Manchester is always a busy place, but this weekend is set to see the city play host to Peter Kay at the AO Arena, the final weekend of the markets and Manchester United‘s home game against Bournemouth. Luckily, public transport around Greater Manchester is ramping up to try to cope with the pressure, with Pop-up Park and Ride sites opening again this weekend, making it easier for people driving into Manchester city centre and travelling to big music and football events taking place.
Whilst roads will be busy and public transport is a good choice for many, those needing to drive can take advantage of temporary pop-up Park and Ride spaces near Oxford Road on both Saturday and Sunday.
Where to find the pop-up park and ride
In order to reduce congestion this weekend (21 and 22 December) the Bee Network is offering free parking on Cecil Street, part of the University of Manchester Campus (M15 6GF). Once parked, simply walk to Oxford Road, purchase a bus ticket on the Bee Network app and use any bus to the city centre.
Anyone planning to drive may also want to consider using one of the permanent park and ride sites and complete their journey on foot or by public transport. For most people, the best way to travel into the city centre will be by tram or bus, with affordable fares, including great value family tickets, multiple stops across the city centre and frequent services running across the network.
Tram capacity has been increased for the festive season with every available tram out on the network and services running until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays. The V1 and 36 bus services now run 24 hours a day, and other late running buses from Manchester include the 43 service to Manchester Airport, the 86 to Sale and 142 to East Didsbury. Live departure times can be found on the Bee Network app, or the dedicated stop webpages on the Bee Network website.
Other visitors to the city over the weekend may want to consider re-routing to avoid the busiest areas or re-timing their journey to travel when the network will be quieter. The busiest areas are likely to be within the inner ring road particularly around night life hotspots, event venues and car parks close to the main shopping areas.
The busiest periods are likely to be 2pm to 7pm Saturday and 2pm to 8pm on Sunday, and journeys through the city centre by car at these times are expected to take 30 minutes longer – you can check transport before you travel this festive season here.