There was it was rumoured, someone traveling by car, then gets stuck in a traffic jam. There is no obvious reason for the traffic jam, and there are no reports about it.
As the traffic jam continues for hours and hours, people in the cars start chatting, exchanging ideas, trading drinks and food, getting to know each other more or less.
The traffic jam extends into days, and eventually groups start to build but still nobody knows what causes this traffic jam and why it does not dissolve.
Then, after a number of days, all of a sudden, traffic starts to move again. Everyone jumps back to their cars and the traffic jam ends too quickly for people to exchange any phone numbers, so friendships made during the traffic jams get lost, even the loving couple loses contact and everything that happened during those days appears to vanish in meaninglessness.
For people who has attempted to drive in and out of Manchester in recent weeks,the story might have some connotations
Last week,people were taking four hours to get out of a car park in the Arndale Centre,another person told us that last week tried to go about their business taking their son round the university and didn’t get back home until 10pm.
Gridlocked streets appear to norm now in the City Centre,trams are blocked and bus timetables are being disrupted,commuters annoyed,tempers flaring and instead of the happy sounds of Christmas shoppers,the air is filled with a cacophony of car horns while cyclists and Deliveroo riders weave in and out of the traffic
This year the City Centre is enjoying its first full run up to Xmas in three years,2020 saw us virtually locked down,last year voluntarily locked down as Chris Whitty told us to save our Xmas day with relatives by not going out before.
So Mancunians and people from further afield are flocking to the City Centre and the markets in particular to make up for lost time but have we overreached ourselves?
We asked Mr Christmas himself Councillor Pat Karney who said
“The Christmas Markets are a crucial boost to Manchester’s Christmas Economy and Jobs.Even after all these years I have been surprised at how popular they are at the moment.”
He added that:
“The Arndale carpark problem was nothing to do with the carpark operation but the traffic congestion on Shudehill not least the ludicrous number of buses in our Wild West bus system.We are checking how we can improve the situation.”
But have a number of things combined this winter to make the situation worse?
The unreliability of the train network in the region is undoubtedly pushing more people into their cars especially where they are not served with good alternative public transport connections
A spokesperson for Transport for Greater Manchester said that it was difficult to conclusively say how rail performance or strike action impacts on the number of vehicles being driven into the city centre, or people’s transport choices more broadly.
For example, some people may simply change the day they travel rather than their mode of travel.
The most recent information they had was Saturday 26 November, the day of the most recent ASLEF strike:
Traffic volumes were marginally higher than the previous Saturday and regional centre footfall, estimated using the video analytics sensors, was lower than the previous Saturday but higher on Friday and Sunday.
Footfall was also up in Piccadilly on Black Friday, compared to the previous Friday.
There have been major traffic management changes since 2019.Traffic is no longer allowed to flow around Albert Square while Town Hall works continue.Indeed it will become fully pedestrianised when the building work comes to an end in 2024
Deansgate has been partly pedestrianised and or made useable for cyclists only and then there are the cycle lanes on the Chester Road coming into Manchester
TFGM told us that there have been many changes to the city centre in the last 18 months, with changes to some road layouts resulting in less space for cars.
With the number of trips on the region’s roads having returned to pre-pandemic levels, it is true that congestion has increased in the city centre and on the inner ring road (Mancunian Way, Trinity Way, Great Ancoats Street) at key times.
So could this have all been foreseen?
TFGM told us that it works closely with Manchester City Council and other partners on planning for the busy festive season in the city centre, factoring in the anticipated rise in traffic volumes and the potential impact on the public transport network.
In addition, TfGM has launched the Get on Board Christmas Campaign to promote the use of public transport, as well as providing journey inspiration and ideas on Christmas destinations, plus advice for customers on how to get around the city-region.
And they added:
“We have also developed dedicated information pages for those heading into the city or other popular destinations such as the Trafford Centre.”
As for lessons learned their spokesperson added
“TfGM works closely with event organisers, local authorities and other partners to plan for big events. We always review plans during and after to see what improvements can be made.”
