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Here's the Mancunian Way for today:
Hello
If you're one of the thousands of motorists who endured the Regent Road roadworks as they dragged on and on for 17 long months, you probably won't want to be reminded of the misery they caused. But the world has changed considerably since the £15m project to reduce congestion on one of Manchester and Salford's busiest roads began back in 2018.
In today's Mancunian Way we return to Regent Road, three years after the work was completed, to see if things really have improved. We'll also meet some of traders in Afflecks Palace as Manchester's alternative mecca celebrates its 40th anniversary. And we'll hear from a naturist from Rochdale who reckons he's got the answer to the cost-of-living crisis.
A long road to travel
It's fair to say the Regent Road roadworks didn't quite go to plan. For almost a year and a half motorists endured queues and delays as the project ground endlessly on.
And things got even worse when Dawnus, the Welsh firm which was leading the scheme, went into administration in March 2019. Even the then Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho and his squad got stuck in traffic, with the Reds boss being forced to abandon the team coach and walk the last half mile to the ground ahead of a Champions League match against Juventus during a city-wide gridlock.
So three years on from the work being completed the Manchester Evening News returned to Regent Road to speak to the people who live and work there to see if things have got any better.
Highways bosses say the work, a joint project between Manchester and Salford councils, has resulted in a significant reduction in congestion on both Regent Road and the Mancunian Way. Overall weekday journey times have improved by 19-24 per cent during the morning and evening rush hours, according to council figures.
And that's despite evening traffic volumes on the two roads being 'substantially higher' than before the work was carried out, likely due to a lane closure on Irwell Street. Roy, who works at logistics firm Fei Da, on Comus Street just off Regent Road, says his experience backs up the council figures, describing the situation as 'absolutely better'.
"From 4-6pm it gets busy when people are coming home, but it's much, much better than it was in 2018-19," he said. "Then it could take us 20 minutes to get into the city centre - that's where we do most of our deliveries and pick-ups. Now it's five to 10 minutes at most."
But Andrew Burgess, who works at Sheila's Family Stores opposite Salford Lads Club in Ordsall, says Regent Road is still chockablock.
"It's just queuing all the time," he said. "I come to work at 6.30am and, no word of a lie, it's already built up by then.
"It's backed up on Ordsall Lane and all the other roads round here. It can take 10-15 minutes to get out of the estate onto Regent Road sometimes. Eveyone complains about it."
Read more: Millions were spent on improving Regent Road - is it any better three years on?
'Every body is beautiful'
Stuart Gilmour says he's always been comfortable being naked. But it wasn't until he was in his mid 30s that he discovered naturism.
"I used to go on holiday with my parents and say to them when I was about 16-17, 'I'm going off'," said Stuart, from Rochdale. "I'd do some rock climbing but then I'd just find a quiet spot where nobody was about, take my clothes off and sunbathe for a few hours, get dressed and then come back."
He finally took the plunge and ditched his clothes in his everyday life when wife Karen googled 'why is my husband always naked?' after spotting him mowing the lawn in the nude. The pair came across the word 'naturism' and suddenly it all became clear.
"It was like a massive relief really because I knew there were other people out there like me that was comfortable being naked," Stuart, 43, said. Now he likes to cycle naked and even goes to his local pub in the buff.
And his lifestyle has also had an unexpected benefit during the cost-living crisis. It means he hardly has any laundry to do saving him a 'fortune' in clothes and energy bills.
But more important than that Stuart says naturism helps boost his confidence and works wonders for his mental health. "Naturism shows people it’s ok to be different whether that be size, shape or colour and the general wellbeing it can give you.
"Every body is beautiful."
Afflecks is 40 and doing better than ever
Life begins at 40 goes the tired old cliche. But in the case of Afflecks Palace it appears there's definitely some truth in it.
The hip shopping emporium has been at the heart of Manchester's counter-culture since 1982. And despite fears that covid could prove to be its undoing, traders say things are better than ever with customers searching for a unique, hands-on experience that shopping online just can't provide.
To celebrate Afflecks' 40th anniversary Jenna Campbell met some of the people who make it such a special place. They include Miki Christie, owner of the Manchester Shop, by the Oldham Street entrance. She first visited Afflecks as a teenager 'searching for her own identity'.
“I’ve always been interested in subculture and things like that so Afflecks was a natural lighthouse for me," she said. "It was wondrous and amazing and a little bit scary and a tad dangerous because it was full of ideas and aesthetics that I hadn’t come across before."
Sean Berry, of Panic Posters, says Afflecks is the 'acorn from which the Northern Quarter grew', whereas for artist Baiba Auria, owner of Egoiste Gallery, it is a 'free, wild and creative space, where everything is possible'.
Long may it continue...
Read more: Afflecks is 40 and doing better than ever - meet the special people who've made it what it is
'Bit cold and no lifeguards'
A football fan fed up with flooding near his home in Stockport went for a dip on his way back from the match. Jayme Loftus, 40, says a stretch of road near the railway bridge on Lingard Lane in Brinnington, one of the major routes into the area, has 'for years' been left underwater following heavy rain.
So on Saturday evening, on his way home from watching Stockport County away at Bradford City, Jayme grabbed a rubber ring and went for a swim before posting a pic of the stunt on Facebook, alongside the caption 'Not sure about our new pool.. bit cold and no lifeguards'.
Jayme said: "I was trying to shame the council really into doing something about it. We need some gully drains or at least some pallets or something for people to walk over when it's bad like this. It was coming up to my knees at its deepest point."
A Stockport council spokesperson said: “We are very concerned about the flooding and we are going to investigate, and take action to remedy the situation, as soon as possible."
Read more: Dad sick of floods on road near his house grabs rubber ring and swims in giant puddle
Weather etc
Wednesday: Light rain changing to cloudy by late morning. 14C.
Roadworks: Long term roadworks on A62 Oldham Way, Oldham, between Prince Street and Ashton Road. Expect delays.
Trivia question: Based on population size which is the second largest borough in Greater Manchester?
Manchester headlines
House fire: A young family lost 'everything' after their home was gutted by fire. Stacey Doocey had lived at her Cheetham Hill home for 12 years. But more than a decade of treasured memories went up in smoke when a fire broke out in her 13-year-old daughter Emaleah's bedroom. More here
Inspection: A nursery in north Manchester which closed suddenly last month leaving parents hundreds of pounds out of pocket had been inspected just days earlier and found to be 'inadequate' at every level. Read more
Teen arrests: A 13-year-old was among nine teenagers arrested in Manchester city centre with 'drugs, weapons and firearms' also seized, police have revealed. it followed a series of robberies, thefts and firearm offences around Princess Street and Mosley Street.
Worth a read
A Salford gangster known as 'One Punch Doyle' has been released from prison on licence after serving half of a 16-year jail sentence for plotting to flood the north west with drugs, John Scheerhout reports. Paul Doyle, 64, now back in Salford after living the high life in Altrincham before his most recent conviction, has vowed to use his newfound freedom to steer young people away from crime.
Read more: Gangster Paul 'One Punch' Doyle released from prison
That's all for today
Thanks for taking the time to read today's Mancunian Way.
If you have stories you would like us to look into, email damon.wilkinson@menmedia.co.uk.
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The answer to today's trivia question is: Wigan has a population of 329,000 people according to the 2021 census, second only to Manchester.
