The Mancunian Way: Gridlock holiday

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It’s a one mile journey, but Uber driver Mohin Khan says a fare from Deansgate to Hulme can take 35 minutes. “It's chaos really,” he says.

“In the time I used to be able to do about 10 drop-offs and pick-ups, I can only do one or two now. It's bad for the environment, you can't turn your engine off when you're in traffic.”

Mohin was speaking after another weekend of traffic jams in town. Particular ire has been directed at the creation of a cycle lane down the length of Deansgate which means traffic can now only travel one way - southbound - from the junction with King Street West all the way down to the crossroads at Liverpool Road.

Drivers reported being stuck in jams for over an hour on and around Deansgate at the weekend with videos circulating online of fights breaking out among motorists. And Isaac Maltby, 39, general manager at Deansgate bar Electric Shuffle says it is now 'near enough impossible' to quickly get taxis late at night.

"It's a safeguarding issue really,” he told Chris Slater. One of our staff who worked on Saturday night was waiting for an hour, at 2am, for the taxi he booked because it was stuck in traffic.”

But, in fairness, town is busy at the best of times. And over Christmas it’s rammed.

And transport bosses did urge people not to drive into the city centre over the weekend, warning that with the Christmas markets, events at both the AO and Co-op Live arenas and the Manchester derby the roads were going to be particularly congested.

In response to the complaints council transport chief, Coun Tracey Rawlins, said: “Christmas is a hugely busy time of year in Manchester, and wherever possible during this period we would encourage people to rely on public transport to get in and out of the city.

"The city is changing as we work to improve transport links for people who walk, cycle and use public transport. Naturally, as this takes place on Deansgate there will be unavoidable disruption for road users, however work is progressing and we hope to have the Transforming Deansgate project completed in the near future."

Weather etc

Wednesday: Cloudy, changing to sunny intervals by lunchtime, 12C.

Roadworks: There’s temporary traffic lights due to roadworks on Bury Old Road in Cheetham Hill at the junction with Park Road. Expect delays.

Manchester headlines

Called off: Strikes at Transport for Greater Manchester are off this weekend after staff agreed to ‘pause’ industrial action’. TfGM workers walked out last Thursday and Friday in a row over pay and the organisation’s parental leave policy. More strikes were scheduled for this weekend, but these have now been cancelled after bosses made an improved offer.

CCTV appeal: Police have launched a CCTV appeal following an assault in a Deansgate bar. Officers have released four images of a man they want to speak to as part of their investigation.

Dumped: A serial fly-tipper has been brought to justice for a second time in Manchester after piles of unsightly waste and rubbish were found dumped in alleyways. Council bosses spoke of a 'selfish and disgusting crime' as they revealed details of the latest case against Illie Costel Baltatu, 53. Read more

Worth a read

For High Peak MP Jon Pearce it’s a ‘no-brainer’. "It makes entire economic sense,” he said.

“It's where people's jobs are. It's where people go shopping. It's where people go to the theatre. It's the football teams that they support. All of our social and economic connections are in the North."

He’s talking about a shake-up of local government that could see towns such as Glossop on the edge of Greater Manchester join the city-region. Politics writer Joseph Timan has more here