Mancunian Way

[Jeni]

In the 90s you could carry on northbound under the Mancunian way, then do a semi circle and either go southbound on Upper Brook Street, or towards Umist (Sackville Street?) along the 2 way - very tight exit slip of the Mancunian way.

I'd forgotten that. Or maybe it wasn't like that in the distant days when I knew it best.

That layout only disappeared a couple of years ago

[Bryn666]

Both the Sackville and Grovesnor routes were largely ignored by signs with city centre traffic almost being dumped on the westbound A57(M) by default - the expectation presumably being to take Cambridge Street as this has more capacity.

You can only go up Princess Street as far as Major Street anyway; it is only really intended as access to Chinatown and not in any way a through route.

[Steven]

Both the Sackville and Grovesnor routes were largely ignored by signs with city centre traffic almost being dumped on the westbound A57(M) by default - the expectation presumably being to take Cambridge Street as this has more capacity.

Dropping lots of traffic up Sackville Street literally through the middle of the UMIST campus would have been a terrible idea given the amount of pedestrian and cycle traffic generated.

[Bryn666]

Exactly, it's still hardly a suitable route into the city centre.

[Truvelo]

Removing beautiful 1960s enclosed pedestrian overpasses doesn't help either. Now pedestrians have to fight through traffic to get from one part of the uni to the other.

[Steven]

Removing beautiful 1960s enclosed pedestrian overpasses doesn't help either. Now pedestrians have to fight through traffic to get from one part of the uni to the other.

There was a tunnel underneath at the same location too. Sackville Street literally went through the building...

[Owain]

I had an interesting conversation recently with a friend about the A57(M) versus the A58(M), as in "Which is better"?

He said that the Mancunian Way was a more ambitious and impressive project, because it is elevated. I guess that does make it more spectacular, and when I drove it at night it certainly was.

However, I defended the Leeds equivalent by saying that it was deliberately cut down into the ground to make it relatively unobtrusive, and I think it achieves that aim very well. I'd imagine that the non-Sabristically-minded can walk over it on Woodhouse Lane without really noticing that it's there!

I'd be interested to know what others think?

[bucephalus]

I had an interesting conversation recently with a friend about the A57(M) versus the A58(M), as in "Which is better"?

He said that the Mancunian Way was a more ambitious and impressive project, because it is elevated. I guess that does make it more spectacular, and when I drove it at night it certainly was.

However, I defended the Leeds equivalent by saying that it was deliberately cut down into the ground to make it relatively unobtrusive, and I think it achieves that aim very well. I'd imagine that the non-Sabristically-minded can walk over it on Woodhouse Lane without really noticing that it's there!

I'd be interested to know what others think?

Having lived in Leeds for a few years and now Manchester, I would say the A58 / a64 (m) wins. The tunnels, braiding, and right hand exit clinch it for me

[Steven]

Having lived in Leeds for a few years and now Manchester, I would say the A58 / a64 (m) wins. The tunnels, braiding, and right hand exit clinch it for me

But then there's no Leeds equivalent of the Garwood St entrance, the Crown St exit, or the (now former) ski-jump. And there's no part of the Leeds Inner Ring Road that's a non-motorway Special Road; and the A635(M) is shorter than the A64(M)!

[Bryn666]

All three of the northern city centre motorways are special in their own right.

Way-ay, champion, buzzin'.

[lefthandedspanner]

I had an interesting conversation recently with a friend about the A57(M) versus the A58(M), as in "Which is better"?

He said that the Mancunian Way was a more ambitious and impressive project, because it is elevated. I guess that does make it more spectacular, and when I drove it at night it certainly was.

However, I defended the Leeds equivalent by saying that it was deliberately cut down into the ground to make it relatively unobtrusive, and I think it achieves that aim very well. I'd imagine that the non-Sabristically-minded can walk over it on Woodhouse Lane without really noticing that it's there!

I'd be interested to know what others think?

Having lived in Leeds for a few years and now Manchester, I would say the A58 / a64 (m) wins. The tunnels, braiding, and right hand exit clinch it for me

Also a more enjoyable drive on a bike - when I was having physio at at Jimmy's, the ride on the IRR was the highlight of the trip.

[Truvelo]

All three of the northern city centre motorways are special in their own right.

Way-ay, champion, buzzin'.

What three are those - Liverpool, Sheffield and Edinburgh?

[nowster]

Salford is a city too, and it has the M602.

I think Bryn was probably thinking of Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester.

[Nicholas]

But doesn't have what could be construed as a "city centre", especially as it is the borough that has city status, not the town.