Public transport and active travel the best way to travel as festive trips increase

• Increase in trips expected this weekend
• Frequent services and value for money tickets available across bus and tram services
• Passengers encouraged to avoid train journeys due to planned industrial action

With the festive season getting into full swing, people heading into Manchester are being encouraged to choose public transport or active travel this weekend.

People from all over Greater Manchester, the UK and even further afield come to shop, eat, drink, attend concerts and other events and see the world-famous Christmas markets.

With thousands of free park and ride sites, flexible ticketing options – including great value family tickets offering travel for one to three children and one or two adults from as little as £3.60 – and fast and frequent services, Metrolink offers a great way for people to get around.

Bus passengers can also now benefit from new lower fares, meaning they will not pay more than £2 for a single trip (£1 for a child) or £5 to travel on any bus in Greater Manchester all day (£2.50 for a child). With key services into the city having the added benefit of priority lanes that beat the traffic, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is encouraging people to think about taking a trip by bus or tram this weekend.

Last year, the week following Black Friday saw an 11% increase in peak journey times and by choosing public transport or active travel, people can help reduce congestion and avoid being caught in traffic.

Between Friday (26 November 2021) and Sunday (28 November 2021), the busiest time was late afternoon, between 3pm and 7pm, as day visitors started to leave and those coming to enjoy the night-time economy started heading in.

Similar increases are expected this weekend following increases in traffic over the last few weeks. The first weekend of the Christmas Markets saw a 7% increase in vehicles in and around the regional centre and over 4 million vehicle trips are expected in, out and around the regional centre this week.

Planned industrial action on the rail networks on Saturday (26 November) means people should also avoid travelling by train unless absolutely necessary.

To help keep-up the festive cheer, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM)’s Get on Board Christmas Campaign provides journey inspiration and ideas on Christmas destinations, as well as advice on how to get there. TfGM has also developed dedicated information pages for those heading into the city or looking to grab a bargain at the Trafford Centre. TfGM’s customer team will also be using Twitter channels @OfficialTfGM and @MCRMetrolink to keep people up to date with the latest travel information and advice.

With many people heading out to enjoy a drink during the festive period, TfGM is continuing its Mind the Tracks campaign which aims to encourage safe behaviour for those moving around the Metrolink network, including when getting on/off vehicles and walking near to tracks.

TfGM’s Head of Highways, Peter Boulton, said: “We want everyone coming to enjoy the many great attractions that the city centre and Trafford Centre have to offer to enjoy the festivities and have a great time.

“The number of trips on our roads is back to where they were before the pandemic and that is leading to added congestion at key times – which means more people stuck in traffic.

“To avoid this, we’d encourage people to plan their journey by thinking about how they plan to get in, around and out of the city centre.

“Public transport is a great option, with frequent services and great value products as well as plenty of staff and information on hand to help you plan the perfect journey.”

Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment and Transport at Manchester City Council, said: “It has been great to see people returning to Manchester to enjoy what the festive season has to offer. We are expecting it to be increasingly busy the closer we get to Christmas which is why we’d urge people to plan ahead before they travel and stay up to date with the region’s transport network through the TfGM website.

“We’d encourage people to use public transport as much as possible when travelling into Manchester as it is the most environmentally friendly method, as well as the best way of beating the traffic.”

There have been many changes to the city centre in the last 18 months, with changes to some road layouts resulting in less space for cars. With the number of trips on the region’s roads having returned to pre-pandemic levels, congestion has increased in the city centre and on the Inner Ring Road (Mancunian Way, Trinity Way, Great Ancoats Street) at key times.

Those driving are encouraged to take steps to make their journey smoother and potentially quicker:

• Drive at a quieter time – this means avoiding driving to and around the city after 12pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and between 3pm and 7pm during the week.
• Know where road congestion may be – our data shows that journeys along the Mancunian Way typically have higher journey times during the week, and journeys along the northern section of the Inner Ring Road (Great Ancoats Street) have higher journey times at the weekend.
• Take a different route – if you need to drive across the city at the weekend, it may be quicker to use Alan Turing Way/Mancunian Way.
• Park on the same side of the city as your route if you can – driving across the city can add additional time to your journey, so if it’s an option for you, park in a car park closest to your route out of the city centre.
• Check for quicker routes before every car journey on Google, Waze and other Apps. You can also use TfGM’s journey planner.