currently no trams to etihad

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Gonna give night games a miss at this rate, it's a joyless experience by car or tram.

Decided to drive last night from Sale and set-off just after four, simply to get ahead of the rush hour and park up.

Due to the continued problems with Mancunian Way, I have been using the tram, and have missed numerous late goals as a result of running around to the other side of the ground in an attempt to just gain a queue position and get home.

I shouldn't have bothered. It took me close to two-and-a-half hours by car stuck in traffic on the Parkway, then Rusholme/Dickenson Road, then Longsight market.

When I got to the ground I genuinely thought I had got my dates wrong!

Gonna watch the Everton semi on the television as things stand. Manchester is a logistical nightmare, and then soaked to the skin watching a lacklustre display...

 

[Manchester33]

I may be wrong but these sort of problems don't seem to happen as frequently in London.

Probably because loads more money has been thrown at the infrastructure in and around the capital, an also because they have the underground.

If only we could have built an underground network instead of the piss poor Metrolink, not much chance of a car driving on to the track then.

It's a joke, I've been driving for 5 years now, and in that time I'd say the traffic has doubled. It's so unsustainable it's ridiculous. The worst part is, I'd use the tram for most of my journeys, but it's so expensive that I can't be bothered - the only other alternative I'd consider is cycling, but the infrastructure for that is awful when compared to similar cities in Europe. They're spunking millions on fast trains, new tram lines and a cycling hub that no one will use when all they need to do is significantly reduce the price of public transport. I'm sure you could round up 10 people on here who could run Manchester better than Manchester City Council.

 

[Manchester33]

Is there anywhere we can complain to about the ongoing traffic problems in Greater Manchester?

 

[Richie]

Last night wasn't a case of the usual traffic problems though. It was a perfect storm in many ways and much of it was down to the accident on the M62 earlier in the day. The motorway was closed off for hours and only re-opened at around 6.45pm I believe. This closure caused a huge knock-on effect in and around Manchester and it meant that as rush hour approached all the main roads were pretty much gridlocked. I work in Trafford Park and live in Gorton. I get a lift home and left work at 4.45pm. There have been issues on the Mancunian Way due to the sinkhole since August but in the past week much of the stretch of the Mancunian Way that had been down to one lane has now been widened to 2 lanes and that in turn has meant a much quicker journey home. Instead of taking 40 minutes it's been taking 20 but last night that went back up to 50. I was one of the lucky ones really - anyone travelling from much further afield than that and coming through town later than I was travelling home would've been totally scuppered (even those going nowhere near the city centre had major problems - my boss lives in Wigan and it took him an hour and 55 minutes just to get off Trafford Park last night when leaving work at 5pm). Add to that the problem with the dickhead driving onto the tram tracks and that's another mode of transport fucked for anyone that relies on the tram system to get to the ground.

It was just a horrendous night all round with all modes of transport apart from the trains being affected. It was a bit shitty not to put the kick-off time back but while that would've helped some fans, for those that simply couldn't get to the ground - both City and Everton fans - it wouldn't have made any difference.

I too work in Trafford Park and live in Gorton. I left work at 5.30pm to get home for my lift to the game at 6.45pm but I wasn't even half-way home by then. Finally got home at just before 7.30pm & jumped on my bike, finally getting in to the ground with 16 mins gone (just in time for Yaya's header) - couldn't believe that the kick-off hadn't been put back to 8.00pm.

Our problem is that by going back to Gorton before the match, you have to fight your way through the match traffic and out the other side before turning round and joining the traffic again. I've thought about parking up at Eccles Park & Ride and getting the tram but then you've got to get back to Eccles to pick the car up after the game, when in effect you are only a couple of miles from home and if fuckwits are going to drive down tram tracks then that's a waste of time as well.

By going on the bike, I was home after the match at 10.00pm (about 30 mins quicker than usual) but I was pissed wet through. Apologies to the lad who I called a tw@ after he shouted "hurry up Bradley" as I was cycling down Alan Turing Way and he was trying to cross the road - I'd had a shit night & wasn't in the mood, although now I think it was quite funny!

 

[1974Blue]

Gonna give night games a miss at this rate, it's a joyless experience by car or tram.

Decided to drive last night from Sale and set-off just after four, simply to get ahead of the rush hour and park up.

Due to the continued problems with Mancunian Way, I have been using the tram, and have missed numerous late goals as a result of running around to the other side of the ground in an attempt to just gain a queue position and get home.

I shouldn't have bothered. It took me close to two-and-a-half hours by car stuck in traffic on the Parkway, then Rusholme/Dickenson Road, then Longsight market.

When I got to the ground I genuinely thought I had got my dates wrong!

Gonna watch the Everton semi on the television as things stand. Manchester is a logistical nightmare, and then soaked to the skin watching a lacklustre display...

I know what you mean mate, live in Sale near the Pelican. Had to wait for the wife to get home from work and she was stuck on the M60 so I couldn't set off until 18:45. Ended up getting the tram form Timperley to Piccadilly station, then a taxi to just near Every Street followed by getting soaked up to and inside the ground which I finally got to at 20:10.

I suppose on the plus side it didn't take two and a half hours to get there.

 

[Gordyola]

Is there anywhere we can complain to about the ongoing traffic problems in Greater Manchester?

You could try the CEO of Manchester City Council Howard Bernstein who is a match attending City fan, can be see in the Chairman's Lounge at games got a Swales comb-over. Not sure if genuine but here is his email h.bernstein@manchester.gov.uk

 

[CatMan]

Is there anywhere we can complain to about the ongoing traffic problems in Greater Manchester?

Yes, on here ;-)

 

[cleavers]

You never EVER see the Rags have games KO before 2000 hrs so why do MCFC always have 1945 hrs Kick offs? What is the difference?

No choice in the CL, that is set by UEFA.

The rags are usually on TV, so they're nearly always 8:00pm KO, except CL as stated above.

Personally I prefer 7:45pm, as I get home at a reasonable time (just after 1am this morning), later KO's mean there's more likely hood that the motorways will be closed for overnight roadworks, though even the 7:45 starts occasionally have closures, in fact last night was the first time this season there were none.

 

[samrmcfc]

speaking to a group of Everton fans on the way out of the game. They didnt arrive until 5 minutes into the second half. £52 for 40 mins of football which resulted in a 0-0 draw (not including travel/beer/food costs).

Would feel sorry for them but at the end of the day, they are scousers.

 

[BrianW]

Someone was saying the other day that we don't need a railway station. Sorry, but this is an example of why we do, and will even more if the ground grows to 60,000 plus. At present it doesn't take much to reduce Greater Manchester to total gridlock, as amply demonstrated yesterday.