Supporters of Colchester United have vented their frustration following the chaos in and around the club’s car park at the JobServe Community Stadium, with long queues trapping fans and leaving many describing the scenes as “absolutely extraordinary.”
The snarled exit traffic has reignited long-running discontent about the way matchday parking and traffic flow are managed, with some supporters reporting waits of up to an hour, which is particularly galling for fans facing long journeys home.
The restricted movement was blamed on only one exit being in use and cars bottlenecking on surrounding roads, prompting widespread criticism on social media and fan forums.
Colchester United fans outrage over repeated problems
Fans have taken to club forums and fan pages to criticise what they see as an ongoing failure to address matchday traffic issues, calling the situation unacceptable for a club that has been dealing with parking bottlenecks for years.
While around 700 parking spaces exist in the main stadium car park, the combination of limited exits and a lack of effective traffic control has meant vehicles can barely move, even well after full-time.
According to Yahoo! Sport, Colchester high steward Sir Bob Russell emphasised that the problem is not necessarily the club’s fault, but lies with a lack of coordinated action between stakeholders, including Essex Highways and parking authorities.
Russell said the simplest solution could involve opening additional exits onto Boxted Road to disperse traffic more quickly. According to him, “This is ridiculous … they could solve this in less than an hour.”
The frustration is echoed by regular posters on fan sites, with some joking that the queues rival those at major UK festivals or retail parks, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the unbearable waits and congestion many have experienced at other events.
Several fans responding to recent posts noted that matchday traffic issues have been a recurring theme, often overshadowing the joy of following the U’s to victory.
Calls for practical changes grow louder
Supporters and local officials alike have urged meaningful improvements. Proposals include temporary traffic control officers on matchdays, better signage directing fans to park-and-ride locations, and opening alternative entry/exit points.
Many believe these measures could ease congestion without major infrastructure work. Still, progress has been limited, leading to mounting impatience in the fanbase.
Colchester United have not yet responded to queries about the latest parking chaos or how they plan to address it going forward.
FGG Says
What’s happening at Colchester is a classic example of how infrastructure can sour the matchday experience, even when the team delivers on the pitch. Fans will always put blood, sweat and time into supporting their club, but when basic logistics like getting out of a stadium car park become nightmarish, it feels disrespectful.
Football clubs and local authorities need to treat parking and traffic as part of the event itself, not an afterthought. Fixing this would go a long way toward showing supporters that their time and loyalty are valued just as much as the result on the scoreboard.