In more worrying news for commuters — and extremely alarming news if you’re a Manchester United or Man City fan — train drivers have announced more train strikes, including one on the day of the FA Cup final.
If you listen closely, you can hear more than half of Manchester audibly gulping.
As the long-running dispute over pay for train drivers continues to rumble on, transport union Aslef (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen) have confirmed another raft of strikes, with the first commencing on 3 June, the same day as the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
With thousands of United and City fans set to travel down to watch the historic game — the first time the conclusion of the competition has even been a Manchester derby — a truly indispensable form of public transport is once again timing its strikes to show just how important they are.
While RMT (Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) union members finally voted to accept the latest offer for increased pay from Network Rail last month, Aslef said the latest offer in negotiations with the Rail Delivery Group on Wednesday was “risible”.
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He said the proposal — which is separate from the RMT‘s own pay disputes — was “clearly not designed to be accepted” with inflation still above 10%, not to mention a nationwide cost of living crisis.
“The blame for this action lies, fairly and squarely, at the feet of the employers who have forced our hand over this by their intransigence,” Mr Whelan said.
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The train strikes will commence on 12 May, followed by another on 31 May and then during FA Cup final day on 3 June.
Train drivers are also withdrawing non-contractual overtime from Monday 15 to Saturday 20 May inclusive, as well as on Saturday 13 May and Thursday 1 June.
As a result, some 13,000 drivers are expected to take industrial action over the course of three days of strikes, meaning staffing along the UK’s rail network will be severely depleted and there’ll be essentially no way of getting from Manchester to London by train.
Fans were already raising concerns over how they were going to get down there, and safely given the obvious rivalry and threat of hooliganism, with Avanti West Coast stating they had no plans to put on extra services or separate trains for both groups of supporters.
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Safe to say this doesn’t exactly help matters and if clubs were already considering providing extra coaches from Manchester to Wembley/London, the demand for further travel assistance is now likely to be way beyond the amount of resources available.
After months of large-scale action across various sectors including teaching, health, postal services and many more, it looks like there still isn’t quite light at the end of the tunnel and we wouldn’t be surprised if even more train strikes are set to follow.
First look at Albert Square as Manchester Christmas Markets return to their spiritual home
Thomas Melia
Manchester Christmas Markets are back and all our Christmas wishes have come true, as its spiritual home Albert Square joins in on the festivities for the first time in six years.
Grab a mulled wine, toast yourself a marshmallow and take a seat, because we’re going to take you on a quick tour of this brand-new offering.
You’ll be able to tick off your Christmas Markets wish list in one place, as Manchester has got all your usual favourites and so much more taking place right here outside of its iconic Town Hall.
As soon as you walk in you’re greeted by a huge sign spelling out the city’s iconic abbreviation ‘MCR’, just in case you forgot where you were, that also doubles as a nice photo opportunity.
Albert Square in Manchester city centre is getting into the Christmas spirit for the first time in six years / Credit: The Manc Group
As you walk into Albert Square there’s a mix of nostalgic wooden huts and brightly coloured modern street food vendor stations waiting to tempt you with all their tasty treats.
There’s no messing around at this Christmas hotspot because not even 10 feet after you enter, you can warm up with a glühwein and bratwurst, yes please.
Think you’re done sampling some festive feasts? Think again as there’s a marshmallow toasting station, a roasted chestnut cart and lots of huts are offering their own hot chocolate creations.
Local street food vendor Rita’s Reign has made her mark in Albert Square too, serving up her foodie feasts with a seasonal spin such as the ‘Festive Feast’ and ‘Christmas Crunch’ combo boxes.
Rita’s Reign is just one of many food vendors at Manchester Christmas Markets / Credit: The Manc Group
As you keep making your way round there’s some lovely gifts and trinkets to browse including tree decorations, ornaments and some vibrant pieces of art.
There’s plenty of ways to keep the kids (and big kids) entertained with some carnival-themed games and stalls as well as a vintage carousel, if that doesn’t get you in the Christmas spirit what else will?
Of course, there’s even more food to mention like mini dutch pancakes, toasted sandwiches, French toast, the list is endless (Much like many of our Christmas lists).
And we couldn’t finish our visit without acknowledging the elephant in the room, also known as The Manchester Big Wheel, which is the perfect people-watching spot, but maybe hop on this ride before you try all the tasty treats mentioned above.
Drivers warned of ‘bad habit’ that could land them with £1,000 fines this winter
Emily Sergeant
Drivers are being warned of a ‘bad habit’ on the roads that could seem them hit with hefty fines as winter rolls around.
Once the temperatures drop, and the days get shorter and darker, fog tends to become a more common weather occurrence around this time of year – but an eye-opening new survey has found that most drivers don’t really how to use their fog lights correctly.
According to guidance from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), fog lights should only be used on British roads when visibility drops below 100 metres, yet the new research by eBay has found that 60% of drivers use their fog lights at the wrong times, and what’s more is that one in 10 say they switch on their fog lights when visibility is less than 300 metres.
48% of drivers who took part in the research admitted that they activate full-beam headlights when it’s dark, regardless of oncoming traffic and other road users.
Drivers are being warned of a ‘bad habit’ that could land them with £1,000 fines this winter / Credit: Nabeel Syed (via Unsplash)
The RAC says these stats reveal a ‘worrying trend’ among motorists, and have warned that these habits could actually means drivers are risking fines of up to £1,000 and three penalty points on their licence.
If the incorrect usage of fog lights wasn’t bad enough as it is, the new research also found that many Brits say they do not stay on-top of regular car maintenance when it comes to car fog lights, either – with just 15% saying they check them every month, and shockingly, 24% stating they’ve never checked them before.
Due to the ongoing issue of headlight glare, in whatever form that may be, The RAC has found that as many as one in four drivers (25%) who find headlights ‘too bright’ are actually driving less as a result.
“Unfortunately for a lot of drivers, the annual onset of darker evenings coincides with another unwelcome arrival – that of overly-bright headlights that they believe make driving more difficult due to dazzle and discomfort,” explained Rod Dennis, who is the Senior Policy Officer at the RAC.
“While most of us have no choice other than to adapt to driving at night more often as the clocks go back, the fact headlight glare is the leading cause of nervousness underlines it’s a problem that needs tackling.
“At the same time, it’s important to remember that brighter headlights can give drivers a better view of the road ahead, so there’s a balance to be struck.”
Danny Jones -
27th April 2023 
