Old Trafford: Crackdown on matchday parking proposed

Average attendances for matches at Old Trafford regularly reach about 74,000 people

A crackdown on Manchester United fans who block residents' driveways and park anti-socially around Old Trafford has been proposed.

Measures put forward by Trafford Council include creating "red routes" across some roads by the stadium which would mean vehicles cannot stop.

The authority has been looking into how to stop nuisance parking on matchdays.

Trafford councillor David Acton said the council had the powers to deliver the changes "as soon as possible".

Other recommendations include partnering with Manchester United to try to resolve parking issues around the famous ground and setting up more places for fans to store bicycles in the areas.

Parking problems

The proposals were put forward by a task group set up by the council to look into the problem which received 438 responses from the public, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Speaking at a recent council meeting, Mr Acton, a councillor for Labour, said it was "no surprise" that those who live near Old Trafford reported problems with traffic and anti-social parking.

He said Manchester United needed to be encouraged to increase bike storage at the stadium to "increase cycling as an alternative" to driving.

"This is because, with 74,000 people going there regularly on match days, there are very few cycling spaces provided," he said.

Council leader Tom Ross said there was a "lot of public interest" in the issue.

"I declare an interest as someone who lives within the scope of that," he 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."

The club has been contacted for comment.