From tomorrow (Friday 3 July), Stevenson Square and Ducie Street will become closed to traffic, with Stevie Square becoming a temporary pedestrian and cycle-only zone.
As the Manchester plans for the end of the coronavirus lockdown, and following the extended closure times of Thomas Street in May, Manchester City Council has now decided to make two further road closures in the area to help with social distancing.
The council say that the new closures will support those returning to the city and will begin to rebuild the economy. They are also making Withy Grove a one-way system to encourage walking and cycling in the area.
The changes, which are currently down as temporary, were confirmed after feedback from a consultation about walking and cycling in the Northern Quarter was carried out earlier this year. The feedback saw a significant number of people calling for more pedestrianisation of the Northern Quarter – including the closure of Stevenson Square, and improvements in the Ducie Street (Piccadilly Station approach) area.
The changes to Stevenson Square will take place from 6am tomorrow (Friday 3), and will turn the area into a traffic-free zone in which people can spend more time. It will also create an opportunity for businesses to use the pavements for seating, thanks to the additional space and reduced pollution.
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Ducie Street, will close at the same hour, from its junction with the A6 at Piccadilly to its junction with Dale Street. This will “remove the need for pedestrians to gather in large groups waiting at the traffic lights,” and will “reduce the number of vehicles choosing to drive through the city centre,” according to the Manchester City Council website.
Additionally, as mentioned above, feedback in the consultation earlier this year showed that people were concerned about the safety of pedestrians and cyclists in the Withy Grove area. The council will now make Withy Grove a one-way system in order to improve traffic flow and reduce the need for pedestrians to congregate outside The Printworks.
All of these changes will take place from tomorrow and while announced as temporary, are likely to stay in place for some time as the city’s pedestrianisation continues to ramp up. Find out more here.
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Entire tram line suspended due to overhead line damage at Old Trafford
Daisy Jackson
Metrolink trams along the Altrincham line have been suspended due to damage to an overhead line near Old Trafford.
The damage, caused by a third party, has caused significant disruption for commuters across the Greater Manchester region this afternoon.
No Metrolink tram services are operating between Altrincham and Piccadilly, in either direction.
Large queues are already forming for buses at Piccadilly Gardens as people attempt to get home.
Engineers have arrived on site to try and fix the issue, but ‘significant disruption’ is expected to continue into the evening.
TfGM and Metrolink have also deployed staff to assist people with their journeys at all stops in the city centre as well as at Old Trafford, Trafford Bar, and Cornbrook.
Trams between Bury and Deansgate-Castlefield are unaffected.
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Ticket acceptance is in place on the 245, 255, 256, 263, 281 and 285 bus services and on Northern Rail services between Altrincham and the city centre. Simply show the driver your Metrolink ticket or pass when boarding.
You can plan the rest of your journey online using the TfGM journey planner here.
Pubs can extend their opening hours if England make it to the Euro 2024 semi-finals
Emily Sergeant
Pubs are to be permitted to extend their opening hours if England make it through to the semi-finals of EURO 2024 this summer.
With the Premier League, and the English and Scottish football leagues, all drawing to a close over the next couple of weeks, our nations are already looking ahead to what is gearing up to be a massive summer of sport – with both the UEFA EURO 2024, and the 2024 Olympics coming up before August is out.
And now, it’s been revealed by Home Secretary James Cleverly that if either England or Scotland’s mens national football teams make it to the semi-final of European football’s flagship tournament, then pubs will be allowed to stay open for longer.
But, there’s a bit of a catch… because isn’t there always?
The Government has said that venues will be allowed to stay open for an extra two hours on match days if either or both teams reach the last four or the final of the competition, but this only applies to pubs that already have a license to open until 11pm anyway.
The move to extend opening hours comes after a consultation at the end of last year, and is hoped to provide a boost to the hospitality industry – which has notably been hit hard during the ongoing cost of living crisis.
The Home Secretaries in England and Wales, under Section 172 of the Licensing Act 2003, can make an order relaxing licensing hours to mark occasions of “exceptional national significance”, but the Scottish and Northern Irish Governments have to set their own rules.
“We have listened to the public through our consultation,” explained Home Secretary James Cleverley, “and we will be extending pub licensing hours should England or Scotland reach the semi-finals or final of Euro 2024.”
The EURO 2024 semi-finals are to be held on Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 July / Credit: UEFA
Mr Cleverley said the move will “allow friends, families and communities to come together for longer to watch their nation hopefully bring it home”.
This legislation is set to be laid in Parliament today (Wednesday 8 May) to ensure there is enough time for it to be debated and passed before the tournament begins on Friday 14 June, the Government has confirmed.