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
UK passes bill to ban everyone born after 2008 from smoking in ‘historic’ moment
Emily Sergeant
In what is described as being a ‘historic moment’, the UK has now passed a bill to ban everyone born after 2008 from ever buying tobacco products.
It’s been a long time coming, but the final draft of the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill completed its journey through the Houses of Commons and Lords yesterday (21 April 2026), and is now on its way to receiving royal assent to officially become the law.
For those unfamiliar, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will stop people who were born on or after 1 January 2009 from ever taking up smoking.
It will also give Government ministers new powers to regulate tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products – including their flavours and packaging, which make them more appealing to younger generations.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has hailed the bill’s passing as a ‘historic moment for the nation’s health’ on the road to creating a smoke-free generation.
The UK has passed a bill to ban everyone born after 2008 from smoking / Credit: Lil Artsy (via Pexels)
“Children in the UK will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm,” Mr Streeting said after the bill was passed this week.
“Prevention is better than cure. This reform will save lives, ease pressure on the NHS, and build a healthier Britain.”
The ban on purchasing tobacco products for those born after 2008 was first mooted by Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Government a number of years back, but was eventually shelved ahead of the 2024 General Election, and then revived again by Labour when they took power.
The bill’s passing parliament has been welcomed by charities and campaign groups – most notably Cancer Research UK.
“This is a historic achievement that will shield our children from the devastating grip of tobacco addiction and help to put an end to cancers caused by smoking,” concluded Michelle Mitchell, who is the Chief Executive Officer at Cancer Research.
Featured Image – Pxhere
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The route for the 2027 Tour de France Femmes revealed ahead of Manchester debut
Danny Jones
The route for next year’s women’s historic Tour de France has been announced, with some of the best riders in the world set to pass through Greater Manchester and more.
Yet another big coup for the region and our sporting scene.
Speaking with the City Council, now that the full route has been revealed, our very own Dame Sarah Storey joined many in celebrating another huge moment for us; the female Tour de France is not just back up and running, but aiming to become bigger than ever.
🚴♀️ The world’s best cyclists are heading to Manchester! 🚴♀️
The routes for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2027 have now been revealed, with Manchester set to host the Stage One finish on Friday 30 July and the Stage Two start on Saturday 31 July. pic.twitter.com/OMMlhdorqP
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) April 21, 2026
The Stockport-born swimmer turned Team GB cyclist and multi-Olympic gold medallist knows all about what makes this particular sport special, having swapped a previous and highly successful career for an entirely different discipline.
As has now been fully confirmed, the 2027 Grand Départ will be getting underway with our friends in Leeds, before heading through Yorkshire and into Greater Manchester.
Upon entering our neck of the woods, the course will pass through the likes of Rochdale and Oldham into Manchester city centre, before heading into Stockport and neighbouring North West county, Derbyshire, and finally heading back through the Peaks.
Spread across two incredible days, the race itself will finish in Sheffield, with another UK first happening down in London, as the capital will also host the inaugural team time trial held in this country.
You can see the official event’s breakdown of what locations feature in which stages of ‘The Big Loop’ in more detail below.
Leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig, went on to add: “Being able to watch the world’s best cyclists in action and in such an iconic event, taking place right here on our doorstep in the heart of Manchester next summer, is going to be epic on so many levels.
“Championing women and girls to participate in and enjoy sports – including cycling – at all levels from entry through to elite, is really important to us and next year’s Tour de France Femmes is set to play a huge part in helping inspire the next generation of sporting talent from our city.
“With millions of spectators expected to line the routes, including here in the city centre, we’ll be going all out to help ensure the event’s success with what is set to be a ‘Tour takeover’ of the city to maximise opportunities for local people and businesses to get involved, to grow their own sporting skills, and to take part in the many community activities being planned.”
Having hosted everything from the BRITs and the MOBO Awards to another Super League Grand Finals in both netball and rugby, not to mention numerous other huge events over the past couple of years, it truly is a great time to be living in Greater Manchester.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd February 2024 
