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Hundreds of e-scooters coming to Rochdale for 12-month trial

Hundreds of e-scooters are coming to Rochdale before April as part of a 12-month trial - with the town council calling it 'the future'.

The Manc The Manc - 11th February 2021
Image: cottonbro / Pexels

Hundreds of e-scooters are set to arrive in Rochdale before April as part of a 12-month trial.

A recent report by Rochdale Online reveals that an electric scooter scheme has been signed off by the local council – with testing set to take place primarily in the town centre and railway station area.

Riders must have a provisional or full driving license to rent one of the vehicles – which will need to be returned to a designated parking point after use.

E-scooters will be limited to 15mph or less and banned from entering certain areas.

Image: Alexander Schimmeck / Unsplash

It is hoped that the introduction of e-scooters can ease congestion on public transport networks and lower emissions in Rochdale, with council members calling the mode of transportation “the future”.

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Councillor Sara Rowbotham, cabinet member for climate change and sustainability, said the pilot was about making sure e-scooter use was “safe and accessible”.

“We are going to keep our eye on it really closely and make sure it works and it works for everybody,” she added.

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Two e-scooter companies – Bolt and Zwings – are apparently set to launch bids to become involved in the Rochdale trial, with hundreds of vehicles being rolled out by mid-spring.

The prospect of e-scooters in Manchester was also considered last year, with the Department for Transport  already sanctioning trials in other parts of the UK.

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‘Christmas chaos’ on the cards as Manchester tram drivers vote on staging strike action next month

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant A Metrolink tram in Manchester city centre

There could be major disruption to festive travel in Greater Manchester next month, as hundreds of tram drivers are currently voting on whether to strike.

Almost 320 tram drivers are being balloted over working conditions and fears around fatigue.

The drivers – who are members of the union, Unite – all work for KeolisAmey Metrolink Limited at the Warwick Road South and Queens Road depots in Manchester – and they operate trams on all routes in Greater Manchester.

As it stands, the drivers’ shift patterns currently mean they have to work 450 hours over a 12-week period, which results in some having to work 50 hours on, followed by just two days off, then back into another 50-hour work pattern.

Drivers also have fewer rest days compared to all other operational departments, and this is said to be causing safety concerns around fatigue.

‘Christmas chaos’ is on the cards as Manchester tram drivers are currently voting on staging strike action next month / Credit: TfGM

Drivers say they concerned about operating heavy vehicles while exhausted and unable to have proper breaks, but after raising the issue with management, Unite has been told there is ‘no funding available’ to support any ‘meaningful’ improvements to working patterns.

Instead, management has asked drivers to start work earlier – which Unite says is only ‘adding insult to injury’.

The ballot is set to close on 11 November, and if drivers vote in favour of industrial action, strikes could then begin in late November, causing widespread cancellations and delays throughout the region during the busy festive shopping period – particularly coinciding with Manchester’s world-famous Christmas Markets, known for attracting millions of visitors to the city each year.

“Any strike action will cause a great deal of disruption but it is entirely the fault of Metrolink, which is not taking the issue of driver fatigue seriously,” commented Unite Regional Officer, Colin Hayden.

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“It is dangerous for fatigued workers to be driving trams and they should not be put in this situation.

“We are demanding that Metrolink and Transport for Greater Manchester work with Unite to find a solution to this problem to avoid industrial action.”

Featured Image – Janus Boye

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A local Manc content creator is looking to set a world record by running around Old Trafford

Danny Jones Danny Jones Man United fan runs laps around Old Trafford for charity in world record attempt

A local content creator, who specialises in running/hiking content (and sandwiches), is looking to raise money and potentially set a world record by jogging around Old Trafford.

Oh, and by jogging, we mean running – for a really, REALLY long time…

If you’ve never come across his channel before, let us introduce you to local influencer and videographer Sam Matthew, a.k.a. ‘Peaks and Pubs‘.

Boasting plenty of fans on both Instagram and TikTok within the world of trail running, the outdoors community and beyond, he’s set to toast reaching a very specific achievement by “turning a milestone into a mission” and doing laps around Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United Football Club.

As explained in the video, he’s now surpassed 74,310 followers, i.e. the same capacity of supporters you can fit inside the Theatre of Dreams itself.

We know, it’s distance running and feats of endurance aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but they are a great way of raising money and awareness, not to mention possibly getting yourself in the official Guinness Book of World Records.

Explaining the challenge in the caption of the video, Sam writes: “There’s now enough of you lot following this daft account of mine on here to fill a stadium I’ve adored since I was a little boy. And that genuinely means so much to me.

“So why not celebrate the occasion by punishing my legs and raising money for good causes along the way? Donations are, of course, the aim, but I understand that not everybody is in the position to do that, so any engagement on this post is hugely appreciated.

“I mean it from the bottom of my heart that you lot genuinely make this all happen for me, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I get to do silly stuff like this on a random Wednesday [29 October]. Giving off pure ‘your unemployed friend on a Wednesday’ vibes, but I love it!”

Raising money for the club’s in-house Manchester United Foundation, which has already shown its support for the upcoming ultra-marathon distance event, they are also looking to generate crucial funds with the return of another annual charity event too.

Manchester United’s Stadium Sleep Out returns for 2025
The Foundation does some incredible work all year-round, if you’d rather swap running around Old Trafford for sleeping.

Once again, Sam will be kicking off the serious step-count from approximately 9am this Wednesday (28 Oct), he’s estimating it’ll take him around a whopping nine and a half hours, “with plenty of breaks for food and fluids”, thank god.

As the man behind most of the Bada Bing videos, we expect plenty of butties to fuel the running.

Furthermore, although he’s set to take on the distance solo for the morning, he’s invited as many people who fancy getting involved to come and join him for a lap or two from 12 noon onwards; hopefully, he’ll see the Guinness people popping along to see if he registers a world record while he’s at it, too.

We hope there are a few pints at the pub waiting for you at the end, as always, Sam.

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Featured Images — Peaks and Pubs (supplied)/The Manc Group

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