THE Trade Union Congress (TUC) organised march set to coincide with the first day of the Conservative Party annual conference at Manchester Central this Sunday 29 September is expected to draw tens of thousands of disgruntled protestors to the streets of Manchester this weekend.
Due to the march, traffic through the city centre on Sunday 29 September is consequently buggered.
The ‘Save Our NHS’ three-mile march, beginning on Liverpool Road and culminating with a rally at Whitworth Park, has been organised by the TUC in opposition to continued cuts, job losses and increasing involvement of private healthcare companies in the NHS.
This is their beef:
North West MP and Opposition health spokesperson Andy Burnham MP will speak in Whitworth Park, along with TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady, and a number of union leaders - including the FBU's Matt Wrack, Dave Prentis from Unison, Len McCluskey from Unite, the NUT's Christine Blower and Mark Serwotka from PCS.
The event is also hoping to raise concerns about the wider effect that government policies are having upon communities across the UK.
Marchers in the park will hear contributions from speakers who want the bedroom tax scrapped, a halt to the Royal Mail privatisation plans, the introduction of proper job guarantees for unemployed youngsters and an end to austerity and spending cuts.
A number of films will also be shown in the park - including one filmed during the Austerity Uncovered tour which saw a TUC bus visit towns and cities in England in June.
There'll also be live music.
It's a festival of protest. The TUC should have called it Protest Fest 2013.
Best to avoid these on Sunday
Disruptions to travel:
Due to the march, traffic through the city centre on Sunday 29 September is consequently buggered.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) have advised people travelling through the city centre on Sunday to prepare for severe road delays and disruption to public transport services during the march.
The march will assemble on Liverpool Road by the MOSI at around 11am. The front of the march shall depart Liverpool Road at 12.15pm before making its way over to the Tory conference at Manchester Central by 1.15pm. The march shall then continue past the Manchester Royal Infirmary on Oxford Road around 1.45pm before converging on Whitworth Park around 2.15pm. The event finishes at 4.15pm.
Why quarter past the hour is such a popular time with the TUC is as yet unknown.
Some city centre roads (below) will be closed completely during the march until they are clear (probably at quarter past something) and some diversions will be in place from early morning.
Here’s the list:
Liverpool Road will be closed from 8am until clear.
Whitworth Street/Oxford Street junction from 11am until clear.
Deansgate from Whitworth Street to St Marys Gate from 11.30 until clear.
Some roads will be closed in the Moss Side area due to coach parking:
Booth Street West and Lloyd Street North.
Higher Cambridge Street, Boundary Lane and Greenheys Lane may be closed in the event of overspill.
Liverpool Road
Bus services on Sunday will be diverted around the city centre and Moss Side. The services affected are: 8 12 18 26 33 36 37 41 42 43 44 50 53 84 85 86 99 101 104 105 109 111 130 142 143 197 250 255 256 263 A40 Metroshuttle 1 2 X41SC X41TD X43 X50 X57.
More information on road closures and bus services here.
Metrolink services will also be affected (listed below). A revised Metrolink service will run from around 11am for the duration of the event. All metrolink services to the south of the city will be affected and a replacement shuttle bus will be in place:
Metrolink services will operate as follows:
Altrincham to Trafford Bar
East Didsbury to Trafford Bar
Eccles to Exchange Quay
Bury to Droylsden (via Piccadilly)
Rochdale to Victoria
A shuttle bus replacement service will operate directly between:
Trafford Bar and Piccadilly
Exchange Quay and Piccadilly
Trafford Bar
Passengers who normally board at Cornbrook can board a tram to Trafford Bar where a replacement bus service is available.
Normal Metrolink services will resume as soon as the march has passed through the city centre. For more information click here.
Information on all public transport services across Greater Manchester is available from Traveline on 0871 200 22 33 (calls cost 10p per minute plus any network charges).
More information on the march is avaliable on the TUC website.
