Manchester City Council have agreed to pedestrianise parts of Deansgate if they can sort out the buses.
Deansgate could be closed to cars permanently following the Northern Rebellion say the Manchester City Council, and they are bringing forward other plans to decarbonise traffic and increase cycling and walking throughout the city centre.
Almost everyone we spoke to preferred Deansgate during XR’s occupation. With no cars, cleaner air and the freedom to cross the road without the constant stream of traffic and traffic noise, this noisy polluted street became a great place to be.
Here is what the Council said:
Removing general vehicle traffic from Deansgate is something which has been under active consideration for some time.
In fact, the only thing that is currently preventing us from implementing this long-term aspiration to pedestrianise a section of Deansgate is resolving how buses could be re-routed, with bus transport of course also vital to reducing car journeys to and from, and within, the city centre.
The draft City Centre Transport Strategy, which is being brought forward shortly, will set out in more detail our ambitions to ‘decarbonise’ transport and encourage walking and cycling in the city centre while ensuring its infrastructure can support a growing population and workforce. We will be seeking the views of Manchester residents and businesses on that plan.
Here is what the Manchester Evening News said:
Thousands of people have signed a petition calling for Deansgate to be pedestrianised after the road was sealed off for four days during the Extinction Rebellion protest. The busy route was blocked last Friday, August 31, until Monday, August 2, by a demonstration aiming to raise awareness of climate change.
Please continue to sign and share the petition as it is vital we keep up pressure to make these ‘plans’ a reality, to put pressure on the privatised bus companies to agree to the changes and to ensure the plan is as ambitious and impactful as can be.
At the busiest times of the day there is a bus in each direction along some parts of Deansgate every 10 minutes. So really they don’t have to re-route the buses. A combination of lots of crossings or pedestrian priority together with reduced speed limits ought to mean we could do it now. Don’t let the Council use re-routing as an excuse to not act.