Press Releases

31 October 2008

North Manchester - The final shape of the TIF package

Final changes to the proposed Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) package for North Manchester have been announced following a meeting of the Leaders of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) today.

In announcements today, it was revealed that as a result of TIF would deliver the following will be delivered:

• 20% reduction on public transport fares at peak times for low paid workers (based on the statutory minimum wage)
• A network wide Smartcard ticketing system
• 24 buses an hour operating along Rochdale Road
• Metrolink connections to Manchester Airport, East Didsbury, Oldham Town Centre, Rochdale Town Centre and Ashton-Under-Lyne
• Additional seats on peak-time rail services
• New daily congestion charge cap of £5 for regular users*
• Additional 60 Yellow School Buses across Greater Manchester, taking the total TIF investment to 180
• Additional park and ride sites across Greater Manchester
  

Smartcard Ticketing

A smartcard ticketing system will be developed. A simplified pricing structure is planned based on two or three “fare bands” – such as a short hop or standard fare.

The smartcard would act as an “electronic purse” with price caps applying to, for example, daily travel and weekly travel. These would deliver unlimited travel on buses and trams across the city with passengers guaranteed never to pay more than the value of the caps.

The smartcards would also be used to administer the 20% discount for low income workers, which is being proposed on all peak-time public transport fares.

Buses

If TIF is approved residents of North Manchester would benefit from more frequent buses and bus service priority measures which are intended to make services faster and more reliable.

Proposed changes to buses in North and East Manchester include improving services along Rochdale Road. This includes 8 buses an hour operating across the city to provide a direct link to Manchester Royal Infirmary and the relocated Children’s Hospital. 

Additional orbital services would be provided to connect areas throughout North Manchester. Services would operate every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime, 30 minutes evenings and Sundays.

The Middleton – Moston – Harpurhey – Manchester service would be increased in frequency to operate every ten minutes Monday to Saturday, with buses every 20 minutes on a Sunday (every half hour in the evening) and extended to operate cross city to serve the MRI, Old Trafford and the Trafford Centre.

A new Middleton – Alkrington – Moston – Manchester service is to operate every 20 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytime, with new evening (hourly) and Sunday (30 minute) services introduced and to operate via a direct route into the city centre.

An improved service would run between Levenshulme, Gorton, Newton Heath and Central Business Park operating every 30 minutes daytime, 60 minutes evenings and Sundays.

The frequency of services connecting Oldham and Failsworth with the city centre, running through North and East Manchester would also be improved. Bus services would connect throughout Manchester with the Metrolink network which would grow to almost three times its current size.

The above are just a few examples of what is proposed, under the TIF package proposals bus frequencies and hours of operation would be enhanced throughout Greater Manchester to cater for work journeys and other journey purposes. The aim is to provide high quality, reliable services as an alternative to the car.  Services will be planned so that at least 90% of the population across Greater Manchester would live within 5 minutes walk of a service operating at least every 20 minutes during the day and at least every 30 minutes at other times.

Metrolink
New lines to areas including Monsall, Central Park, Holt Town, Sport City, New East, Clayton and Edge Lane are already confirmed under Metrolink scheme 3A. If the TIF package is approved it would allow people to travel across the city to destinations including Manchester Airport, Ashton under Lyne and Oldham and Rochdale town centres.

The Metrolink system would receive 62 new vehicles and 41 new stops equipped with new ticket machines ready to receive Smartcard ticketing as well as debit and credit card payments.

Rail

Piccadilly, Oxford Road, Victoria and Salford Central stations will all be easier to use and will benefit from improved bus interchange facilities.

Under the proposals peak-time commuter trains running through North Manchester stations would have extra carriages and seats.

There would be additional rail carriages for services across Greater Manchester to allow more journeys to be made every day with capacity for an additional 2,950 passengers in the three hour morning peak period. This is as well as the additional capacity for 4,100 passengers in the three hour morning peak, which would be funded by the government without TIF.

Park and Ride

The TIF proposals would double the existing number of Park and Ride spaces serving Greater Manchester.  £40 million is already dedicated to this and positive feedback in the recent consultations has resulted in an additional £10 million being set aside in re-allocated LTP funds for further sites across the region.

Cycles

Cycling is another important element of the TIF proposals - which include a series of new cycle routes.  Specific routes planned for Manchester include along the A664 Rochdale Road - between Middleton and City Centre, the A665 Cheetham Hill Rd - between Whitefield and City Centre via Cheetham Hill and the A635 / A662 – between Ashton and City Centre.

The TIF package programme for cycling improvements across Greater Manchester consists of cycle lanes (125 miles of safe and convenient cycle routes), cycle parking and a cycle hire scheme for Stockport and Manchester.

Yellow School Buses

Following consultation there has been a 50% increase in the number of new Yellow School Buses proposed as part of the TIF package. At the outset of consultation the proposal was for 120 additional vehicles. This has now been increased by a further 60, making a new total of 180. The 180 buses are in addition to the 36 currently operating and the 120 already planned. If TIF is approved this would result in a total of 336 Yellow School Buses operational by 2018 across the whole of Greater Manchester.

Congestion Charge

If approved following the referendum a weekday, peak-time only directional congestion charge would only be introduced after 80% of the public transport improvements are in place; there has been a significant improvement in public transport in each district and not before the summer of 2013.

The charge would affect vehicles travelling towards Manchester city centre between 7am and 9:30am which cross one or both of the charging rings. The charge would then affect vehicles travelling away from the city centre which cross one or both of the charging rings between 4pm and 6:30pm.

Cost: Weekday Mornings

£2* if crossing the Outer Ring in-bound, towards Manchester city centre between 7:00am and 9:30am

£1* if crossing the Inner Ring in-bound, towards Manchester city centre between 7:00am and 9.30am

You would only pay once regardless of how many times you cross each ring in the charging period, e.g. you would only be charged £2* to cross the outer ring and £1* for the inner ring in the morning even if you were to cross it several times on the same day.

Cost: Weekday Evenings

£1* if crossing the Inner Ring out-bound, (away from Manchester city centre), between 4:00pm and 6:30pm

£1* if crossing the Outer Ring out-bound, (away from Manchester city centre) between 4:00pm and 6:30pm

You would only pay £1* for each ring you cross regardless of how many times you cross it on the same day.

This means the maximum regular users pay is £5* regardless of how many rings are crossed in any one day.

Vehicles would not be charged at weekends or on Bank Holidays, for travelling around the M60 or if they do not cross one of the charging rings. No vehicles would be charged outside the times currently being considered.  

Groups and vehicles which are set to receive a 100% discount from the congestion charge include emergency service vehicles, buses and registered community transport services, blue badge holders, patients who attend hospital or specialist health facilities for regular treatment, motorcycles and taxis. It has also been recognised that breakdown vehicles play a vital role in reducing congestion and they are also set to receive a 100% discount.

Low paid workers (based on the statutory minimum wage) look set to receive a discount of 20% on the congestion charge for a trial period and it has also been recommended they receive a 20% discount on the cost of public transport at peak times.

Following consultation it has been proposed that the daily cap of £10 is removed. The new maximum daily charge for regular users in vehicles fitted with a tag would be £5* (*in 2007 prices) per day regardless of how many journeys they make or rings they cross.

Charging Rings
Another important issue which has been considered following the consultation exercise is the exact routing of the proposed charging rings. Extensive work has been carried out and the exact route of the proposed charging rings can now be shown.

 
This work has seen community ties recognised and has taken into account access to important health, education and employment centres and access to public transport.

In North Manchester there is an outer charging ring point just below junction 20. For the inner ring, the following cul-de-sacs will not be charged: Signet Walk, Redwood Drive, Holborn Drive, Falfield Drive, Winthrop Avenue, Coleshill Street, and Sportcity Way.

Lord Peter Smith said: “The public consultation exercise was a resounding success and a huge amount of feedback was gathered during the process.

“After analysing the findings of the consultation, final changes have been made. We now have a package to improve transport across the whole of Greater Manchester.

“Residents and businesses should take time to read the final proposed investment for public transport and the details of their local boundary details and congestion charging scheme before they vote in early December. People are being asked to vote on the whole package.”

Following the AGMA meeting a public referendum is set to be held in all 10 local authority areas of Greater Manchester. Ballot papers are set to be distributed from late November. Ballot papers must be returned by 10pm on December 11.

If at least seven out of the 10 councils decide they are in favour of the Transport Innovation Fund proposals they would proceed to the next stage.