Manchester city transport

Manchester is the second (or is it the third) biggest city in the UK. But it was, of course, the birth place of the British Industrial Revolution in the 18th century.

To this day one could still find the many large buildings which used to house the cotton mills and warehouses back then scattered throughout the city.

Within the very centre of the city one would witness winding, narrow streets laid out close to each other suitable for, and reflecting perhaps, the typical transport requirements of the day back then which was most probably horse-drawn carriages.

During the 19th century Manchester used to have its own tram system. But later, like in most UK cities (bar Blackpool), the trams disappeared which only served to bolster the position of automobiles as the undisputed Kings of the Road.

Credit to the city's planners, the trams were brought back to the city centre in time for the Commonwealth Games 2002. They are now a permanent feature in the Manchester streetscape.

Before the trams made their comeback there was of course the buses.

I used to take the No. 81 Greater Manchester Transport bus from Cheetham Hill to the university. But after a few weeks of riding on the smoked-filled buses (there were no smoking restrictions back then in the 1980s) I gave up.

You see, the cigarette smoke would make me dizzy and sick every time I ride the bus. So I bought myself a cheap second-hand Ford Escort which would ferry me to school everyday as and when I pleased.

Note: pic shows a town bus at the Piccadilly Gardens bus station, Manchester.