Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has announced that four pop-up park and rides will launch this weekend. The pop-up park and rides will be across Greater Manchester, offering 1,000 free parking spaces to help people easily get into Manchester city centre this festive season.
The initiative is part of a joint approach by TfGM, Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to manage the sheer volume of people coming into the centre to experience everything it has to offer, including Christmas markets, shopping, football matches, concerts and nights out. At peak times, roads are expected to be very busy, with people urged to use public transport if possible, avoid the busiest times and plan their journeys.
Last year’s festive period saw an extra 80,000 trips made in and around the city centre over a weekend. During the evening peak times, roads can be 20% slower, which can lead to long delays.
There are also 24 other park and ride sites in Greater Manchester where you can park for free and jump on a tram to complete your journey.
Key information about pop-up park and rides in Greater Manchester
Pop-up park and ride locations
The park and rides will be located at Booth Street West, Central Park, Belle Vue and Irwell Place.
Booth Street West (500 spaces)
Location: Booth St West, Higher Chatham St, Manchester M15 6AR
Pick up: University Dental Hospital of Manchester bus stop
Destination: Piccadilly Gardens Stand G
Frequency: Every 20 minutes
Central Park (150 spaces)
Location: Central Park, Northampton Rd, Manchester M40 5BR
Pick up: Central Park bus stop
Destination: Lever Street
Frequency: Every 20 minutes
Belle Vue (150 spaces)
Location: Co-op Academy Belle Vue, M12 4BA
Pick up: Belle Vue bus stop
Destination: Aytoun Street
Frequency: Every 15 minutes
Irwell Place (200 spaces)
Location: Salford M5 4PE
Pick up: Irwell Place bus stop
Destination: Princess Street
Frequency: Every 15 minutes
Pop-up park and ride opening times
Together providing 1,000 free parking spaces, the new park and rides will be open every Saturday and Sunday from this Saturday (November 22) until December 21. However, Booth Street West will not open this Saturday (November 22) due to a planned event, with the first day of service at this location being this Sunday (November 23).
People can park for free and jump on a dedicated direct express bus into the city centre, with services at least every 20 minutes from 9am to 8pm.
How much do the pop-up park and rides cost?
The buses will be just £2 for a single or £4 for a return for adults and free for under 16s.
Other measures to manage the volume of visitors
TfGM, Manchester City Council and GMP will also be putting in place several measures to manage the number of visitors, including:
Later trams and all-night buses
Trams will run until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays and many buses run late into the night, and some all night long. Extra double trams will also be running at busy times.
Collaboration behind the scenes
On the busiest days, staff from GMP and the City Council will be in TfGM’s Control Centre to allow for even better collaboration. CCTV coverage of the city centre is being enhanced with dedicated staff to monitor it 24/7.
Changes at key city centre locations
Manchester City Council is also taking steps to keep the city moving. This includes temporary weekend parking restrictions on Swan Street and Liverpool Street, weekend closures inbound on Corporation Street to reduce congestion around Shudehill, and a no right turn from the Arndale car park to ease congestion on Withy Grove.
Yellow box junctions, cameras and civil enforcement officers
Yellow box junctions are also going to be repainted, cameras are being installed at several key locations, and the number of civil enforcement officers in the city centre will be increased, with officers targeting the areas with the most issues. The council will also have the ability to move vehicles breaking parking rules, blocking roads or causing obstructions.
