The bustling centre of Ancoats will be pedestrianised for a six-month trial period, starting this week.
The streets around Cutting Room Square will be closed to traffic, with existing pay-and-display parking bays removed.
Manchester City Council has said that the emergency pedestrianisation of the area during the pandemic highlighted the benefits of traffic-free areas in the city centre.
It’s part of the council’s vision to create a ‘green and clean urban space’ and provide safe and attractive, traffic-free public spaces.
Sections of Blossom Street, Cotton Street and Hood Street will be closed to vehicles for six months from Friday 26 August, to gauge public opinion on making it permanent.
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Disabled spaces and car club bays will be relocated to areas outside the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO).
Cutting Room Square in Ancoats will be pedestrianised. Credit: Manchester City Council
Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Manchester City Council’s executive member for Environment and Transport, said: “We’re excited to launch this consultation in this part of Ancoats. It’s a well-used and vibrant part of this growing neighbourhood and during the pandemic the emergency pedestrianisation of this area made it clear what benefits can be brought by limiting cars and other vehicles from some of our streets.
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“This consultation will be running for an initial six months so I would encourage people to use the square during this period, experience the new environment and give us your feedback.
“Ultimately we want to see Ancoats as a green and clean urban space, an ambition we are working to realise through a wider strategy to put green space and active travel at the heart of the Ancoats community. The trial to pedestrianise the roads around Cutting Room Square is another step in this direction.”
The proposals being put forward for the ETRO include:
Closing Blossom Street to vehicles between Cotton Street and Sharrett Street (the area outside Elnecot, Seven Brothers Beerhouse, The Counter House and others)
Closing Cotton Street to vehicles from its junction with Blossom Street to a point just to the south-east of Hood Street (outside Rudy’s)
Closing Hood Street from its junction with Cotton Street to a point just to the south-west of the Halle building’s servicing door (around Hallé St Peter’s and The Jane Eyre)
Closing Hood Street (except for vehicle loading/unloading) from its junction with Murray Street to a point just to the south-west of the Halle building’s servicing door
Bicycles will be permitted through the area as normal.
To comment on the proposals residents can do so by email [email protected] – the deadline to respond is 26 February 2023.
Featured image: Manchester City Council
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Trafford Centre begins months-long refurb of its iconic The Orient foodhall
Emily Sergeant
A new era for The Orient is on the horizon, as the Trafford Centre has begun its months-long refresh of its iconic foodhall.
Forming part of its ongoing commitment to ‘enhancing the visitor experience’, the Trafford Centre is investing in a major refresh of seating and customer facilities within The Orient – creating a more vibrant and welcoming environment for guests to eat, meet and relax.
Works are now underway and will be delivered in phases over the coming months.
Improvements are being carried out in phases to minimise disruption to shoppers, while creating a more comfortable and contemporary dining environment at the same time.
The refreshed area will increase seating capacity by more than 60%, introducing a range of new seating styles in the process – including banquettes, family-friendly tables, accessible seating for guests with mobility requirements, and dedicated areas equipped with phone and laptop charging facilities.
The Trafford Centre begins months-long refurb of its iconic The Orient foodhall / Credit: The Manc Group
Inspired by The Orient’s longstanding maritime heritage, the design takes cues from a contemporary cruise liner, and the space will also feature upgraded furniture and enhanced lighting, alongside flexible areas designed to encourage visitors to spend more time in there.
There’ll also be modern furnishings and a ‘refreshed’ colour palette to create a brighter and welcoming environment.
“The Orient is one of the most popular destinations within Trafford Centre, welcoming millions of visitors each year,” a Trafford Centre spokesperson said on the refurb.
“This investment reflects our commitment to continually improving the experience for our guests, creating a more modern, comfortable and social environment where visitors can meet, dine and spend time together.
“The improvements will not only significantly increase seating capacity but also deliver a much more flexible and accessible space for all visitors to enjoy.”
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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Uber has officially started trialling driverless taxis in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… driverless taxis have hit the streets of Manchester.
As the leading transportation company looks to bring robotaxis to other major cities around the UK, it has been confirmed that a trial of autonomous vehicles is now underway in Manchester – with the services being operated using the technology of Uber’s partner firms, Pony and Verne.
Uber said it was ‘excited’ to take this first step toward ‘making this technology accessible’ to people across the UK.
The three companies first collaborated on the deployment of a commercial robotaxi service back in March of this year, combining Pony.ai’s autonomous driving system, Uber’s global mobility platform, and Verne’s service ecosystem and operational framework.
At this time, there has been no official application to launch passenger services in Manchester, according to The Guardian.
However, posts on various social media platforms – such as X, LinkedIn, and Instagram – by each of the companies this week have confirmed that trials are underway in the city.
“New technologies play an increasingly important role in the growth of our city region,” TfGM said. “But they need to be introduced responsibly, safely and with real thought about what it means for our residents.
“Safety will always be our top priority, and we will need strong assurances that no vehicles will operate on our roads that pose any risk to residents.”
Manchester, we’re on our way! Today, we’re announcing that we’re partnering with @Verne_robotaxi and @PonyAI_tech to pilot autonomous vehicles in Manchester. Building on our service together in Zagreb, Gen-7 Robotaxis are now testing in Manchester.
We’re excited to take this first step toward making this technology accessible to people across the UK. 🇬🇧
“By bringing together Pony.ai’s proven autonomous driving technology, Verne’s operational and market expertise, and Uber’s global platform, we’re taking an important step toward making autonomous ride-hailing available to more riders in more places.”
Daisy Jackson -
24th August 2022 
