Plans for a matchday parking zone have been revealed ahead of the first test match on 17 February at Bramley-Moore Dock.
With Everton's new stadium getting closer to opening by the week, a series of test matches taking place in the coming months are the next major hurdle. With roughly 13,000 more fans in attendance for games at Bramley-Moore Dock compared to Goodison Park, parking and crowd logistics become a significant problem.
Update: Bramley-Moore Dock secures interim safety certificate
In a statement posted on X, Liverpool City Council said, “Following a set of inspections, Liverpool's Ground Safety Advisory Group has granted #EvertonFC an interim general safety certificate to host its historic first test event at Bramley-Moore Dock on Monday, 17 February. New certificates will be needed for future test events.”
The next step for the project is to run the trial, starting with the first test match. The scheme will run for 18 months from 17 February 2025. The Liverpool City Council will then review feedback to determine if local modifications are needed before the review ends. If there are no objections and the scheme works well, it will become permanent. Unresolved objections will be reviewed by a future committee, which will decide whether to uphold them and make the scheme permanent.
Local residents and businesses have once again been called upon to claim permits before the second test match in March 2025. If both test events go to plan, and third and final test will be scheduled.
Bramley-Moore Dock parking trial
Alongside Liverpool City Council, Everton will implement an Experimental Traffic Road Order (ETRO) during the first test match and for 18 months after that. After this time, the council will assess the findings and make any required changes.
The new parking zone will service the Liverpool Dock Road, and encompass the Ten Streets District, extending into the city centre and to Great Homer Street in Everton. Over 4,000 residents and 3,000 businesses have been invited to request parking permits.
Residents can obtain a permit for every vehicle registered at their address, plus one visitor permit at no cost. Businesses will incur an annual fee of £50 for each vehicle, capped at 10 vehicles.
The new parking zone will include a number of new parking areas;
- New resident parking zones
- New taxi waiting areas
- New bus stands for match days
- New parking restrictions
- Updated operation hours for current parking zones in the Great Homer Street area
- Updated operation hours for current parking zones in the Ten Streets and Love Lane areas
- New industrial parking zone located south of Boundary Street
- New industrial parking zone located north of Boundary Street
The local Highways and Transportation Authority has begun installing a series of new signage ahead of the test match on 17 February at Bramley-Moore Dock. The plans also include a fan management zone at Sandhills, the closest rail stop to the new stadium. This new waiting area will act as a safe way to manage train passengers heading to matches at the stadium.
Councillor Dan Barrington, Liverpool City Council's cabinet member for transport and connectivity, said: “Everton Stadium is going to be transformational, especially for the surrounding Ten Streets district and the wider Kirkdale community. As well as the economic benefit, the vast volume of people the stadium will attract – and how they arrive and depart – needs to be carefully managed. Bramley-Moore Dock is also a unique location given its very close proximity to the city centre and the fact the surrounding transport infrastructure is well developed. There’s more to be done, but all the partners are talking to make those improvements”
FGG says: The finishing touches
Talking about parking spots and traffic planning might not be the most interesting story; however, it's an essential step for Everton. While talk of flashy press boxes and exciting new drainage systems is what we all want to read about, when it comes to it, matchday parking might be the most significant update.
Overall, it looks like a lot of work has gone into this new matchday parking zone for Bramley-Moore Dock. With the upcoming test events, the systems that support the stadium are up for testing as much as the stadium itself. I'm sure we'll write about it on 18 February if anything goes wrong.