Four new pop-up park and rides will open in Greater Manchester from this week, to help people travelling into the city centre over the Christmas period.
Transport for Greater Manchester has announced the scheme will kick in to handle the ‘sheer volume’ of people heading into town for festive events and Christmas shopping, with around 80,000 extra trips made in one weekend alone last year.
The news comes after a weekend that saw car parks congested and the city streets gridlocked with traffic.
TfGM is now encouraging people to use public transport – including the new park and ride services – instead of driving this winter.
The four park and rides will provide an extra 1000 free parking spaces, with frequent bus shuttles then completing journeys into Manchester city centre.
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Millions of people are expected to visit this year for events including the Manchester Christmas Markets, shopping, football matches, concerts and nights out.
The Bee Network is hoping to help all those people save cash, beat traffic, and keep the city centre moving.
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Other measures being introduced this year, as part of a joint approach by TfGM, Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Police (GMP), include later-running trams at weekends, temporary parking restrictions and traffic measures, and round-the-clock CCTV monitoring.
Trams will run until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays over the Christmas period, with extra double trams running at busy times.
Temporary weekend parking restrictions are being introduced on Swan Street and Liverpool Street, with weekend closures inbound on Corporation Street to reduce congestion around Shudehill, and a no right turn from the Arndale car park to ease congestion on Withy Grove.
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The four new park and rides, with 1,000 extra parking spaces, will be open every Saturday and Sunday from this Saturday (22 November) until 21 December.
They’ll be located at Booth Street West, Central Park, Belle Vue and Irwell Place.
People are urged to plan their journeys carefully this Christmas.
Danny Vaughan, Chief Network Officer at TfGM said: “Christmas is one of the best times to enjoy Manchester – so much is going on and there’s such a buzz to the city centre. Our message is clear … the Bee Network is the best way to get there and home again. Board the bus, jump on the tram and plan your journey in advance.
“With plenty of frequent buses and trams to and from the city centre, single bus fares from just £2 and trams from just £1.40, the Bee Network is the easiest, quickest and most affordable way to travel this Christmas.
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“Our pop-up park and rides mean you don’t need to struggle for parking in the city centre, but can park for free and finish the journey on a dedicated bus for just £2 single or £4 return and completely free for under 16s.
“As well as the new pop-up park and rides, there’s also 24 park and ride sites across Greater Manchester where you can park for free and jump on the tram – with all the locations and latest tram times available in the Bee Network app.
“We know roads and the network are going to be really busy, especially at weekends. That’s why we’re working closely with Manchester City Council and GMP on a joined-up approach to keep people moving safely around the city as they experience the brilliant things it has to offer.”
Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport, said: “Christmas is always a hectic period on our roads and this year we are redoubling our collective efforts to keep the transport network moving across Greater Manchester.
“With millions of people set to visit Manchester City Centre we are urging people to plan their journeys ahead of time and where possible, leave the car at home. There are a huge number of ways to get to town, be that a bus, tram or train, and these will often be a quicker and cheaper alternative.”
Michael Carrick brands Lisandro Martinez’s red card as ‘one of the worst’ decisions he’s ever seen
Danny Jones
Michael Carrick has dubbed the red card shown to Lisando Martinez on Monday night “one of the worst I’ve seen”.
In case you missed it, Martinez’s sending off proved to be the decisive moment in Manchester United’s sour defeat to old rivals Leeds.
Despite pulling one back through another Bruno Fernandes assist and another Casemiro header from a set-piece, Man United went on to lose 2-1 in what was Leeds’ first win at Old Trafford since 1981.
A night to remember for the Whites and one that Reds, equally and ironically, won’t soon forget either, with the Argentinian being dismissed for what the referees deemed ‘violent conduct’. For those who haven’t seen it, here’s the incident in question:
While there is a noticeable grabbing of the hair, Carrick and many others are understandably questioning the perceived ‘force’ that influenced Paul Tierney’s final ruling.
Put simply, many have put it down to whether or not it’s a hair pull/grab and how much of a tug the opponent felt.
Yorkshire-born striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin said in an interview after the whistle: “I don’t make the rules. I told the referee that my hair was pulled.”
Clearly, Carrick is far from the only one who thinks it was a “shocking” call from the officials, either.
Several pundits argued that it was “harsh” to send off ‘Licha’, with even old foes like former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher stating live on Sky Sports’ MNF analysis of the game: “I think everybody in the game is looking at that and thinking, ‘Oh, come on. That is not a red card. Behave yourself!
As the current interim Man United boss – on whom it remains to be seen whether or not he will get the job full-time – he was left visibly frustrated in his own post-match pressers, highlighting that there were other moments in the game that the referees missed or simply overlooked.
The Stretford finally saw their interim head coach make his emotions plain to see.
Fans online have cited other recent examples, such as Man City’s Antoine Semenyo having his hair pulled against Fulham just a couple of months ago, which went unpunished, as well as David Brooks getting away with only a booking for something similar on Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella back in January.
The general consensus in the stands on the night at Old Trafford, on social media in the aftermath, and indeed throughout the Premier League, is that supporters simply want more consistency when it comes to stuff like this.
Rule books change and get more complicated all the time; that’s just football, but if that is the way it will continue going, arbitrators like the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) have to uphold their own standards.
Now slapped with a three-match ban, Martinez had only just returned to the fold but will now be missing once again. Another absentee whose presence was clearly missed on the night was midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, though United fans will at least be relieved to hear his injury is nothing serious.
And that’s not the only positive update regarding the homegrown young star, either…
Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshots via YouTube)
Manchester
Two men charged with rape of teenage girl under 16 in Manchester city centre
Emily Sergeant
Two men have been charged with the rape of a teenager girl under 16 years of age in Manchester city centre.
Mario-Alexandru Ratou and Mario-Vifor Ratou, who are both Romanian nationals of no fixed abode, have been charged with rape of a girl aged under 16, while the latter was also charged with false imprisonment.
They were arrested last Tuesday (7 April 2026), Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed, after a report of rape at a flat in the Green Quarter area of the city earlier the same day.
A third man in his 20s was also arrested on suspicion of rape, but he has since been bailed pending further enquiries.
Speaking following the two men being charged this week, Chief Superintendent David Meeney, who is GMP’s City of Manchester District Commander, said: “Our priority is ensuring the girl, and her two friends who were with her at the time of the attack, continue to receive specialist support during this traumatic time, and as this case proceeds through the court.
“We know this will cause concern across our communities, however as criminal proceedings are now active, I urge the public not to speculate so the legal process can take its proper course for the girl and her family.
“We remain firmly committed to protecting young girls across Greater Manchester and to help people feel safe.
“I ask that the public continue to support us, so if you have any information that could help the investigation, please come forward and report it.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact police directly online or via 101, quoting incident 2436 of 07/04/2026 or details can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Daisy Jackson -
19th November 2025 
