New badge scheme to help people who find it hard to stand to get a seat

People who find it hard to stand on public transport will be able to take advantage of a new scheme to help them get a seat.

Created by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), Please Offer Me A Seat is a badge system for passengers with disabilities, injuries or hidden conditions that enables them to indicate to fellow passengers they need to sit down.

Designed to be simple and accessible, the system will be built on trust and mutual co-operation. The application process is quick and simple and people do not have to supply medical details or supporting evidence.

TfGM will be supporting Please Offer Me A Seat with a social media and marketing campaign so that passengers will be aware of the scheme and know to offer their seats to people with a badge.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “A successful transport system needs to be accessible to all. If someone is put off using public transport because they can’t stand for extended periods or are worried about not getting a seat then it can be a real barrier to getting to the jobs, shops and other essential services across our city-region.

“This system makes it clearer to everyone, so people who need a seat feel more confident asking, and people sitting feel less awkward offering.

“We can all do our bit to make journeys better and I hope everyone gets behind the scheme and helps to make a real difference to people travelling in Greater Manchester.”

Brenda Warrington, GMCA Lead for Age-Friendly Greater Manchester and Equalities, said: “We all know that some people find it harder to stand on public transport, but not all disabilities and conditions are visible and sometimes it can be tricky to tell who needs a seat.

“I hope that Please Offer Me A Seat will make a real difference to people’s journeys and I would encourage everyone who needs one to apply. If you’re on public transport and you see someone with a badge standing, please offer them your seat. Let’s all do our bit to make our journeys better.”

Michele Scattergood, Chief Executive, Breakthrough UK, said: “We welcome the introduction of the Please Offer Me A Seat to Greater Manchester’s public transport network as another helpful contribution to making public transport accessible to disabled people and enabling them to travel independently in safety and comfort. The scheme will also help to raise awareness that many people have hidden impairment. It is also positive that the scheme is entirely optional so it protects the rights of disabled people who do not wish to disclose that they have an impairment or health condition.”

You can click here to apply for a badge on the TfGM website.

Six new cycling and walking projects announced across Greater Manchester

The latest high-profile projects to be built as part of cycling and walking master plan will be considered by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) next week.

Six new projects have today been put forward for funding. If approved, it would see around £8.4 million provided from the Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund with a further £1.4 million coming from council contributions.

The latest projects bring the total planned spend on cycling and walking across Greater Manchester to around £39 million. A total of 21 confirmed projects so far will deliver 95 new and upgraded crossings and junctions as well as 23 miles of new cycling and walking routes. This includes eight miles of Dutch-style cycle lanes that are separated from motor traffic.

Greater Manchester’s Cycling and Walking Commissioner, Chris Boardman, said: “The latest six schemes bring our total to 21 projects which is a brilliant achievement just three months after we launched our plans for the UK’s most ambitious cycling and walking network.

“We’re really pleased that things are moving at such a fast pace; the people of Greater Manchester will soon have a genuine choice in how they travel, ensuring that they and their children have a viable and attractive alternative to the car.

“It’s now a race to see which district can deliver first. One thing we won’t compromise on, however, is quality.

“There might be a perception this time that some councils are losing out, but the beauty of this project is that it is never finished – councils get an opportunity every three months to submit new schemes and we’ve got some really exciting developments in the pipeline which we hope to announce by the end of the year.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Major improvements like this can’t happen overnight but we’ve been very encouraged by the enthusiasm of all our 10 boroughs to get going.

“Lots of work is going on behind the scenes to make sure we are delivering world-class projects in all corners of our city-region.”

The six new proposed projects are:

• Monton, Salford: This project will improve on foot and bike access to Monton, including six new parallel zebra crossings, a two mile cycling route on quiet streets and a new footway. The project is expected to cost in the region of £1.6 million.

• Swinton Greenway, Salford: This project will deliver a traffic-free, off-road walking and cycling corridor connecting Swinton to Monton, plus lots of other links, connecting communities into the route. The project is expected to cost in the region of £4.6 million with £1.2 million being provided by Salford City Council.

• Trinity Way / Springfield Lane junction, Salford: A major junction upgrade will be delivered improving signalised pedestrian crossings, and the potential for parallel cycle crossings. The project is expected to cost in the region of £900,000.

• Hazel Grove, Stockport: The project will improve on foot and bike access to Hazel Grove centre and area around the rail station. The total cost of the project is expected to cost in the region of £900,000 with £200,000 contributed by Stockport Council.

• Talbot Road junction upgrades, Trafford: To further enhance the cycle facilities currently under construction on Talbot Road, this project will significantly upgrade the junctions at Chester Road and Great Stone Road, including dedicated crossings for people travelling on foot and by bike. The project is expected to cost in the region of £1.1 million.

• Standish Mineral Line, Wigan: The project will deliver a 1.6 mile long traffic-free path for people travelling on foot or by bike serving new housing developments and providing new connections to link existing cycle schemes to future major segregated routes. It is expected to cost in the region of £700,000.

Since launching the first draft of the cycling and walking network map online last month, the mappingGM website has received over 3,500 comments from people across Greater Manchester.

Chris Boardman added: “We’re continuing to see high levels of public input into our plans, which is how it should be - the people of Greater Manchester telling us what they want. And they’re telling us, loudly and clearly, that they want to reclaim their streets, and to make them more pleasant places to be.

“The thousands of comments we’ve received on the mappingGM platform will be analysed over the coming weeks and used to inform the next draft map.

“We will also hold public drop in sessions so that residents can get involved in planning, giving us a much more informed result so that we deliver the things that they want and need in their communities. It’s an ethos that continues to be at the heart of everything we’re doing.”

Update on 'get me there' app issues

Since Monday 3 September, some get me there customers have been experiencing trouble buying and displaying tickets on the app.

This is a nation-wide technical fault affecting the back office systems of TfGM’s supplier Corethree, who developed and manage the get me there and other mobile ticketing apps, which are experiencing similar problems.

Our supplier is currently investigating the root cause of the fault and we apologise for the inconvenience this is causing.

In the meantime customers are advised to:

• App users wishing to purchase daily single or return tickets via the app should do so outside of peak times (07.00-09.00 and 16.00-18.00) – anyone wanting to buy during peak times is advised to use a ticket machine instead
• Anyone wishing to purchase a weekly or monthly ticket can do so outside of peak hours
• Those with a valid get me there ticket can still access their tickets by turning their phone to airplane / flight mode before loading the app
• Follow @MCRMetrolink @OfficialTfGM and @mygetmethere for the latest information and advice

Refund advice:

• Anyone who has a valid ticket they have purchased via the app and has had to buy a paper ticket or has experienced duplicate payment will of course be refunded.

We're continuing to work closely with Corethree to try and resolve the issue.

Transport for Greater Manchester’s Customer Director, Stephen Rhodes, said: “First and foremost I’d like to apologise for the continued disruption and inconvenience this is causing our customers.

“This is a problem affecting multiple ticketing apps and thousands of bus, tram and rail customers up and down the country and we continue to press for an urgent resolution.

“Until this is resolved I’d encourage users of the app to follow our social media channels and visit our website for the latest information and advice relating to get me there.”

The Quays Loop Road - Temporary Closure

A message from Salford City Council:

The Quays Loop Road - click link for location map

A temporary road closure will be in effect on Sunday 23 September 2018 for a period of one day between the hours of 6am and 2pm on the following section of highway: 

• The Quays loop Road fronting The Lowry Outlet Mall near to the roundabout.

The closure is required to enable a crane to be situated within the carriageway to carry out a lift of heavy equipment from The Lowry Outlet building.

Diversions will be signed via Trafford Road and The Quays Loop Road.

Free cycle training for all the family

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has launched a new cycle training scheme designed to get whole families out and about on two wheels.

The free, two-hour sessions will be led by a professional instructor, who will travel to the family’s home and tailor each session to suit their needs.

Parents will be taught how to lead safe cycling trips on the road, how to ride protectively with children and children will be taught how they can travel safely on the roads to ensure that everyone is comfortable riding with traffic.

TfGM has been running cycle training for adults across the region for several years, with more than 10,000 training sessions helping more people to jump on their bikes more of the time.

Greater Manchester Cycling and Walking Commissioner Chris Boardman is keen for as many people as possible – including families – to see cycling as a safe, convenient and easy way to travel.

In June he launched an innovative proposal to create a city-region-wide cycling and walking network made up of more than 1,000 miles of routes, with 75 miles of segregated bike lanes, and sees the family training sessions as one of the ways to get parents and kids ready for cycling on the road together.

“The Greater Manchester cycling and walking network will make local trips on foot or by bike much more attractive, easy and convenient for families and everyone else,” he said. “In particular, we want to see far more school runs happening without cars.

“Until then, we need to give families more confidence to be able to venture out on their bikes. I hope families across the region take advantage of these tailored sessions.”

For more information about TfGM’s family training sessions and other training courses, visit www.tfgm.com/cycling/training.

Motorists urged to plan their travel ahead of major roadworks

Drivers are being advised to plan ahead and get ready for major roadworks on key routes into and out of Manchester city centre.

On Wednesday 29 August, Manchester and Salford City Councils will start major improvement work on key junctions on and around Regent Road, Trinity Way and A57 Mancunian Way.

The £15 million Manchester and Salford Inner Relief Route improvement scheme (MSIRR) is being delivered by Manchester and Salford City Councils with funding from the Government’s Local Growth Fund.

During the works Regent Road, from Oldfield Road to the Mancunian Way, will be reduced from two lanes to one lane in each direction. Journey times are expected to increase significantly, especially during the morning and evening peaks.

To help people get around during the work, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has launched a bespoke MSIRR travel advice page that will provide up-to-date travel information, expected journey times and alternative travel options.

Where possible, road users are advised to plan ahead, look for alternative routes, travel outside of peak times and consider public transport options.

The work is expected to cause delays on other nearby corridors including the M602 and Mancunian Way, while surrounding routes – such as Chester Road, Princess Road, A580 East Lancs Road, Trinity Way, Hyde Road, Stockport Road and Ashton Old Road – will likely be much busier than usual.
During the morning peak, travel into the city centre via the M602, Regent Road and on to the Mancunian Way is expected to increase from around 15-20mins to at least 25-30mins.

During the evening peak, journeys out of the city centre along the Mancunian Way, Regent Road and on to the M602 are expected to increase from around 20-25mins to at least 40-45mins.

There are a number of Park and Ride sites across Greater Manchester that provide free and convenient access to both bus and tram services. Further details of the available Park and Ride sites will be made available in the coming days.

Drivers should consider using public transport where it’s an option – or cycle or walk if they are able to do so. Where possible, working from home could be considered.

Work will start at the following six key junctions in and around Regent Road on Wednesday 29 August and is scheduled to take 12 months:

• The junction of Dawson Street, Regent Road, Trinity Way and Water Street.
• The junction of Regent Road and Ordsall Lane (Salford).
• The junction of Regent Road and Oldfield Road (Salford).
• The Mancunian Way, A56, A5067 roundabout.
• The junction of Trinity Way and Hampson Street.
• The junction of Hampson Street, East Ordsall Lane and Middlewood Street.

It will ultimately increase capacity at the six key junctions by up to 20%, reducing congestion and delays.

TfGM will be working with local councils to offer support for road users and venues and destinations along the route with up-to-date travel advice throughout the works.

More information about the scheme is available on the Manchester City Council website.