When traveling on the tram in Manchester, the rules are clear.
Dogs are banned and have been since the Metrolink’s inception in 1992, with the exception of assistance dogs and pets being taken to/fromx the PDSA charity in Old Trafford.
Justifications for retaining the ban today include concerns regarding passenger safety, fouling, damage to trams, animals’ behaviour, delays and people with allergies. But for the majority of Manchester’s dog owners (and dog lovers), the whole thing seems rather ridiculous.
After all, if you can get the train (or bus) in with them – why can’t you then get on the tram? Those living in an outer borough (or even further afield) might not even realise this isn’t allowed until after they’ve already got into Manchester. It’s definitely been my experience, and it’s maddening.
There’s been a number of campaigns over the years to lift the ban, but we think that now – following a series of lockdowns where more people than ever have gone and got themselves a furry friend – is the time to make it happen.
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Metrolink
The first campaign to nudge against the reinforced door of Metrolink’s stubbornness came in 2014. A local change.org petition was created and amassed over 1,000 signatures, forcing Metrolink to agree to a review in 2013 – the first time such a thing had even been considered in the tram’s history.
That consultation involved 2,400 participants, surveying them through a mix of online and passenger surveys.
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The results? After a delay of four months in releasing its findings, TfGM Committee Report for Resolution in November 2015 revealed only 28% of Mancunians actually supported the current ban, with 43% in favour of allowing dogs to travel – if certain rules were met.
At the time, these included being on a lead, paying a child fare, traveling off-peak, and keeping off seats.
The remaining 29% supported dogs travelling at any time without restrictions – meaning that 72% were in favour. Begging the question, if most people are supportive of the move then why are dogs still banned today?
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Greater Good Science Centre
Fast forward to 2015, and we find Lib Dem Councillor Iain Roberts fighting in our dogs’ corner.
Six years ago, the Stockport lead for TGfM campaigned hard for a trial run that would allow caged dogs to ride in carriages – overkill in our opinion. (In fact, we’d argue perhaps a few of the people traveling on the tram might benefit from the occasional cage, too).
In Roberts’ defense, though, at least he was trying. At the time, he told The MEN: “Until now, TfGM has always refused even to conduct a trial. I am very pleased the Lib Dem campaign is making progress.”
It’s not clear if those cages would have been supplied by dog owners or by Metrolink themselves, but it does seem that there was a proposed limit of one container per passenger.
This sort of proposal kind of reminds us of the NYC ‘dogs in bags’ debacle, in that it doesn’t really make much practical sense – and it’s the sort of thing us Mancs would love to defy.
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Here’s why. The idea of caging a dog might alleviate the fears of some passengers, but inevitably in practice all this serves to do is stress dogs out – making the whole thing a lot worse for all passengers, dog lovers or not, in the long term.
Just like we saw Dobermans wearing IKEA bags in New York, we expect it wouldn’t have been long until Mancs started getting equally creative with these cages.
38 Degrees
In fact, we know for a fact many owners already do twist the existing rules – often putting assistance dog harnesses on their pups to get around the tram’s accessibility exemption for guide and hearing dogs.
Good intentions or not, Roberts’ careful plans were also rejected by Metrolink at a second bylaw review – despite support from RSPCA bosses at the time who said it would be beneficial for the animals if fewer pets were left at home all day.
2018 saw another failed attempt at overturning the ban, this time by local dog owners Adam Wilcox and Sam Elphick with a petition that gained nearly 7,000 signatures. The pair accused Transport for Greater Manchester of discriminating against dog owners, given that services elsewhere in the country don’t bother imposing such restrictions.
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The Met’s justification for upholding the ban today seems to be centered around a risk assessment from 2015, which relies heavily on the excuse that “Metrolink operates as a high-frequency, high-volume, unstaffed system and there is no representative on board to assess the potential risk posed by animals.”
@Sad_Dog123@OfficialTfGM Hi there. A consultation regarding this was held a couple of years ago and the majority answer came back that dogs shouldn't be allowed other than assistance dogs. Services can get very busy and safety of all passengers is priority. Thanks.
— Manchester Metrolink 🚊 😷 (@MCRMetrolink) May 14, 2021
This is what Councillor Andrew Fender, then-chair of the TfGM Committee, argued at the last review. But we’d dare to venture that things have moved on quite significantly since then.
New measures introduced due to Covid make this argument much less compelling today, given that Manchester Metrolink has now significantly upped the number of staff on the services it runs across the city.
The tram is also now running “double units” at ten-minute intervals to ensure social distancing on trams – proving that when there’s a will for change, there’s a way.
Perhaps someone at the met just really doesn’t like dogs? At this point, we really don’t understand why else this outdated bylaw is still in play.
Come on, Metrolink – now’s the time to turn it around and make yourselves popular with Manchester’s dog owners again. We’re slowly becoming the majority, after all.
News
You can live in a Greater Manchester manor house from the 1700s
Thomas Melia
There’s a manor house which dates back to the 1700s that’s just gone on the market in Greater Manchester.
Now, obviously, we know Manchester is the best place on Earth and, naturally, people have been wanting to live here since the 18th century (and even earlier).
Westerhill House in Ashton is a property that dates back to 1764, and now you could be the next lucky owner to live in this five-bedroom property, which really is a piece of living history.
The legacy of this property spans more than just this country house site, as the previous tenants – who inhabited the house until 1964 – actually provided the rivets for the Eiffel Tower on behalf of their company, Park Bridge Ironworks.
The grand entrance to this 1700’s manor house in Ashton.The hamlet in which this Greater Manchester property resides.Credit: On The Market
One particular room in this manor house features the work of a well-known Mancunian architect, Donald Reeve Buttress, who spent more than a decade at Westminster Abbey until his departure in 1999.
On the estate agent’s website, each room is described as being individually detailed with its specific role in the house, and if you think you don’t have enough space for all your stuff, think again.
This 1700s character manor house has a room for just about anything you could possibly think of, including a billiard room (posh word for pool) and a wine cellar – I know which room I’ll be accidentally getting myself locked in once a week…
This Ashton historical property spans three floors, with the downstairs being the smallest in size with only one room, while the ground floor boasts 10 and the first floor has eight designated rooms.
As you enter the living space, there is an entrance hall that leads to a bigger hall and a staircase; meanwhile, there is a breakout room immediately on the right side leading to a toilet and a dedicated boot room. Handy.
On your left-hand side as you step through the front door, there is another bigger breakout room which hosts the impressive billiard room and seating area, which is a considerably large space.
The conservatory designed by architect from Westminster Abbey.The main hall which leads to various rooms in this 1700s Ashton manor house.Credit: Supplied
Step through to the main hall and you’ll find doors leading to the dining room, kitchen space and a lounge which has an adjoining conservatory.
It’s this very conservatory that was designed by none other than Buttress himself, who worked at Westminster Abbey for 11 years as the ‘Surveyor of the Fabric’.
Any loyal Ashtonians will also be impressed with the stained glass window in the inner hallway, which also happens to contain a depiction of the ‘Black Knight of Ashton-Under-Lyne‘.
Moving upstairs, you find a wide landing which leads to all four bedrooms and three bathrooms, two of which are en-suites.
This 1700s manor house is currently listed for offers in the region of £750,000, and although it may be historic in age and interior, in terms of broadband, the property apparently has super-fast broadband.
The billiard room with adjoining seating area.Curved seating area overlooking the stunning garden space.
Ever get bored of looking around this magnificent and interesting mansion’s four walls? This house is situated in a lovely hamlet located close to Daisy Nook Country Park.
Of course, we understand that a lot of us reading certainly can’t afford a property of this nature, but when the manor house is rooted in this much history, it would be rude not to have a snoop on the official site.
Oh, and if that wasn’t enough browsing for you, there’s a three-bed coach house up for sale in this same exact Ashton hamlet, also dating back to the 1700s. Cool, right?
Travel warning issued as Manchester braces for busiest day of the year so far
Daisy Jackson
A ‘plan ahead’ travel warning has been issued for this weekend as the Manchester Marathon brings the busiest day of the year so far on the tram network.
Tens of thousands of people will hit the streets to take part in the race itself, with thousands more cheering them on from the sidelines.
This year’s Manchester Marathon route takes 36,000 runners through Sale, Stretford and Timperley before finishing up at a new finish line on Oxford Road – and there’ll be some big changes to your usual travel routes to accommodate this.
TfGM has said that Bee Network trams will be very busy before, during and after the 26.2 mile race, especially in Manchester and Trafford, with a number of road closures in place too.
Taking place on Sunday 27 April, the Manchester Marathon will coincide with Manchester’s popular St George’s Day parade which starts and ends across town around Oldham Road and Great Ancoats Street.
People are being encouraged to plan their journeys carefully this weekend, as it’s expected to be the busiest day of the year on the Bee Network trams.
The Manchester Marathon last year set a new personal best for the tram network, with 175,000 tram journeys racked up – the highest ever recorded on a single Sunday.
Trams will be the best choice to get around the Manchester Marathon course with key stops along the route including Sale, Timperley and Chorlton.
Many road closures will also be in place but at different times of day, so make sure you check HERE for the latest.
This will impact bus services, which will be on diversion from 8am until the end of service on Sunday, with traffic and congestion expected on surrounding roads.
Runners heading to the start line will only be able to access the athletes’ village from Old Trafford and Trafford Bar tram stops up until 9am. Participants arriving after 9am should get off at Wharfside or Exchange Quay instead.
Metrolink is promising to deploy as many double trams as possible across the network, with additional services between Piccadilly and Timperley.
As for other modes of transport, those who wish to drive should make us of Park and Ride facilities where possible; and those on the train should note that Salford Central remains closed with bus replacements in place.
Danny Vaughan, Chief Network Director at TfGM said: “The Manchester Marathon is a highlight of the Manchester city centre calendar and our job is to make sure everyone can get to and from the event as smoothly as possible.
“We want everyone to have a great day – whether they are taking on the run themselves or cheering on a friend or loved one – and would urge people to plan their journey in advance, leave plenty of time and check the Bee Network app or website for the most up-to-date information.
“The start and finish lines will be especially busy so if you are coming to watch you may be better off catching the tram to Sale, Timperley or Chorlton, grabbing a coffee and claiming afront row seat to cheer runners on.
“Using public transport is the best way to avoid congestion and delays – and with Tap and Go contactless payments it’s never been easier or more seamless to get around Greater Manchester by bus and tram.”
Passengers can now travel seamlessly between bus and tram and pay for their journey by tapping on when boarding a bus without the need for a ticket, making it the quickest and easiest way to pay for travel.
People travelling on Bee Network buses on Marathon Day can simply tap in and pay £5 for the day on as many buses as they need and just £4.90 on the tram. You can use all Bee Network buses as much as you want all day from just £5.40*.
Kirsty Wilde, Operations Director, from Manchester Marathon organisers A.S.O. UK, said: “The TfGM tram service is an invaluable part of our event, which allows thousands of participants and supporters to navigate around the city. With a record-breaking 36,000 participants set to take part on Sunday 27th April – and more exciting activities taking place over the weekend as a whole – we’re anticipating a rise in tram journeys, which will subsequently bring economic benefits to local vendors, the hospitality sector, and retail businesses.
“We’d like to thank Transport for Greater Manchester for its continued hard work helping to facilitate what will be the largest event yet, and would also like to say a big thank you to the residents and businesses across Greater Manchester for their understanding and support.”