Manchester City Council has launched the second phase of proposed permanent traffic changes to Deansgate this week.
It comes alongside a fresh consultation to “understand public opinion”.
The pedestrianisation of the city centre’s major thoroughfare has long been the subject of debate, especially after the Council declared a ‘climate emergency’ in July 2019.
But the conversation was brought to the forefront after a section of the road between Blackfriars Street and King Street was closed to vehicles back in May 2020 to help with social distancing and support the economic recovery of the city after the first COVID-19 lockdown.
Since the road was first temporarily closed, Manchester City Council says that support has “remained strong” for these changes to be made permanent.
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The next phase of consultation on the proposed permanent changes to Deansgate is now open until 26 July, and we want to hear your thoughts on this important project.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) June 28, 2021
A previous consultation – which was launched back in September 2020 – found that the general public was “overwhelmingly supportive” of steps taken to fully close this key route.
Council leaders now say they are keen to build on that support “in the best way”.
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Currently, Deansgate is closed to general traffic yet open one way for buses and taxis only. Going forward, the Council is proposing to keep these current restrictions in place, while still allowing some access to these vital transport methods – but the authority is keen to hear the thoughts of Mancunians.
Do you think Deansgate should be closed to general traffic for good?
You can now have your say up until 26 July 2021.
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Deansgate could be partially and permanently pedestrianised / Image: David Dixon
Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment, said: “The Council as part of the City Centre Transport Strategy has for over 10 years sought to make real and lasting change in the city centre, altering the way so many of us travel in our day to day lives.
“We have been listening and will continue to do so as this consultation progresses as we want a city centre that works for all of our residents, visitors and businesses.
“The Council has bold ambitions to become carbon neutral by 2038, and radically increase the number of people walking and cycling or using public transport to travel to the city centre – 90% of peak morning journeys by 2040.
“Changes like this to Deansgate will lay the foundation we need to achieve these goals.
“I’d urge as many people as possible to take part in this consultation, and have your voice on Deansgate heard.”
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What changes are being proposed?
Some of the permanent changes being proposed by Manchester City Council in this latest round of consultation include access to the section of Deansgate between Blackfriars Street and King Street will be limited, except for open one-way travel in a southbound direction for buses, taxis and cycles.
Measures will be in place to improve pedestrian and cyclist usage and safety.
King Street to Quay Street will become permanently one-way only for all traffic, in a southbound direction with the northbound carriageway closed. A contraflow cycle lane will run for the length of Deansgate from Quay Street to Blackfriars Street in the closed off northbound carriageway.
St. Mary’s Parsonage will remain closed to traffic at its northern end to prevent traffic from diverting around the closed section of Deansgate.
The second phase of proposed permanent traffic changes to Deansgate has been launched this week / Credit: Manchester City Council
A bus gate will be created on Bridge Street after its junction at Left Bank, meaning that only buses, cycles and taxis will be able to drive out of the city centre across the River Irwell into Salford via this route – but traffic coming into the city is unaffected.
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Gartside Street between New College Street and Bridge Street will be one-way northbound with a segregated cycle route in a southbound direction.
Buses will be permitted to travel northwards on Cross Street, and general traffic will not be able to proceed any further than the junction with New Market.
You can have your say on the proposed plans via the Manchester City Council website here.
Featured Image – Geograph (David Dixon)
UK News
A rare piglet born at Chester Zoo could help save an entire species from extinction
Danny Jones
A very cute and rare new arrival at Chester Zoo could potentially save the animal’s future, and she might just be one of the cutest little piglets we’ve ever seen.
Say hello to Rana.
A tiny ‘babirusa’ – also sometimes referred to as the ‘pig-deer’ – Rana is an indigenous species found on just four small Indonesian islands, and one which is sadly on the verge of extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Part of the threat to the population is due to African Swine Fever (not to be confused with swine flu), which reached these islands around half a decade ago and could see these precious little pigs considered ‘critically endangered’ very soon. But Chester Zoo are working hard to prevent this outcome.
Born this summer, Rana is the baby of mother babirusa Matano, who was herself born at Chester Zoo over a decade ago.
Fast forward 11 years, and she has descendants living in zoos all across Europe, as well as a whole new generation of children here in the UK.
However, she is the first one born in some time, with this particular phylum only ever birthing one or two kids at a time as opposed to a litter like most other pigs.
Described as being like grapefruit “only with legs”, she may be small for now, but she’s growing fast and carries the weight of big hopes and expectations for the rest of her kind.
Chester Zoo conservationists are currently working with partners to protect wild babirusa populations through Action Indonesia‘s Global Species Management Plans.
Helping design camera-trapping projects to monitor babirusas on Sulawesi, and working with other organisations to locate and protect surviving numbers, the aim is to share conservation breeding expertise, with results so far having bred at least 17 babirusas towards national cooperative targets.
For context, only on two occasions were babirusas photographed in the wild during the entirety of 2023-24, hence why efforts have been ramped up even further over the past year or so.
Amy Humphreys, a conservationist at the zoo who is working with Action Indonesia, the country’s government and other groups to combat their decline and rescue this species, says we are in “a race against time” to save these omnivorous, ‘charismatic’ and intelligent pigs.
She goes on to add that “babirusas are important to island ecosystems as they drop seeds as they forage, helping forest regeneration, and they are a key indicator species for overall environmental health, but their situation is bleak.
“We risk losing a truly unique species, one that’s an important part of Indonesia’s cultural and natural heritage and one of the oldest pig species still living […] Rana’s arrival is worth celebrating; her birth is a chance to shine a light on babirusas and show people why they deserve protection.”
It’s uplifting and inspiring stories like this that constantly remind us why we’re fortunate we are to have the award-winning zoo and conservation centre in our region; and if you were wondering whether we’ll be booking a trip soon just in hopes of seeing little Rana running around, you’d be absolutely right.
North West comedy podcast set to ‘replace Live at the Apollo’ with FREE YouTube alternative
Danny Jones
Hit North West comedy podcast Have A Word has said that it will be “replacing” Live at the Apollo following the beloved British stand-up show being cancelled this past July.
The popular Have A Word pod is one of the biggest in the UK, not to mention boasting one of the biggest Patreon memberships around.
Famously described by executive producer and co-host Carl Reigler, as well as its most avid followers, as a ‘FREE podcast that more than 32,000 people still choose to pay for’, their in-house studio already puts out regular monthly specials, produces fellow comedians’ stand-up specials and other podcasts.
And now, it looks like they’re aiming to fill the void left by Live at the Apollo, stating that they “believe there needs to be a regular stand-up series that showcases the best comedians in the country.”
Sharing a lengthy statement on their social media accounts, they wrote: “A combination of big names and the comics you haven’t heard of yet that are about to become your new favourite. But maybe it doesn’t need to be on terrestrial TV anymore…
“We are going to create that show and release it on [their] YouTube. The platform is already being utilised for comics to self-release specials; however, this, we believe, will be the first series of its kind on the platform.”
Led by Scouse comic Adam Rowe and former Manchester resident turned ‘Beat The Frog’ co-founder Dan Nightingale – who we were lucky enough to talk to chat with back in 2022 – they’ve given guest appearances to countless up-and-coming stars on the modern circuit.
Nightingale, who also founded the infamous ‘Beat The Frog’ format at the Frog and Bucket in the Northern Quarter, also compères regular nights as part of the Comedians Club Chester, providing even more opportunities for rising stars within the genre to get up on stage.
They go on to say, “We want to use the channel we’ve built to give comics an opportunity to do their stuff without the shackles and censorship that naturally come with broadcast TV. We believe there needs to be a regular stand-up series that showcases the best comedians in the country.
“A combination of big names and the comics you haven’t heard of yet that are about to become your new favourite. But maybe it doesn’t need to be on terrestrial TV anymore…”
In case you missed the news and how the unfortunate axing has come about (besides digital entertainment and streaming becoming increasingly dominant), you can find the full story down below.
22 years of spotlighting stand-up stars from all over.
Circling back to the mission statement from the pod crew, they signed off by adding, “This is the most excited we have been about a project for quite some time.”
“We cannot wait to show you what we do with this.”
Speaking on their most recent Patreon exclusive episode, Rowe went on to detail that they will be running the new live and straight-to-digital show from grassroots comedy venues, promising that the duo will not only MC, but also perform new material and spotlight at least two other talents on every episode.
The outpouring of support for the project has already begun, with plenty of fellow comics, podcast listeners, comedy fans and more praising the idea in the comments, racking up hundreds of responses and more than 12.7k comments on their Instagram alone.
What do you make of the plans to become ‘the new home’ of live comedy broadcasting?
Meanwhile, viewers and famous alumni alike are still mourning the loss of the UK TV institution, with the likes of another ex-Manc resident and UoM graduate Jack Whitehall, among many others, sharing old routines and crediting the programme’s influence on generations of the live stand-up circuit.
Sad to see Live at The Apollo is coming to an end. I remember watching it with Jack Dee as a teenager and being so excited when I finally got on it myself. End of an era. pic.twitter.com/vszlQ32Hxp
Emily Sergeant -
29th June 2021 
