Commuters urged to "park and ride" as Mancunian Way still shut
Traffic chaos reigned during the first closure yesterday.
Motorists urged to consider 'park and ride' as 1,000 car park spaces made available.
It’s as the Mancunian Way remains shut for a second day, while Manchester City Council undertakes its annual maintenance inspection and related works, removes the contraflow system that has been in place since a huge sinkhole appeared in August and re-paints road markings. It will fully reopen from 6am tomorrow.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has worked with the Metrolink operator (MRDL) and the Etihad Stadium to provide the spaces in car park H, off Alan Turing Way, from 6.30am until 8pm. Staff will be on hand to direct motorists.
Car park H is a short walk away from the city centre and is also close to the Etihad Campus Metrolink stop, which provides frequent trams into the city.
There are also a number of permanent Park and Ride sites available to drivers affected by the closure, catering for train and tram services across the region, so people are again being encouraged to think about swapping their car for public transport.
The park and ride site at Sale Water Park on the Manchester Airport Metrolink line – situated just off the M60 – has 300 spaces; the Ashton Moss site on the Ashton line has 200 spaces; the Ladywell site on the Eccles line has 250 spaces and the East Didsbury site has 302 spaces.
Hazel Grove railway station also has a large, free of charge car park for passengers, with regular, direct train services into Manchester Piccadilly taking around 25 minutes. If the car park is full, drivers can park for free at the nearby Stagecoach Hazel Grove park and ride just off the A6 Buxton Road south of Torkington Park.
TGfM are also urging anyone who needs to use their car for their full journey – to leave plenty of extra time to get in again this morning, and avoid driving across the city centre unless they need to use other parts of the inner ring road or the M60.
And are continuing to as us to alter our journey times to avoid the rush hours – between 7am-9.30am and 4pm-6.30pm – to spread demand.
Public transport services are likely to be busier than normal too, and anyone who lives a short distance away is being asked to walk or cycle instead.
John Fryer, TfGM’s Events Manager, said:
“We are expecting roads to be busy again tomorrow and I’d encourage those motorists who can, to leave their cars at home for the day and opt for public transport instead.
“Using the trams, trains and buses for part of your journey will also help to ease traffic. As well as the 1,000 spaces that will be available at the Etihad tomorrow, there are a number of permanent park and ride sites available around the region that connect with services into the city.
“Traffic in the city centre has also caused minor delays to some Metrolink services today as motorists blocked tram tracks so I’d ask anyone who does need to drive tomorrow to be considerate of other road users and allow plenty of room between themselves and other vehicles – including trams – so that we can keep those public transport systems moving as freely as possible.”