Almost 90 extra parking spaces will be created in a project to increase the size of the car park at Whitefield on the Bury line of Manchester Metrolink, which is due to start from Monday 13th January. An extra deck of parking will be created as part of the work and as a result the car park will be closed for approximately five months.
During the car park closure passengers who usually use the parking facilities at Whitefield are being advised to use the alternatives at Radcliffe, Bury and Hollinwood. All work at Whitefield will take place during working hours and once it has been completed attention will be turned to expansion work at Radcliffe.
Cllr Andrew Fender, Chair of the TfGM Committee, said: “Park and ride facilities are a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, save money and help ease congestion in the city centre. Due to their popularity, the facilities at Radcliffe and Whitefield are starting to reach their maximum capacity. That’s why TfGM is expanding the car parks at both sites, which are provided free of charge to passengers. To minimise the impact, TfGM has staggered the works to allow the maximum number spaces available over the shortest programme. Work has also been timed to take place during the first quarter of the year, when there are fewer passengers on the Metrolink.”
The work at both Whitefield and Radcliffe will see the number of spaces available at the two stops increase from 377 to 580.
I live round the corner to radcliffe Metrolink station. I fully appreciate that this work has to be done but advising people to go to Radcliffe will cause chaos on the car park itself and also surrounding roads.
Radcliffe car park is full by 7am at the latest on a weekday and its going to cause arguments and chaos on the local streets , I can see parking rage kicking in, then again I wonder how much I can rent my driveway out for 😉
Piling more people onto the trams at Whitefield will make it even more difficult for people to get on at stops nearer to Manchester, like the new one at Queens Road. Capacity must be beefed up to meet, or preferably exceed, the increased demand – otherwise Metrolink is failing to fulfil its potential.