Those heading into Manchester to do their Christmas shopping have been advised to travel at quieter times and use public transport in a bid to prevent travel chaos. Last weekend, a couple suffered a four hour wait as they tried to leave the Arndale car park in Manchester city centre, following a Christmas shopping trip.
A mixture of Christmas Market visitors heading into town to soak up the festive atmosphere, shoppers snapping up last-minute Black Friday Sales and football fans making the most of the World Cup fixtures resulted in huge numbers of people filing into the city. Its a trend that's likely to continue in the run up to Christmas and as visitor numbers return to pre-pandemic levels.
Prior to last weekend, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) offered some insight into the busiest times for shopping in Manchester City Centre. They said that the same weekend last year, following Black Friday, saw a 11 per cent increase in peak journey times, with 3pm and 7pm representing the busiest part of the day.
They also said that the first weekend of the Christmas Markets saw a seven per cent increase in vehicles in and around the regional centre and over four million vehicle trips around the regional centre were expected in, out and around the centre last week.
Last weekend, a couple said they were stuck for four hours in 'absolute mayhem' on Saturday night as they tried to leave the Arndale car park. After Christmas shopping, the couple from Rochdale headed back to their car at 4.20pm, but were unable to leave until 8.30pm.
During their ordeal, which saw the pair wait two hours to go down just one level, Mr Thornley said "absolute mayhem" ensued - with horns blaring, fumes filling the air and one mother sat with "her head in her hands." The weekend prior, The Manchester Evening News reported that many visitors to the city centre were stuck for hours trying to leave level 12 of the car park on Saturday, November 19, as people flocked to the Christmas Markets and to watch the Rugby League World Cup final.
As part of the TfGM's Get On Board Christmas Campaign, people are being encouraged to use public transport or active travel wherever possible, as people from the Greater Manchester, the UK and further afield come to eat, drink, shop and attend concerts and events like the Christmas Markets.
One of the suggestions put forward is the use of park and ride sites, which offer flexible tickets options - including value family tickets for one to three children and one or two adults from £3.60. Likewise, the Metrolink, which offers and fast and frequent services has been suggested, along with the bus, which is now capped at £2 for a single trip or £1 for a child.
TfGM’s Head of Highways, Peter Boulton, said: “We want everyone coming to enjoy the many great attractions that the city centre and Trafford Centre have to offer to enjoy the festivities and have a great time. The number of trips on our roads is back to where they were before the pandemic and that is leading to added congestion at key times – which means more people stuck in traffic.
“To avoid this, we’d encourage people to plan their journey by thinking about how they plan to get in, around and out of the city centre. Public transport is a great option, with frequent services and great value products as well as plenty of staff and information on hand to help you plan the perfect journey.”
Meanwhile, those driving are encouraged to take steps to make their journey smoother and potentially quicker. The current travel advice states:
Drive at a quieter time - avoiding driving to and around the city after 12pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and between 3pm and 7pm during the week.
Know where road congestion may be - data shows that journeys along the Mancunian Way typically have higher journey times during the week, and journeys along the northern section of the Inner Ring Road (Great Ancoats Street) have higher journey times at the weekend.
Take a different route - if you need to drive across the city at the weekend, it may be quicker to use Alan Turing Way/Mancunian Way.
Park on the same side of the city as your route if you can – driving across the city can add additional time to your journey, so if it’s an option for you, park in a car park closest to your route out of the city centre.
Check for quicker routes before every car journey on Google, Waze and other Apps. You can also use TfGM’s journey planner.
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