Major Manchester junction near Man City's Etihad Stadium and Co-op Live to be changed after accidents

A major Manchester junction is set to be redesigned following a spate of serious injuries and a death. One cyclist has died and two other people have been seriously injured at the intersection of Alan Turing Way and Ashton Old Road since 2018.

Several more people have been involved in less severe collisions at the east Manchester junction which Manchester City Council now plans to overhaul. The junction, less than a mile from Manchester City’s home ground of the Etihad Stadium, with the 23,000-seat Co-op Live indoor arena set to open next door later this year.

There are also plans to build a national rugby league centre in the area, and expansion of the Etihad is on the cards. Now, the council is seeking residents and road users’ views on how the new junction should look.

“With this proposed development we are hoping to achieve two goals – improving safety at a known danger hot spot, and, putting in place measures that in the long run will make it easier for people to use alternative modes of travel,” said Councillor Tracey Rawlins, executive member for environment and transport, said. 

“This project is at an early stage which is why we welcome all feedback from residents and businesses. We want to ensure any future development meets the needs of everyone who lives, works and travels in the area.” 

One option is to convert it into a ‘CYCLOPS junction’ — meaning Cycle Optimised Protected Signals — where cyclists and pedestrians are protected from motor traffic by segregated lanes. Manchester was the first area in the UK to have this kind of junction installed, when one opened on Royce Road in Hulme in 2020.

Work could begin on the Alan Turing Way junction this year, the authority added.

You can have your say online here, by emailing [email protected], or by writing to Manchester City Council at Alan Turing Way Project, Highways Service, Town Hall Extension, Albert Square, Manchester, M60 2LA.

An online public meeting will also take place on Wednesday, 21 February, 2024 between 6.30-7.30pm. For details and an invitational Teams link, email [email protected]. Additionally, an in-person drop-in session will also take place on Thursday, 22 February, between 4-7pm at the Beswick Library, Grey Mare Lane, M11 3DS.