32-minute wait on Kop C turnstiles tonight.
You'd think by now, given the substantially reduced throughput on the gates, they'd have recruited loads of staff with handheld ticket readers, going down the queues and stamping wrists or putting wristbands on, and letting those in through the exit gates. They just don't seem to have any plan B for this. They can't even manage the queues, so dozens are queue-jumping.
The previous system relied on the average person getting through in just a few seconds, but that's just not happening for many folks. Last time, my Android barcode unlocked the turnstile in less than a second. Tonight, the same phone on the neighbouring turnstile took 8 seconds. Two young lads in front took about 20 seconds each.
The technology is just not fast enough and reliable enough yet. And this wasn't even mandated for this season. And, you know what, with all the problems, I predict the PL will delay enforcement of this to the season after next.
It was obvious last December there were major issues. This should have been trialled on one turnstile first, then a few, then a stand, before being rolled out to the whole ground. There was no need for a big-bang approach. The Club haven't even surveyed all ticket-holders to find correlations between access times/problems and phone operating system types/versions and phone models. The feedback they have is largely anecdotal and unscientific.
How many fiascos does Phil Dutton have to preside over before the Club employ someone with a proper IT background and experience to project manage the ticket office?