FOLLOWING a hellish six months or so for car-users in Manchester, the council slung us a few crumbs last week with this small concession:
See that, it’s right there, ‘a weekend’ of free parking.
So imagine our surprise on Sunday morning when one of us got stung for £50 with this...
A parking ticket administered on Water Street in Manchester city centre at 11.41 on Sunday 3 January
Turns out there was free parking on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 January… just not between the hours of 00:00 and 12:00.
So not the weekend at all, really, more two half-days. One full day, in total.
You see? Crumbs.
Yes, ok, read further down into the council’s statement and it does clearly state ‘from midday onwards’, but who’s reading the small print during the New Year sales? And that was the point wasn’t it, to draw people into the city centre and away from the soul-destroying (but free to park anytime) Trafford Centre?
We understand a few rascals may take advantage and dump their cars overnight, all weekend even, but only a handful, surely? So why begin free parking at midday? Why punish the early-risers? What’s wrong with 9am, or 10am, 11am even? But midday? How very odd.
Anyway, they’re at it again, this time for the rest of January…
On this occasion parking throughout January will only be free in ‘on-street metered bays in zones three and four of the city centre’.
Zone three and four? We didn’t know there was a one and two.
So, to save you getting stung like us, below we've created fool-proof instructions for parking for free in the city centre this month.
If you get a ticket this time, well, then, you’re an idiot.
- FREE PARKING IS ONLY DURING THE WEEKENDS OF JANUARY 9-10, 16-17, 23-24, 30-31
- FREE PARKING BEGINS AT MIDDAY
- FREE PARKING IS ONLY IN ON-STREET METERED BAYS
- STICKERS WILL BE ATTACHED TO MACHINES NEXT TO THE BAYS WHERE PARKING IS FREE
- FREE PARKING IS ONLY WITHIN ZONES THREE AND FOUR:
So you see zones three and four? Yes those on the skirt of the city centre, they're the ones you can park for free in on January weekends.
Zone Three A includes the areas within the borders of Liverpool Road, Water Street, Mancunian Way and the A56/Deansgate.
Zone Three B includes the areas within the borders of Whitworth Street West, Cambridge Street, Mancunian Way and Princess Street.
Zone Four A includes the areas within the borders of the A56/Deansgate, Whitworth Street West, Cambridge Street, and Mancunian Way.
Zone Four B includes the areas within the borders of Ducie Street/Laystall Street, Great Ancoats Street, Piccadilly/London Road and Travis Street.
Right, you get that? Weekends only, from midday, in on-street metered bays, the ones with the stickers, and only in zones three and four... yes?
Oh sod it, let's get the tram.
Find out more about parking for free this January
