Cyclists have been taking to social media over to express frustration at the ongoing pavement parking problems in Manchester city centre.
It comes after a frustrated cyclist shared a video this weekend documenting himself in a “traffic jam on a pavement” at a busy part of Oxford Road near All Saints Park, Manchester Metropolitan University, and a number of fast food outlets and takeaways.
The short video appeared to show a group of cars – both attended and un-attended – parked up on a wider part of the pavement.
Now it has lead many cyclists and cycling advocates to brand the particular area “horrendous” and “ridiculous” following the release of the footage and are urging the police to employ more “regular enforcement” to manage and rectify the issue going forward.
Twitter user @HarryHamishGray, who shared the video to the platform, also called out Greater Manchester Police and asked “can we have our pavement back please?”
He also called for bollards to be installed at the location as soon as possible.
Welcome to Manchester – we do things differently around here, traffic jams on pavements pic.twitter.com/T5vR8QgFDW
Mr Gray also stated in a follow-up tweet that: “The police are here too, no fines being issued”.
The video has amassed hundreds of likes and retweets since posting, with many too expressing their disbelief and frustration at the footage, as well going on to create a further discussion on the plans to create wider and safer accessibility for cyclists across Greater Manchester.
Criticism was also expressed at the lack of permanent action and enforcement being taken by authorities.
The discussion comes after recent hit-back from residents across the region last week at the instalment of pop-up cycling lanes across the region.
It also follows the announcement last month that a new £85m cycling project has been outlined – dubbed the Bee Network – which will bring 55 miles of protected routes and 140 new crossings to roads throughout Greater Manchester by the end of 2021.
Greater Manchester Police appears yet to formally issue a statement on the matter addressed in the video.
However @gmptraffic did respond on Twitter asking for confirmation of the location of the incident, and agreed that “enforcement is short term [and] it needs a long term plan” such as “bollards in place”. It also went on to reassure members of the public that it is looking to “deploy some resources where [it] can the weekend”.
@cyclinggrump Hi, I’ll be honest it never will no matter how much we do. Enforcement is short term it needs a long term plan I.e bollards in place. I’ll look to deploy some resources where I can at weekend.
The full discussion can be accessed via the Twitter thread here.
You can find more information about cycling in Greater Manchester via the TfGM website here.
Trending
Viral Manchester beauty brand P. Louise to open first ever flagship store in Trafford Palazzo
Thomas Melia
Beauty brand and viral cosmetics giant P. Louise has announced her first ever flagship store, and it’s opening at Trafford Palazzo.
Droylsden-born beauty guru, turned makeup mogul, P. Louise, is opening her first ever flagship store in Manchester in one of the region’s biggest shopping centres.
Titled P. Louise City, the pastel pink viral cosmetics company is launching its very-first physical site in Trafford Palazzo.
The beauty brand has become a social media sensation, as well as a Greater Manchester hotspot thanks to its P. Louise Empire headquarters located in Stockport.
This pink-furnished warehouse site offers customers an immersive experience with makeover sessions, shopping DIY activities, a cafe, and lots of photo opportunities.
The upcoming P. Louise City is set to build off this success with a 19,000 sq ft store that houses a variety of distinctive zones with iconic names.
You’ll be able to quench your thirst at the ‘Bad B*tch Juice Bar’, find all the latest pink-hued goodies at ‘Juicy News’, and pick up all your essentials at the ‘P. Louise Supermarket’.
P. Louise may not be a medical company, but her ‘P. Louise Pharmacy’ will cure all your retail therapy needs, and although many of her fans already knew her products were liquid gold, the ‘P. Louise Vault’ definitely confirms this.
As well as lots of shopping areas throughout this massive Trafford Palazzo site, there will be lots of hands-on activities – including makeup education zones, and even a dancefloor to bust a move or two.
P. Louise is set to open its first ever flagship store titled P. Louise City in Trafford Palazzo / Credit: Supplied
In an Instagram post on her personal social media account she calls this physical store ‘a dream come true’, adding: “[It’s] truly a pinch me moment – here’s to my next chapter”.
Featured Images – Press Shots / @plouise1 via Instagram
Trending
The man saving Manchester’s city pigeons from ‘stringfoot’
Daisy Jackson
A man has been patrolling the streets of Manchester to save our city’s pigeons from a condition known as ‘stringfoot’.
We all walk past hundreds of the birds every day in the city centre and they often get a bad rap – but one now-viral TikTok account is hoping to change all that.
In a series of heartwarming videos, one man has been heading out in his free time to treat pigeons afflicted with the dreaded ‘stringfoot’.
It’s a common sight now to see pigeons missing toes or walking around Manchester on deformed feet, which is often caused when the poor birds become tangled up in foreign matter.
Sometimes this is bits of string, plastic, thread, hair or a number of other things usually dropped by humans.
But with quick intervention from Tom, he can save these pigeons from a life of limping around town.
He’s been heading out armed with bags of seed to lure groups of pigeons close to him, before carefully catching the afflicted animal and carefully cutting away the material around its foot.
He uses things like stitch pickers to remove the thread, before cleaning up the pigeon’s foot with saline spray and antiseptic and gently releasing them again.
Tom said he started helping pigeons ‘sort of by accident’ when a bird with stringfoot came up to his flat.
In one month alone, he was able to catch and treat 15 pigeons, saving them from infection and injury.
And the account is getting lots of love and driving awareness for stringfoot and changing people’s perception of pigeons.
One person wrote on one of Tom’s videos: “We did pigeons so wrong as a society. Thanks for helping!”
Another said: “Pigeons Are NOT TRASH, they are a birds, who need help like cats, dogs and every living animals.”
And someone else commented: “These sort of videos make me cry because we’re so mean to pigeons, this might be the first time someone’s done something kind to them.”
You can find out more on how to help pigeons in your area HERE.
The Manc -
30th November 2020 
