Motorists Report Significant Festive Traffic Disruption

An appeal has been made for individuals to avoid driving into a city centre this month, aiming to circumvent severe holiday season traffic congestion that motorists have characterized as “horrible”. Manchester’s road network has experienced congestion at peak times over the past week, attributable to an increase in vehicles from individuals attending festive markets and engaging in Christmas shopping. A motorist reported that traffic congestion on the Mancunian Way, a motorway section of the A57 and A635, had been “so, so bad”, with frequent delays extending to several hours, while a different individual characterized their commute to the city as “awful”. Danny Vaughan of Transport for Greater Manchester recommended that the public consider utilizing trams or buses over the next few weeks to avoid the most severe seasonal traffic. “Often I am late for work, you just cannot predict how long journeys are going to take, you can be stuck for hours”, a driver informed BBC Radio Manchester. “I have lived in Manchester all my life and progressively each year it has got worse,” the driver added. A separate individual stated that it now consistently required an hour and a half to travel from Liverpool, and a student reported being delayed for his graduation due to the “horrible” traffic. Mr Vaughan acknowledged the situation as “the busiest he had ever seen”, as millions are anticipated in the city centre over Christmas. The road infrastructure in Manchester was experiencing strain owing to the increased traffic volume. He further noted that high-profile football matches and shows are scheduled to render the upcoming two weekends “very busy”. Mr Vaughan indicated that numerous roads were “clogged up due to just heavy volumes”, and he recommended that individuals use trams or buses whenever feasible. Labour councillor Pat Karney informed BBC Radio Manchester that the traffic disruption would be transient, stating that “this is the time of year where Manchester is at its busiest”. “There’s plenty of towns where there is lots of empty shops and inactivity- but Manchester’s booming,” Karney remarked. “In January you will be bringing me on and saying why is it so quiet.”