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Local Issues — Manchester
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NEW This page now focusses on issues solely within the Manchester City Council area.
For issues across the whole of Greater Manchester please see our 'Greater Manchester' page.
 
 Proposed Greater Manchester Congestion Charge  
 

 
2008-03-04
Parking Profits
Manchester council is making £150,000 a month in profits from parking meters. Although the law says parking charges may only be used to fund costs and transport improvements, the council's charges seem geared to making a profit rather than providing a public service.
2007-02-27
Did You Know?
Manchester's Metrolink is operated by Serco — the same company that installs and maintains Gatso speed cameras.
 
 
2006-10-27
Video Highlights Bollard Danger
A CCTV camera has highlighted the dangers posed by the rising bollards in the city centre. The passengers of the black car, including children, could have been seriously injured. As could any of the pedestrians standing at the crossing.
Department for Transport guidance [pdf] on bollards clearly states:
"Whilst most applications will be to enable the passage of one vehicle at a time, there will be instances where two or more vehicles attempt to pass through in close succession. The system should ensure that bollards cannot rise beneath a vehicle because of the danger this would create. It is better to risk a certain amount of violation by "tailgating" vehicles, rather that put road users at risk."
These bollards need to be scrapped before someone is seriously injured or even killed.
Road restrictions should be enforced by police, not such dangerous devices.

2006-10-05
Was Bus Chaos Engineered?
Chaos has errupted in central Manchester as too many bus companies tried to compete for too few passengers. This has caused huge bus jams that have even held up the city's flagship metro trams, and prompted some passengers to give up and walk home.
Meanwhile, government ministers in the city for the Labour conference, suddenly appeared out of thin air, and called for congestion charging to solve the problem.
Strange that the problem should occur at the same time as the conference isn't it?

Congestion Charging Proposed
The ugly spectre of congestion charging for Manchester has appeared. The city council are to hold a survey on public opinion, claiming they want to know what drivers think. We can save them the time and tell them what drivers think — No! Except of course they don't really want to know what drivers think, the survey will doubtless be targetted on all those who live in the city, whilst those who live outside and drive in will not be surveyed.
We'd suggest drivers write to the council, but experience tells us they will ignore you anyway.

Sense on Parking?
Manchester City Council have told city parking enforcers NCP to end the blitz on motorists and take a "commonsense" approach. The 'outsourcing' of parking enforcement to private companies has resulted in a plague of parasites whose only interest is to line the pockets of themselves and their shareholders. After the previous company, Control Plus, was sent packing for a string of absurdities including ticketing a bus at a bus stop, and slapping a ticket on a rabbit hutch on the pavement, the city council appear to have called a halt. It remains to be seen whether NCP will now conduct themselves in a professional manner, or continue the money-grabbing.
The Bus Lane Cometh
Manchester's roads are about to grind to a standstill. 140 miles of new bus lanes and 'quality bus corridors' are to be used to restrict the city's main arteries. £32 million will be spent trying to force drivers onto buses by creating massive traffic jams. This despite the fact that similar unwanted schemes in Birmingham have totally failed to increase bus passengers. Watch out for public notices in local papers and object to the plans!
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