Council issues new statement on future of Deansgate cycle lane after traffic chaos

The council has issued a new statement over the future of a controversial cycle lane after traffic chaos in the city centre last weekend.

Deansgate has been turned into a one-way route for motorists as Manchester council redesigns the city centre thoroughfare. Work started in August to upgrade bike lanes and make the road a one-way, southbound-only route for motorists heading out of town.

The roadworks have been blamed for standstill traffic in the city centre for much of Saturday and Sunday (December 14 and 15). It came after transport bosses warned it would be the busiest weekend of the year with thousands flocking to Manchester to see Paul McCartney at Co-Op Live, shoppers going to the Christmas markets and football fans heading to the Etihad for the Manchester derby.

Transport for Greater Manchester said it will be carrying out 'live traffic management' this weekend. But council chiefs have confirmed to the M.E.N. that no plans are in place for an alternative relief route in the area, believing there is nowhere nearby drivers could go.

Manchester council has now issued a new statement on the future of the controversial cycle lane and the decision to make Deansgate a one-way route, which has been described as 'an absolute joke'. The town hall said that it is committed to moving away from a 'car-centric' city centre, but promised to make changes to the scheme if it concludes certain elements are not working.

Labour councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport at Manchester council, said: "In the spring of 2025 when the Deansgate and Whitworth Street West project comes to a conclusion we will of course then take stock, and undergo a period where it's monitored and assessed to make