Manchester City Council has announced essential design changes on three key routes in the city centre to provide people with space to meet physical distancing guidance.
These include:
- Changing Deansgate into a ‘share with care’ space for co-use by people on foot, using mobility aids and on bicycles. This will be from Blackfriars Street to King Street West (i.e. most of the area occupied by Extinction Rebellion last year)
- Widening footways along Princess Street
- Widening footways along London Road
The measures have been brought about to help with physical distancing guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes to vehicular access on Deansgate will be a temporary measure initially, with permanent implementation subject to consultation.
In addition to the promotion of greener transport through the city, there are also expected to be opportunities to support a greener economic recovery by creating space on Deansgate for street markets and other events once distancing is relaxed in the future.
There are expected to be more measures to follow in the Manchester authority area in relation to space for distancing, and we at Walk Ride Greater Manchester are continuing to pursue more of these types of interventions across the whole city-region, so keep your eyes peeled for news very soon… If you would like to get involved, then contact content@walkridegm.org.uk.