Tram services will also be extended into the early hours of the morning as part of the plans
Millions of visitors are expected to the city over the next month(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
Four pop-up park and rides into Manchester city centre are set to launch this coming weekend for travellers heading in for major events and the Christmas Markets.
The announcement comes just days after parts of the city centre became ‘gridlocked’ with motorists honking their horns in frustration after becoming stuck once again in the Manchester Arndale car park over the weekend.
The new park and ride plans are said to offer 1,000 free parking spaces for people to travel into the city over the festive period. Millions are set to attend the markets, with various other shopping, concert and football events also planned in the run up to Christmas.
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Transport for Greater Manchester said road are expected to be ‘very busy’ at peak times and are urging motorists to avoid the busiest times and plan their journeys by using the Bee Network instead.
Long queues out of the Arndale car park on Saturday(Image: @jamesdestafford / TikTok)
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 per cent slower which can lead to long delays.
The new park and ride services will run frequently, between every 15 and 20 minutes, from four sites across Greater Manchester. These are from Booth Street West, Northampton Road in Monsall, the Co-op Academy in Belle Vue and Irwell Place in Salford.
The free park and ride locations provide a total of 1,000 vehicle spaces and will open every Saturday and Sunday from November 22 until December 21.
Travellers can park for free and use the direct express buses into the city centre, with services at least every 20 minutes from 9am to 8pm. The buses will cost £2 for a single or £4 for a return for adults and free for under 16s. They will run to Piccadilly Gardens, Lever Street, Aytoun Street and Princess Street.
Some services will run to Piccadilly Gardens bus station(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Trams will also run until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays. Extra double trams will also be running at busy times.
Manchester City Council has also implemented 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.
Danny Vaughan, Chief Network Officer at TfGM said: “Christmas is one of the best times to enjoy Manchester – so much is going on and there’s such a buzz to the city centre. Our message is clear … the Bee Network is the best way to get there and home again. Board the bus, jump on the tram and plan your journey in advance.
Millions of visitors are expected to the city over the next month(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
“With plenty of frequent buses and trams to and from the city centre, single bus fares from just £2 and trams from just £1.40, the Bee Network is the easiest, quickest and most affordable way to travel this Christmas.
“Our pop-up park and rides mean you don’t need to struggle for parking in the city centre, but can park for free and finish the journey on a dedicated bus for just £2 single or £4 return and completely free for under 16s.
“As well as the new pop-up park and rides, there’s also 24 park and ride sites across Greater Manchester where you can park for free and jump on the tram – with all the locations and latest tram times available in the Bee Network app.
“We know roads and the network are going to be really busy, especially at weekends. That’s why we’re working closely with Manchester City Council and GMP on a joined-up approach to keep people moving safely around the city as they experience the brilliant things it has to offer.”
Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport, said: “Christmas is always a hectic period on our roads and this year we are redoubling our collective efforts to keep the transport network moving across Greater Manchester.
“With millions of people set to visit Manchester City Centre we are urging people to plan their journeys ahead of time and where possible, leave the car at home. There are a huge number of ways to get to town, be that a bus, tram or train, and these will often be a quicker and cheaper alternative.”
The Booth Street West park and ride site, with 500 car parking spaces, will not open on Saturday November 22 due to a planned event with the first day of service at this location taking place from November 23.
This Saturday (November 22), as well as the Christmas Markets, there is Hits Radio Live at Co-op Live and Gladiators Live Tour at AO Arena. Bus details are available here.