Advice for drivers in Manchester ahead of busy weekend of events – including Parklife, The Weekend and Roger Waters

Drivers travelling into and around Manchester this weekend are being urged to plan ahead as the city prepares for a busy weekend of public events.

National Highways has warned that there is a high chance of congestion on Manchester’s motorway network over the next few days as thousands are expected to be coming to the city.

Chris Chadwick, senior network planner for National Highways in the North West, said: “With our partners at Greater Manchester Police and Transport for Greater Manchester we have long-standing procedures in place to deal with traffic associated with events at Heaton Park and the annual Parklife festival. We’ve suspended some overnight roadworks and we’ll be working around the clock to monitor the motorway network with our CCTV cameras and clear any incidents as quickly as possible.

“It’s probably worth reminding people it’s illegal as well as a safety hazard to use the motorway to drop off or pick up concert goers, hitch a lift or take a short cut. Drivers and everyone else can help themselves by taking some time to plan their journeys to and away from these events and check for any congestion or incidents before setting off.”

Which events are taking place?

The busy weekend starts on Friday night with The Courteeners gig at Heaton Park and Parklife festival at the same site on Saturday and Sunday. Singer The Weekend will be performing at the Etihad stadium and former Pink Floyd band member Roger Waters will be playing the AO arena on Saturday.

At the same time, City are due to face Inter in the Champions League final, meaning there will be crowds of football fans heading into town to watch the match at various bars and venues.

What advice have National Highways given?

Congestion is expected to build up around 9pm and potentially into the early hours when people start to leave Parklife festival at Heaton Park.

National Highways is issuing its usual Parklife advice for motorway users with congestion expected when concert goers are leaving Parklife each night from around 9pm onwards, potentially into the early hours.

As in previous years, the exit slip roads at junction 19 of the M60 for Middleton/Heaton Park will be closed between 7pm and 2am on Saturday and Sunday.   All queueing traffic for the event will be restricted to the clockwise exit slip road at Junction 20 at Blackley.

Transport for Greater Manchester have produced a comprehensive guide to all the travel options for anyone heading out to Heaton Park this weekend. There will be a dedicated bus service for Parklife, with the pick up zone located at Heaton Park Road Sainsbury’s.

You can also find live traffic advice on the National Highways website, as well as website, radio bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile apps. You can also follow them on Twitter at @highwaysNWEST or call them if it is safe to do so on 0300 123 5000.