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?”
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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”.
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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.
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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.
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Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
You can now have a private sleepover amongst all the history inside Manchester Museum
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Museum is now offering one lucky family the chance to have a sleepover with Stan the Tyrannosaurus rex.
For the first time in Manchester Museum’s history, one lucky family will be given the chance to experience an incredible night at the museum.
This unique opportunity is being offered as part of a prize draw, allowing visitors to find out what happens once the sun goes down inside the Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery – in the company of Stan, the famous Tyrannosaurus rex, of course.
The Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery is one of the most iconic spaces within Manchester Museum.
Having opened to the public all the way back in 1888, it’s part of the museum’s original building designed by celebrated Alfred Waterhouse, who also designed Manchester Town Hall and London’s Natural History Museum.
Not only will the lucky winning family enjoy an overnight stay in the gallery, but they’ll also be treated to a guided torchlight tour of the galleries after the Museum has closed, as well as other fun activities and a film screening too before bed.
You can now have a private sleepover inside Manchester Museum / Credit: The Manc Group
“We can’t be completely sure what happens when the sun goes down in our Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery, because nobody has ever spent the night in there before, but we can only imagine the kind of fun that can be had with Stan the T. rex and his friends,” said Dean Whiteside, Head of Commercial and Operations at Manchester Museum.
“This is a chance to be a part of museum history and enjoy the kind of once-in-a-lifetime experience you can’t usually buy.
“At the same time, Manchester Museum is a charity so, by getting behind this initiative, you’ll be helping to support vital work that impacts the lives of people across Greater Manchester and beyond.”
Fancy it then? You can enter the prize draw by buying a ticket for £5 from the Manchester Museum Shop, with each ticket counting as one entry and the winner set to be chosen at random from all valid entries.
The prize draw is now open and closes on Monday 28 September 2026.
The Manc -
30th November 2020 
