Manchester United fans may soon see their matchday experience drastically altered, with Trafford Council set to crackdown on anti-social parking around the Old Trafford area from supporters.
The project comes after several residents from the area raised the issue and explained how it impacts their day-to-day lives.
Manchester United fans could soon be cycling to Old Trafford
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What is the issue?
A task group, set up by the council, was conducted into the issue of anti-social parking from United supporters in the areas surrounding Old Trafford – and received substantial public engagement with a reported 438 locals responding.
What did the Trafford Council say?
David Acton, a Labour Councillor, insisted that it was “no surprise” to see so many residents actively engaging with the issue given the number of fans that attend Old Trafford on a regular basis.
Acton went on to explain that with “74,000 people going there [Old Trafford] regularly on match days, there are very few cycling spaces provided” by the club, and, perhaps a tad optimistically, appealed for the Red Devils to increase the amount of bike storage available near the stadium. Acton believes that this would make cycling to the ground a far more viable alternative to driving.
Tom Ross, the Council Leader, spoke in support of Acton, insisting that this issue already has a lot of traction among the general public.
Ross said: “I'm impacted by matchday parking as well. There's some partnership work taking place between the ward councillors and the club and this helps us as we work together with Manchester United and improve the experience for residents living round there.”
What other solutions have been suggested?
In addition to a focus on increasing the number of supporters cycling to the stadium, multiple other solutions have also been suggested.
One such solution was the introduction of red routes on a selection of roads around Old Trafford. This would mean that any vehicles driving through these routes would be unable to stop, and Acton has insisted that the Council have the power to do this should they need to.
A second solution has already been partially provided by Transport for Greater Manchester – and that solution is in the form of shuttle buses. These are an effective way of transporting many Manchester United fans to Old Trafford simultaneously, and the Council hope that this project can be expanded further in the future.