dg comments

please empty your brain below

I don't know what access to the stadium island is like most of the time - you suggest it is inaccessible - but I was at the rugby this week, and the only check for tickets was immediately before the turnstiles. Perhaps an opportunity to get closer to the outside of the stadium (if you want to) without getting in to the stadium itself? (Top tip to keep the top from your soft drink bottle: take it off yourself before the security check, and keep it in your pocket, and then replace it once you get inside. Why do they do that?)

It is a bit sad to see much of the former Olympic/Paralympic seating ripped up and replaced by "temporary" seats closer to the pitch. There were thousands of seats at the top at each end covered with black netting - attendance was around 50,000 but they could have got perhaps 5,000 more in.

The queues to get back to Stratford were legendary - took about an hour to get on a train - perhaps because they closed off routes to other stations. The crowds were pretty good-natured, though, even if well lubricated. I doubt West Ham crowds will be quite so well-disposed.

Andrew | 26.09.15 - 7:17 a.m. | #

Great post!

Makes one naturally ask, are there any canal and riverside paths in the QEOP that remain unopened and locked off?

dg writes: The riverside path on the east side of Stadium Island, facing towards Westfield, remains sealed (by that large yellowish barrier in the top photo).

Dan | 26.09.15 - 7:17 a.m. | #

Stadium Island was open for World Cup rugby on Wednesday and Thursday, but when I visited on Friday it was all sealed off again with the usual metal barriers.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 26.09.15 - 7:20 a.m. | #

What about the towpath at blaker road, as well as the greenway link from the stratford high street? Are they ever going to open?

Ping | 26.09.15 - 9:12 a.m. | #

3 rants:

Why are they jealouly keeping parts of this closed. We the taxpayer have paid for most of this, open it up!

The so calles Olympic park is being snapped up by developers with so many high buildings going up there won't be mush "Park" left when they've finished. Planners lost their marbles?

On the recent rugby they funelled everyone a certain way to the station. When I go next year as a West Ham supporter I won't need to go to the station,I will want to get home my way not theirs. There may be trouble ahead!

Grumpy from Stratford.

Agent Z | 26.09.15 - 9:22 a.m. | #

@ Andrew

I'm guessing, but the top is probably removed from bottle as it makes for a possible "missle" if bottle is filled with liquid and "capped".

Working Class Hero | 26.09.15 - 11:31 a.m. | #

lively little bridge that, and some really nice photos DG!

Kevin | 26.09.15 - 11:32 a.m. | #

I remember finding this little bridge on a bit of a pre-Olympics wander round the site, just before the hoardings closed off access, and hoping it would survive the imminent whirlwind of development. Given the sweep-everything-out-of-the-way approach taken by most recent Olympic cities I wasn't too optimistic, but there were some disconcertingly faint lines on some of the artists' impressions of the imminent development. I was really pleased to see it still in place (if fenced off) when went to see the Paralympics!

David | 26.09.15 - 2:32 p.m. | #

I still wonder who the poor Zoe was, who was much maligned in graffiti on the concrete of the road bridge which used to run just meters to the side of this little bridge. The old Marshgate Lane's been completely expunged.

martxw | 26.09.15 - 9:01 p.m. | #

Pudding Mill Lane station has direct access to the stadium - I note that none of the maps show this is possible. My wife used this route for the athletics back in August and no queues/crowds etc. If you are going to the velodrome a bike assisted trip is possible with a nice pedal through the park, much better than the fairly long walk from either Stratford stations. DLR is handy for me.

Roger | 07.10.15 - 3:01 p.m. | #

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