Greater Manchester is seemingly leading the way when it comes to the gradual switch to electric cars across the country.
That’s according to global firm Howden Insurance and data pulled directly from the Department for Transport, anyway; they say that the region is at the forefront of the move away from traditional motoring, with the most electric cars of any place in the UK.
Using stats from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), there are more electric cars registered to drivers in Greater Manchester than any other British county, noting the most marked growing trend between 2009 and 2023.
In fact, over the course of that 12-year period, a total of 1,045,910 plug-in vehicles were registered by UK drivers, making up nearly a tenth of the roughly 13.5 million electric cars.
Breaking it down even more, specifically, Stockport was the town with the highest number of registered electric cars, boasting a total of 837,067 plug-ins, which itself makes up around 80% of the entire local authority’s EVs.
ADVERTISEMENT
And for the many of you that we’re sure are still saying ‘that’s Cheshire‘ – give it a rest.
Outer London came in second with just over 908k registered electric vehicles and our mates over in West Yorkshire landed the number three spot with around 625k, with The Hoot‘s hometown of Leeds welcoming electric cars the most (487,775 registered EVs).
ADVERTISEMENT
You can see the top 10 in the electric vehicle league table down below and consult the rest of the official government stats HERE.
Rank
Region
Number of plug-in cars registered between 2009 and 2023
1
Greater Manchester
1,045,910
2
Outer London
908,775
3
West Yorkshire
625,234
4
Inner London
620,365
5
West Midlands
580,289
6
Swindon
493,623
7
Milton Keynes
489,533
8
Slough
489,444
9
Peterborough
485,998
10
South Gloucestershire
333,315
The plug-in cars included all fuel types, body types and keepership types. (Credit: Howden Insurance)
A spokesperson for Howden commented on the findings: “With greater awareness of the impact of petrol and diesel vehicles on the planet, many local authorities are proposing to introduce clean air schemes.
“With the cost-efficiency of electric cars and local governments introducing EV benefits, interest in electric vehicles or low-emission vehicles has soared in the UK.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Areas such as the West Midlands and West Yorkshire have Clean Air Zones in Birmingham and Bradford, so these areas have invested more in EV charging points than other areas have done in order to accommodate electric vehicles.
Are you an electric car owner in Greater Manchester and would you recommend others to make the switch now or in the near future?
Full list of road closures set to be in place for Manchester Day 2024
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Day is back for 2024 this weekend, and the full list of road closures set to be in place has been confirmed.
Now that schools are officially out across Greater Manchester, and the summer holidays are well and truly here, the hugely-popular Manchester Day is making a return once again this Saturday 27 July, and as always, it’s set to be “the day summer officially starts” in the city centre – with a massive celebration of “all things Mancunian” on the cards.
The theme of this year’s annual event is ‘Let The Games Begin’, and it’s inspired by the international summer of sport, just 2024 Olympics kicks off over in Paris.
The day will be packed full of free events and activities to get involved with.
Some city centre roads will be closed on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 July for Manchester Day.
These will include:
🛣️Deansgate 🛣️St Ann Street 🛣️St Mary’s Gate 🛣️Market Street 🛣️King Street
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) July 21, 2024
But of course, in order for the all the fun to go ahead as safely as possible, and as tends to be the case for events like these, Manchester City Council says it will need to make some temporary road closures to facilitate it.
The full list of road closures has now been confirmed by the Council, and there’s some major city centre thoroughfares set to be out of action.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Manchester Day is back for 2024 to celebrate the international summer of sport / Credit: Manchester City Council
Manchester Day 2024 – Road Closures
Saturday 27 July
From 6am to 11:59pm, Manchester City Council has confirmed that the following roads will be closed:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street) – access will be maintained to Marks and Spencer’s car park and Number One Deansgate.
St Ann Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street (Cross Street to Deansgate) – no access for deliveries.
All accessible bays, bus lanes, and taxi ranks within the closed areas will also be suspended during from 6pm on Friday 26 July to 11:59pm on Saturday 27 July.
The parking suspensions set to be in place are:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street)
St Ann Street – including the bays outside St Ann’s Church (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Southgate (St Mary’s Street to King Street West)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Victoria Street (Cathedral Approach to Deansgate)
Todd Street (Corporation Street to Station Approach)
King Street (Spring Gardens to Southgate)
South King Street (Ridgefield to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street West (Deansgate to St Mary’s Parsonage)
St James’s Square (John Dalton Street to South King Street)
Cross Street (King Street to Corporation Street)
Museum Street (Peter Street to Windmill Street)
Marsden Street (Cheapside to Brown Street)
Manchester Day 2024: Let The Games Begin! will take over the city centre on Saturday 27 July from 12pm-6pm.
Check out everything you need to know ahead of the event here.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete
Emily Sergeant
Work currently underway on the Rochdale via Oldham line is expected to take several weeks to complete.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has confirmed that land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has now “slowed”, and this means that detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works have been able to get underway.
In order for trams to run again on the crucial line from the city centre to the two major Greater Manchester towns, TfGM says that a small section of track has to be moved back – also known as ‘slewed’ – into its original position.
The overhead line poles also need to be repaired too, the transport operator revealed.
Rochdale line update
Land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has slowed, enabling detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works to get underway.
To get trams running again, a small section of track has to be moved back into its original position… pic.twitter.com/byERjitdi1
Unfortunately though, due to the “complex” nature of these works, and despite the fact that TfGM says it’s actively looking to “accelerate” the repairs, the project is expected to take up to five weeks to complete in full.
On top of this, the detailed ground investigations will also establish whether any further work to strengthen foundations beneath the track will be needed at a later date.
TfGM has apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete / Credit: TfGM
Speaking on the scale of works currently underway, and how long he expects them to continue for, Pete Sommers, who is TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink, said: “I’m sorry for the impact this is having, and will continue to have, on people’s journeys.
“We are working to get trams running through the area again, but this remains a complex and challenging issue and it could still be a few weeks before this happens.
“We will of course keep passengers updated, and I’d encourage people to check our social media channels and website for the latest information and advice.”