New pop up park and rides for ‘busiest weekend of year’

Two pop-up park and ride centres will open after transport chiefs issued 'do not drive' warning for Manchester’s ‘busiest weekend of the year’.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) bosses issued a statement on Tuesday which said: “Please do not drive into the city centre this weekend. With many events, Xmas shoppers and other visitors, traffic will be at its peak.

Use the tram, or, if you do need to drive, use one of our Park and Ride sites.”

The city centre is expected to see a huge influx of visitors, with the Manchester derby at the Etihad at 4:30pm on Sunday (December 15), two Paul McCartney gigs at Co-op Live on each evening, and Disney On Ice shows at the AO Arena. That’s alongside the usual Christmas shopping rush, with thousands expected to visit Manchester’s Christmas Markets.

That means journeys by car within the Inner Ring Road, especially those around nightlife spots, are expected to take ‘30 minutes longer’ between 2pm and 7pm on Saturday and 2pm and 8pm on Sunday.

Now, in an effort to encourage more passengers to leave their cars out of the city centre, TfGM has confirmed details for two large park and rides which will open temporarily this weekend.

A 965-space site will open at Booth Street West car park D (entry via Higher Cambridge Street, M15 6PD) on Saturday and Sunday (December 14). Customers will be able to walk to Oxford Road and catch a bus to town from there.

There will also be dedicated shuttle buses from Booth Street West to Co-op Live fans on Sunday only, running to and from the venue every 15 minutes from 4pm to midnight.

Also on Sunday, another 500-space car park will open at the Emirates Old Trafford cricket ground (entry via Talbot Road, M16 0PX). Customers will need to show a valid Metrolink ticket for the city centre, Etihad, or Co-op Live to use it.

“With Christmas fast approaching and huge events taking place at Co-op Live, the Etihad and AO Arena, we’re expecting this to be the busiest weekend of the year,” said Danny Vaughan, Chief Network Officer at TfGM. “Manchester’s economy is thriving, with loads of brilliant events and lots of people wanting to visit the city centre.

“This time of year is always really busy in the city centre and our efforts are about making it easier for everyone – whether travelling by car, public transport or active travel – to support local businesses, get to work and meet up with loved ones.

“We’re doing everything we can to keep the city moving and these pop-up park and rides are another great option, making it easier for those who want or need to drive to get into the busy city centre. We’ve almost 1,500 extra parking spaces that will be free to drivers who can then make the last leg of their journey by bus or tram.”

TfGM has increased tram capacity to cope with demand, and there are no planned engineering works on the network this weekend. Services will also run until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.

On the buses, the V1 and 36 bus services now run 24 hours a day, and other late running buses from Manchester include the 43 service to Manchester Airport, the 86 to Sale and 142 to East Didsbury.