As Rats says, the tram is the way to get into the City Centre here...I have the advantage of a free pass.
The problem is parking at the stations. Our ( and Rattle's ) three nearest ones have very limited space. Two, Trafford Bar and Warwick Road have only a little on-street parking. The piles of shattered safety glass in the gutter at Warwick Road put me off parking there years ago. Stretford has a car park which is only enough for about 20 cars and is full by 9 am.
Work has just started on the foundations of our new station ( held up by nesting birds ) 100 yds from home. Again, no land for parking.( I suppose I'll have to walk there ! ).An opportunity was missed some years ago, a tennis club next door to the site with a clubhouse and 4 courts had been unused for years. Instead of earmarking it, it was allowed to be sold off and now about 10 tiny terraced houses stand there.
They could also have extended the line past this point for a mile on the old trackbed with nothing in the way and built a large park and ride right by the busiest road into the city from the south..the A5103......that will be the next stage now.
Come back, Midland Railway...all is forgiven !
Ted
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Ted I usually park on Kings Road now, did used to park on the side streets off it but after getting told of that time (I mentioned it on here at the time) I don't risk it anymore. The same day I found a nail on my tyre. It is about 200 yards to the station from there but I feel relaxed about leaving my car there. I would never park at Old Trafford (Warwick Road) the area just has a really run down feel to it but its only 15 minutes walk from my house so I occasionally I walk it.
Now that Elisinore Road is closed due to the building of the new tram depot Trafford Bar is a little trickier to get to but again its too rough and not enough parking.
One thing I just thought of Ted that when the Metrolink does open you might find parking more difficult :( I also suspect that the Morrisons car park will get busier. The council aka Sir Bernstain are planning of pulling all the centre area down and apart of that plan is to make better parking in the area. However I have been told that a major part of the tram for the metrolink coming is to pull down Oswald Road school :(. The rumours have been going round for years but a certain relative very high up in the council has confirmed the plans are pretty much definite :(
The reason for all this development is the council expect the new tram stops to bring a lot more people into the area which is already over crowded and busy :(.
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Good job we have sold and installing 221 new TVM (ticket vending machines) around Manchester Metro (GMPTE) so that everyone can purchase a ticket.
tinyurl.com/y9lopnd
lets people leave that car at home, leaving the motorway free for me to blast up M6 to install them !
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Now I know who to blame if I can't get a ticket :) You have to have a ticket for the Metrolink as the fine is £100. The new machines will be such a welcome addition though.
I really also hope that GMPTE do their best to end the culture of the metrolink is free. I think with their tough fines people are finally realising they have to pay for it. The best thing about it is all the money used to fund the new extensions is self funded :).
Providing fast and reliable light rail systems is the best way by far to encourage people to leave their cars at home. Sadly it has not been reliable lately but there are a lot of reasons for that.
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No more will I go to Blandford Forum and Mortehoe.
On the slow train from Midsomer Norton and Mumby Road.
No churns, no porter.
No cat on seat.
At Chorlton cum Hardy and Chester le Street.
We won't be meeting again on the slow train.
( local mention there )
Flanders and Swann.
Ted
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Where's Costly?
Beeching closed the line in the mid 60s!
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Okay I edited my typo in the main heading ;-)
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Well there's no Costly is there ;-)
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I'd disagree, it's a perfectly manageable walk.
tinyurl.com/tocostly
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But that's a "Costly Street". Not the town of Costly ;-) Not a manageable walk from Glasgow though.
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