The public is being asked for their thoughts on plans to widen the pavements and reduce road widths on a handful of major streets in Manchester city centre.
It’s part of new pedestrian-friendly plans to improve the A34 Salford to Cooper Street corridor.
The stretch of road is one that runs straight through Manchester, and starts from the beginning of the A34 in Salford, right to the junction of Cooper Street – which is adjacent to the Old Town Hall and Cenotaph in the city centre.
Bridge Street, John Dalton Street, and Princess Street and just some of the major roads which form part of the major thoroughfare.
Manchester City Council has described it as a “vital link” in the city centre’s highway network, as it includes several key destinations along the route – including the Town Hall, Albert Square, Manchester Courts, and Salford Central railway station.
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This is why Councillors are keen to improve the stretch and make it safer for pedestrians.
The Council wants to widen pavements and reduce road width on these major Manchester city centre streets / Credit: Google Maps
As part of the Council’s long-term ambition for 90% of peak morning trips into the city centre to be made either by foot, cycle, or public transport before 2040 arrives, a wide range of options are now being explored on how progress can be made on that ambition over the coming years.
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Some of these suggested plans include providing more space on pavements for people to walk, widening of pedestrian crossings, new controlled crossings, improving bus stops by increasing space for people to wait, and overall helping public transport to flow more smoothly through the city centre.
Another one of the major potential plans put forward by the Council would be to reduce road widths and traffic speeds in a bid to encourage drivers to park and stop elsewhere.
Overall, the Council says it wants to create more “pleasant spaces” for people to spend time in and walk through to key city centre destinations.
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It’s part of new pedestrian-friendly plans to improve the A34 Salford to Cooper Street corridor / Credit: Google Maps
“We have lofty ambitions on how we can make the city a vibrant and attractive place to work, visit, and live,” explained Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Environment and Transport at Manchester City Council, as the plans have gone out for consultation this week.
“As part of that, we have to be bold in making changes which will help us improve air quality, as well as improve the experience of people who travel through the city centre. We are in the early stages of a developing a plan for the A34, so I would encourage everyone to look through our plans and make their opinions known to us.”
“Manchester city centre is for everyone which is why we want to hear from as many people as possible.”
The public consultation on the A34 Salford to Cooper Street corridor is now live and open for people to have their say, both in person and online – with local residents, in particular, urged to share their thoughts on the proposed chances.
Find out more on the Manchester City Council website here.
Featured Image – Google Maps
News
Further disruption expected as more bus strikes announced across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Further disruption is expected as even more bus strikes have been announced across Greater Manchester this autumn.
It comes after the strikes set to place this month from 19 to 22 September were announced a couple of weeks back, and now a second round will take place towards the end of this month and going into early October.
In case this is the first you’re hearing of the upcoming industrial action, 2,000 workers who are employed by Stagecoach, Metroline Manchester, and First Bus Rochdale – all of which are firms among those that make up the bus part of the Bee Network – are due to walk out in a co-ordinated strike amid an ongoing pay dispute.
Unite the Union says all the firms are ‘highly profitable’ and it’s therefore ‘disappointing’ that workers are being denied a fair wage.
More strikes have been announced on the Bee Network this month / Credit: TfGM
At Stagecoach, around 1,000 drivers based across the Oldham, Stockport, and Middleton depots have rejected a pay offer of 3.5%, and 1,000 Metroline Manchester members will also do the same after turning down an ‘unsatisfactory’ below-inflation pay offer.
Workers at both Metroline and Stagecoach believe the offer doesn’t address years of low pay they’ve recieved, especially given the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Then, over at First Bus Rochdale, 110 members have rejected this year’s pay offer of 6%, as they feel this does not go far enough to address the fact they’ve had years of being paid less than their counterparts at other companies, and are still the lowest paid in the region.
Stagecoach, Metroline, and First Bus Rochdale, part of First Group PLC, are all firms which have seen a rise in profits in recent years.
2,000 drivers are set to stage strike action over two different periods / Credit: TfGM
The second round of strikes will now take place from from 30 September to 2 October.
Speaking ahead of both sets of upcoming strikes, Unite General Secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “These companies are very profitable but are putting greed over their hardworking members of staff.
“Further strike action will be extremely disruptive, however this is a dispute entirely of the bus companies’ making and they could solve it easily by coming back with a better deal.
“Our members involved in the dispute have Unite’s complete support.”
Unite Regional Officer, Colin Hayden, added: “The strikes this week as well as the further action we have called will cause travel chaos in Greater Manchester. However, it is entirely the fault of the employers involved, who have failed to address the issue of low pay and reward their staff accordingly.
“Unite is not afraid to escalate to more strikes, which will only intensify going forward.
“It is time for the employers to make an offer that is acceptable to our members to resolve this disruption.”
Featured Image – TfGM
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Police appeal after Bolton woman, 24, dies in collision following suspected ‘medical episode’
Emily Sergeant
An appeal for information and witnesses has been issued following a fatal collision in Bolton earlier this week.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that at around 7pm on Tuesday (16 September), a car was travelling eastbound along Chorley Old Road, near to the Horwich area of Bolton, when it is believed to have lost control and collided with a wall.
Sadly, the driver of the car – a woman aged 24 – died at the scene, and it is believed she may have had a suspected ‘medical episode’.
No other vehicles were involved in the shocking incident.
#APPEAL | Officers are appealing for information following a fatal traffic collision in Bolton yesterday evening (16 September 2025).
The road was closed for large part of Tuesday evening, close to the junctions with Old Kiln Lane and Walker Fold Road – with at least six police cars reported to be in attendance at one point, as well as several paramedics and even an air ambulance.
Police are still investigating the full circumstances of the collision, and are now asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident to get in touch.
This also includes anyone with dashcam, CCTV, or doorbell footage which capturing the collision.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd February 2024 
