Salford City Council has confirmed that cameras are to be installed near a notorious city centre junction where drivers routinely ignore “no right turn” signs.
Council leaders have put forward plans for a new traffic order at the junction of Chapel Street and Victoria Bridge Street, in which it has been prohibited to make a right turn at for several years – with signs marking that only buses and cyclists should make the manoeuvre – but is ignored by thousands of drivers every week.
It’s even believed that around 50+ cars can sometimes make the right turn every hour during busy periods.
Gridlock traffic around Manchester city centre remains a problem for motorists – particularly on routes heading towards Salford and Trafford at rush-hour – and drivers frequently using Deansgate to cut across town has been a historic problem, so the move to install cameras at this junction is likely to be welcomed by many.
It also comes after the council’s decision earlier this year to temporarily pedestrianise a short section of Deansgate in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The new traffic order at the junction of Chapel Street and Victoria Bridge Street is to be introduced “on an experimental basis for a period of up to 18 months” and aims to gain further control of driver behaviour in the Chapel Street area.
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It is expected to come into force by the end of this week.
Cameras will enforce to drivers the signs that make it clear only buses and cyclists are permitted to turn right at the bottom of Victoria Bridge Street.
All other traffic must turn left down Chapel Street.
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Councillor Roger Jones – Executive Support Member for Transport at Salford City Council – said: “The proposed bus gate is part of an 18 month trial to help buses move around the city centre more freely to encourage more use of public transport in the long-term and create a safer and more attractive environment for walking and cycling.
“It will also reinforce the existing ban on vehicles turning right from Victoria Bridge Street onto Chapel Street.”
The move has also been welcomed by the campaign group WalkRide Salford, with spokesperson Harry Gray adding: “The council are doing this as it’s the only way to enforce something that’s already banned, as drivers just ignore the current signs. This will vastly improve the area for walking and cycling [which is] the main form of transport for locals in this part of Salford,
“[And] drivers from out of town can still access the city centre via Trinity Way.
“We want a vibrant city centre, free of rat runs, pollution and gridlock [and] this scheme will allow the regeneration of Chapel Street as a culture hub to thrive further.”
You can find more information via the Salford City Council website here.
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Drinks prices revealed as Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub opens inside T2
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Manchester Airport’s first-ever JD Wetherspoon pub has officially opened its doors inside Terminal 2.
The 300-seater pub – which welcomed its first customers earlier this week – is named The Belle Vue after Manchester’s historic showground.
Throughout the pub, you’ll spot design features that nod to the city’s sporting heritage – including vintage event posters and memorabilia, a ‘locker wall’ hosting trophies and other sporting exhibits, and a cricket-themed design in the carpets and bar panels.
Creating around 150 jobs in the process, The Belle Vue is the final planned new eatery to open in the airport’s redeveloped Terminal 2, marking one of the final steps in the super-terminal’s decade-long, £1.5bn transformation.
Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub has opened inside Terminal 2 / Credit: Supplied
According to the MEN, pints are priced from £6.20 for Carling and Coors lager, £6.45 for Budweiser, £6.60 for Guinness, and £6.70 for Poretti and 1664 Biere.
Prosecco is £9.20 for 175ml glass and £37.10 for the full bottle, while spirts and mixers are £6.80 for singles and £10.20 for doubles.
There’s also the classic Wetherspoons tea and coffee machines, where you can refill as many times as you like for just £3.60.
“It’s a proud moment to see the final new retail unit opening in our new-look Terminal 2,” commented Richard Jackson, who is the Retail Director at Manchester Airport.
“To be rounding off this 10-year programme by adding such an iconic name as Wetherspoon to the terminal is particularly special and we know that it will prove extremely popular with passengers. We think they’ll love the nods to Manchester’s heritage in the décor and design – and of course the name.”
The Belle Vue will be open from the first flight to the final flight each day, and food will be served from opening until 10pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Emily Sergeant -
25th November 2020 
