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Olympic Way alterations


phantom

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The final section of upgrades to the world famous Olympic Way, which include an iconic new set of steps in front of the National Stadium, are now under construction.

 

This exciting and ambitious project has been over a decade in the making and it will transform the entrance to the National Stadium and create much more space for a 365-day neighbourhood filled with activity.

The existing ramp, known as the pedway, was built as part of the old Wembley Stadium as a bridge over coach parks that no longer exist. The Olympic Steps, which are to replace the outdated, concrete pedway, will extend Olympic Way and improve accessibility for all visitors to the National Stadium.

The existing ramps do not comply with accessibility legislation as they are too steep. As part of the works, accessibility will be improved with four new lifts being built to assist wheelchair users to enter and exit the National Stadium.

From the community parades of Light Up The Night to celebrity performances as part of The Mayor of London’s International Busking Day, Olympic Way has played host to some of Wembley Park’s most exciting free events. The Olympic Steps will expand and enhance this public pedestrianised space, allowing for more memorable moments in the heart of Wembley Park.

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What is happening at Wembley?

Work has begun to replace the pedestrian walk which marks the approach to Wembley Stadium (known as the ‘pedway’) with an iconic new entrance to the national stadium. The centrepiece of these works is the Olympic Steps, which form the final stage of a wider package of upgrades to the length of Olympic Way. 
 
Quintain, the owner and developer of Wembley Park, is delivering the Olympic Steps as part of the London Borough of Brent Area Action plan. It has been a decade-long ambition of the council to replace the pedway with a set of steps and the project was given planning permission by Brent Council in 2018. Throughout the project, Quintain has worked in collaboration with Brent Council, The FA and Wembley Stadium. 

Why does the pedway need to be replaced?

The pedway was built in the 1970s as a bridge over open air coach parks that no longer exist. It is a remnant of the old Wembley Stadium which was reconstructed in 2007 to become the national stadium we know and love today. 
 

What does this mean for visitors with access requirements?


The current pedway is not suitable for wheelchair users due to the gradient of the ramp, which is also challenging for a number of other spectators including those with a range of other access requirements and our older guests. The Olympic Steps project provides better access, with the introduction of four new lifts from ground level to the ticket office level and Wembley Stadium concourse. Each lift can hold three wheelchair users plus companions, giving a total capacity of 12 wheelchair users at a time. The Olympic Steps have been designed after consultation with Level Playing Field, an organisation that promotes a positive, inclusive experience for disabled sports fans. To visit their website, please click here.
 
Wembley Stadium is a major events venue. How have you ensured the Olympic Steps are suitable for crowds?

The steps have been designed to meet industry best practice and guidance alongside all relevant safety standards. Rigorous testing will take place before the Olympic Steps are in regular use.
 
To find out more about the construction work and wider upgrades to the local area, please click here

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Four lifts? Is that going to be adequate? 
I don’t think replacing a ramp with that many steps is a good idea, especially when dealing with large groups of people. It could get quite dangerous just due to the volume of people moving at different speeds, falling over etc. It’s a lot of steps for children as well.

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54 minutes ago, joshthomson said:

I'm personally not a fan. Love the atmosphere on the ramp pre match. 

It says “The current pedway is not suitable for wheelchair users due to the gradient of the ramp, which is also challenging for a number of other spectators including those with a range of other access requirements and our older guests”.  Therefore no choice really

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14 minutes ago, Tinmans Love Child said:

It says “The current pedway is not suitable for wheelchair users due to the gradient of the ramp, which is also challenging for a number of other spectators including those with a range of other access requirements and our older guests”.  Therefore no choice really

How have people managed for the last 100 years I wonder?

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2 hours ago, exAtyeoMax said:

Four lifts? Is that going to be adequate? 
I don’t think replacing a ramp with that many steps is a good idea, especially when dealing with large groups of people. It could get quite dangerous just due to the volume of people moving at different speeds, falling over etc. It’s a lot of steps for children as well.

They will be just the same as the other end of the walkway leading to the tube station 

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45 minutes ago, Thornbury Red said:

I've never read such guff. How can new stairs be iconic? Why don't they tell the truth? - presume they are removing the ramp to enable development opportunities

yes, what I was thinking :rolleyes: These marketing people do talk such tosh! 

That 'iconic' walk along what I always called incorrectly "Wembley Way" will be lost with the addition of high rises, I'm sure.

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4 minutes ago, Mike Hunt-Hertz said:

Also, who loves the new Wembley? The epitome of modern, sterile shite.

The old one became tired and outdated - once they installed seats on terracing it wasn't much better than sitting in the away end at Luton.

However, will never forget my first visit there for the Leyland Daf (or whatever it was called at the time) final v Bolton.

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24 minutes ago, Sleepy1968 said:

The old one became tired and outdated - once they installed seats on terracing it wasn't much better than sitting in the away end at Luton.

However, will never forget my first visit there for the Leyland Daf (or whatever it was called at the time) final v Bolton.

No excuse for replacing it with something so bad though! :nono::bounce:

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2 hours ago, Tinmans Love Child said:

They haven’t managed though have they, that’s the point!  

One of my first memories of Wembley was walking up that ramp, a large Stoke fan going nuts and a guy in a wheelchair just cutting in front of him with no ***** given. I have also seen people with walking sticks on there.

My experience is that people have managed just fine, if there is other evidence that people have not been able to use the ramp then I will accept it was a required change but at the moment I don't see it. 

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1 hour ago, Pezo said:

One of my first memories of Wembley was walking up that ramp, a large Stoke fan going nuts and a guy in a wheelchair just cutting in front of him with no ***** given. I have also seen people with walking sticks on there.

My experience is that people have managed just fine, if there is other evidence that people have not been able to use the ramp then I will accept it was a required change but at the moment I don't see it. 

Your sample size is rather small to make the call either way don’t you think?

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20 minutes ago, Tinmans Love Child said:

Your sample size is rather small to make the call either way don’t you think?

Making a call is an interesting point, I don't think I'm making a call but someone else has made a call that changing it is required. I'm playing with a thought and querying the need based on a few of my simple experiences. I have seen people use it, I haven't seen people struggle to use it.

Like I said if there is more information then I would easily accept it was required.

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Seems a little late considering the new stadium has been opened for quite some time now. The thought that there is an alterior motive at work is strong - after all, if you've been there recently you will have stood in the shadows of all the large blocks growing over Wembley. Soon the stadium will be hidden almost entirely and lose the special feel that it used to have when visiting the National Stadium.

 

9 hours ago, phantom said:

They will be just the same as the other end of the walkway leading to the tube station

Perhaps they will have to have a human barrier of stewards that stop the 'traffic' at the stadium steps too?

 

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On 21/11/2020 at 08:57, Tinmans Love Child said:

It says “The current pedway is not suitable for wheelchair users due to the gradient of the ramp, which is also challenging for a number of other spectators including those with a range of other access requirements and our older guests”.  Therefore no choice really

Just 2020 summed up really!! There is ALWAYS something. 

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51 minutes ago, phantom said:

Almost complete 

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Not sure steps are safer than long ramps. I'm sure there are lifts, but won't people who have difficulties with steps miss out on that Wembley Way experience? If this was the plan all along, it's shame the twin towers weren't kept safe and re-erected on the long stretch up to the steps for people to walk through. 

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On 21/11/2020 at 14:50, exAtyeoMax said:

Not me! Proper Wembley was great, for all its faults!!

Faults? Like standing on the terracing before seating installed, in a 100,000 sell out and watching the stream of urine soaking the bottom of one's duffle bag which contained the sandwiches for the journey home!

Watching the likes of Eusebio, Di Stefano and Yashin somehow made up for the soggy sandwiches!

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On 21/11/2020 at 02:57, Tinmans Love Child said:

It says “The current pedway is not suitable for wheelchair users due to the gradient of the ramp, which is also challenging for a number of other spectators including those with a range of other access requirements and our older guests”.  Therefore no choice really

This is an incorrect statement though...more and more people have electric wheel chairs and these I personally have seen use the pedway with ease. For those that have manual ones then fine use the elevator but as others have said 4 seems woefully inadequate regardless of capacity. 

And another thing, manual wheelchair users are usually accompanied. That's two people and a wheelchair now being disadvantaged by using an elevator.

Need to read more but seems I'll thought through.

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8 hours ago, cidered abroad said:

Faults? Like standing on the terracing before seating installed, in a 100,000 sell out and watching the stream of urine soaking the bottom of one's duffle bag which contained the sandwiches for the journey home!

Watching the likes of Eusebio, Di Stefano and Yashin somehow made up for the soggy sandwiches!

Funny, I have never experienced a urine soaked football match. Proper Wembley was just better. ?

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The whole area is so different now, where once was a vast open space of car parks and scrap yards is now miles of shops, apartments and student accommodation.

Even when the new Wembley was built you could sit in some of them hospitality bars and have a great view of North London and the crowds coming up the pedway, brilliant. Now you’re looking into someone’s window in one of the block of flats opposite.
 

I used to love the pedway, not sure about those stairs and although I’m fully onside for making it accessible to all, I’m not sure that’s the best they could come up with.

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