Manchester Metrolink’s E-Ticketing
Manchester tram system, Metrolink, is introducing electronic ticketing. This is one of their trial readers.
Manchester Metrolink’s E-Ticketing
The system is called Get Me There and from what I can find, it will be on another different system to London’s Oyster.
As Oyster is being modified to accept contactless bank cards, I would hope that Manchester will do the same.
As we are still a united kingdom, surely we need a set of ticketing rules that are the same across the country.
First amongst these rules is that all ticketing systems for public transport must work with contactless bank cards. Surely, the lack of any major opposition to the abolishing of cash on London’s buses, is proof that London has got their offering right. In two years or so, no visitor to London with a contactless bank card will need to buy a ticket.
This surely is a great attraction to all visitors to a city.
The next step in London, may well be that if you are over the requisite age, you can nominate a bank card to be your Freedom Pass, thus cutting the number of cards people have to carry.
Is This From A Green Perspective?
I saw this sign in Manchester.
Is This From A Green Perspective?
As one myself, I of course think that pedestrians look right.
The Co-Op’s Fancy New Headquarters
One Angel Square is the Co-Operative Group’s new headquarters.
It may have won lots of awards as a green building, but it’s surrounded by a see of that very green symbol, surface level car parks.
I had had difficulty finding the building too, as it wasn’t on any maps in the city centre. To get to the building, you needed to cross a busy dual carriageway.
If it’s a really green building, then surely it should have its own tram stop, but that was a rather shabby walk away.
With the news from the Co-Op this morning of Lord Myner’s resignation, it strikes me that the Co-op these days is a vanity institution and a gravy train and ego trip for some of those who control it.
Searching For George Stephenson’s Bridge
One of the major components of the Northern Hub is the Ordsall Chord. This is so important it has its own web site.
Would you believe that where logically the curve should go, there is a Grade One listed bridge put up by George Stephenson?
The various heritage sites are shown here on the Ordsall Chord web site.
So I went to take some pictures of the area.
There are several bridges there and quite frankly none appears to have much elegance.
The solitary Salford lith was useless, as it only gave details about Salford. I was virtually outside Manchester Victoria station and that wasn’t shown.
Salford and Manchester may be two separate cities, but the rest of the world sees them as one and they should act as such, otherwise visitors will come back with tales of this impenetrable city and discourage their friends from coming.
The Anonymous Widower 