 75% of season ticket holders currently arrive by car, either as drivers or passengers. However, the average occupancy is just 1.3 people per vehicle - roughly half that achieved at many comparable football stadiums.

Out of 840 supporters surveyed, 67% choose to park on-street, whereas 33% park in dedicated car parks, be it those that are run by AFC Bournemouth, or the other nearby car parks or driveway rentals like Just Park or Your Parking Space.

This however, may become more challenging with the West and South Car Parks becoming pre-book only, plus the club and BCP Council are establishing an expanded Event Day Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) in a certain radius around the stadium, with the club paying well over half a million pounds to make this happen.

This however, may not happen until a significant increase in stadium capacity. For the 26/27 season, the footfall will not be largely different - given the increase in capacity will be modest.

The club wants to significantly increase car sharing while reducing the impact on surrounding residential streets.

Supporters can therefore expect:

The document also acknowledges long-standing concerns about supporters parking in nearby leisure centre and athletics stadium car parks, as well as illegal on-street parking, both of which are expected to come under greater scrutiny. 

A dedicated drop-off zone is also proposed along King's Park Drive (to the West of the car park), although vehicles would only be permitted to stop for a maximum of five minutes before moving on.

Perhaps the biggest incentive for supporters comes on the bus network.

The Travel Plan states that AFC Bournemouth is intending to subsidise bus travel for supporters holding valid match tickets, with fans expected to receive free travel within an agreed period before and after games once the final arrangements are confirmed, similar to the scheme adopted by Brighton & Hove Albion.

The club is also working alongside MoreBus on a dedicated shuttle service linking Bournemouth railway station with the Vitality Stadium.

Current proposals include:

Alongside the new services, several nearby bus stops are also set to receive upgrades including larger shelters, accessibility improvements and real-time passenger information screens.

Currently,  AFC Bournemouth has a number of satelite bus stops which take between 5-12 minutes to walk to, which includes the 33-bus service, 400m north of the site on Littledown Avenue - which provides connections to Bournemouth town centre.

There are further bus stops provided on Ashley Road, circa 500m west of the site, served by the 22, Unibus U3, and X3 bus services.

Plus, in Boscombe, there is access to the 22 and Unibus U3 bus services, as well as the 1a, 1b, 1c, and ever-popular m2 bus. 

Supporters arriving by train could also benefit financially.

The club has set aside funding to negotiate discounted rail travel with South Western Railway for supporters travelling to both Bournemouth and Pokesdown stations.  

Pokesdown for Boscombe Station, which will be improved thanks to AFC Bournemouth's funding, is around a 15-minute walk from the stadium. Cherries are committed to a fair and reasonable contribution towards cosmetic and operational station improvements, including amendments to the access doors, internal arrangements between the ticket hall and stairs and wayfinding within the station

The provision of additional stops and the service frequency at Pokesdown Station will also be discussed within the Transport Working Group, in which South Western Railway will participate.

The aim is to make rail travel a far more attractive option for supporters travelling from further afield.

Cycling forms a major part of the club's long-term plans.

A new secure cycle hub would provide parking for more than 300 bicycles across the stadium site, with secure storage for helmets also proposed.

Supporters using Beryl Bikes and scooters would also benefit from the club covering the unlocking fee for journeys starting or finishing at the Vitality Stadium on matchdays.

The existing Beryl bay, which currently accommodates just 15 bikes and scooters, would be transformed into a new "super hub" capable of holding up to 50 shared bikes and scooters.

If demand eventually reaches 80 per cent of capacity, plans are already in place for a second secure bike hub to be built.

Walking also plays an important role within the transport strategy.

The club wants supporters who live or work within a 20-minute walk of the stadium to travel on foot wherever possible.

The wider redevelopment also includes improvements to pedestrian routes around Kings Park, new crossings and better links between the stadium, nearby car parks, Bournemouth railway station and Pokesdown station.

Officials also hope improved pre-match and post-match entertainment inside and around the stadium will help stagger supporter arrival and departure times, easing congestion on surrounding streets.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the Travel Plan is that AFC Bournemouth is not attempting to solve future demand by building more parking spaces.

Instead, the club accepts that accommodating a 20,500-capacity stadium will require a significant shift in supporter behaviour.

A new Transport Working Group involving the club, BCP Council, bus operators, rail companies and other transport providers will oversee the strategy, monitor its success and introduce further improvements over time.

For supporters, that means future matchdays could increasingly revolve around buses, trains, bikes and walking - with the club prepared to subsidise several of those options in an effort to keep cars away from the Vitality Stadium.