TFGM launches pop-up park and rides to help people get into the city for Christmas shopping

With millions set to head to the city centre to enjoy Christmas markets, shopping, football matches, concerts and nights out, people are being urged to save money and beat the traffic by getting on board the Bee Network.

At peak times roads are expected to be very busy, with people urged to use public transport if possible, avoid the busiest times and plan their journeys.

It’s part of a joint approach by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to manage the sheer volume of people coming into the centre to experience everything it has to offer. Measures being introduced include:

• Free park and ride locations: Together providing 1,000 spaces, the new park and rides will open every Saturday and Sunday from this Saturday (22 November) until 21 December.

People can park for free and jump on a dedicated direct express bus into the city centre, with services at least every 20 minutes from 9am to 8pm. The buses will be just £2 for a single or £4 for a return for adults and free for under 16s.The park and rides will be located at Booth Street West*, Central Park, Belle Vue and Irwell Place (see notes for full details).

*Booth Street West will not open this Saturday (22nd November) due to a planned event with the first day of service at this location Sunday (23rd November).

• Later trams and all-night buses: The Bee Network is also the best way to get home from your festive nights out, trams will run until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays and many buses run late into the night and some all night long. Extra double trams will also be running at busy times.
• Collaboration behind the scenes: On the busiest days, staff from GMP and the City Council will be in TfGM’s Control Centre to allow for even better collaboration. CCTV coverage of the city centre is being enhanced with dedicated staff to monitor it 24/7.
• Changes at key city centre locations: Manchester City Council is also taking steps to keep the city moving. This includes temporary weekend parking restrictions on Swan Street and Liverpool Street, weekend closures inbound on Corporation Street to reduce congestion around Shudehill, and a no right turn from the Arndale car park to ease congestion on Withy Grove.Yellow box junctions are also going to be repainted, cameras installed at a number of key locations, and the number of civil enforcement officers in the city centre will be increased with officers targeting the areas with the most issues. The council will also have the ability to move vehicles breaking parking rules, blocking roads or causing obstructions.

Last year’s festive period saw an extra 80,000 trips made in and around the city centre over a weekend. During the evening peak times, roads can be 20% slower which can lead to long delays.

Danny Vaughan, Chief Network Officer at TfGM said: “Christmas is one of the best times to enjoy Manchester – so much is going on and there’s such a buzz to the city centre. Our message is clear … the Bee Network is the best way to get there and home again. Board the bus, jump on the tram and plan your journey in advance.

“With plenty of frequent buses and trams to and from the city centre, single bus fares from just £2 and trams from just £1.40, the Bee Network is the easiest, quickest and most affordable way to travel this Christmas.

“Our pop-up park and rides mean you don’t need to struggle for parking in the city centre, but can park for free and finish the journey on a dedicated bus for just £2 single or £4 return and completely free for under 16s.

“As well as the new pop-up park and rides, there’s also 24 park and ride sites across Greater Manchester where you can park for free and jump on the tram – with all the locations and latest tram times available in the Bee Network app.

“We know roads and the network are going to be really busy, especially at weekends. That’s why we’re working closely with Manchester City Council and GMP on a joined-up approach to keep people moving safely around the city as they experience the brilliant things it has to offer.”

Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport, said: "Christmas is always a hectic period on our roads and this year we are redoubling our collective efforts to keep the transport network moving across Greater Manchester.

"With millions of people set to visit Manchester City Centre we are urging people to plan their journeys ahead of time and where possible, leave the car at home. There are a huge number of ways to get to town, be that a bus, tram or train, and these will often be a quicker and cheaper alternative."

This Saturday, as well as the Christmas Markets, there is Hits Radio Live at Co-op Live and Gladiators Live Tour at AO Arena and people heading to these are also urged to plan their journeys.