In a move to encourage active travel around the city, and to make social distancing easier, the council have followed up their decision to part-pedestrianise Deansgate with a similar initiative in the Northern Quarter.
Except this time it’s a full-on pedestrianisation of Thomas Street, which will now be closed off to vehicles seven days a week, with the exception of loading between 6am & 10am and 6pm & 7pm.
Anyone with eyes will have seen that last year they installed a set of removable bollards on Thomas Street at two points, with the aim of part-pedestrianising it on evenings and weekends.
Well, in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the council have now decided that this will be a permanent fixture for the foreseeable future.
On top of this, they are also looking into extending trffic-free hours for other city centre areas, as well as widening footways on the city’s busiest thoroughfares.
Manchester City Council’s executive member for the environment, planning and transport, Angeliki Stogia, said: “The Thomas Street pedestrian and cycle zone was embraced positively by local businesses and residents after being introduced on a trial basis last year.
“Making the street a traffic-free zone seven days per week is an important step forward in our plan to help people come back to the city centre more confidently and safely, as the essential restrictions on movement are gradually lifted.”
