Drivers told to expect delays as fans walked through city centre
Thousands of St Etienne fans will be marched to Old Trafford this evening
Drivers are being urged to plan ahead to avoid match-day hold-ups when Manchester United play St Etienne FC on Thursday night.
Transport for Greater Manchester and Greater Manchester Police are working together to help commuters and away fans make their journeys as easily as possible.
The highest risk of congestion for commuters heading home is between 4pm and 7pm as away fans are walked to the stadium en masse and roads are closed in a series of rolling restrictions.
TfGM’s Event Manager John Fryer said: “We have a good plan in place to minimise the impact of the game on people’s journeys but commuters can help play their part.
“If drivers can use a different route or travel at a different time, it can really make a difference for everyone. And if they can’t avoid the area they should expect it to take a bit longer.
“Buses will also be affected by the closures so passengers should expect their journey to take longer if they can’t use an alternative service.
“Public transport will of course be busy, as it is every match-day, so the general message is plan ahead, please, and be patient.”
The following bus services route around the road closures and are likely to have journey times affected between 4pm and 7pm: 8, 10, 27, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 50, 53, 63, 67, 73, 79, 92, 93, 97, 98, 100, V1, V2, V3, X34, Metroshuttle 1 and 2.
TfGM has produced a map highlighting the hotspots to avoid as fans make their way to Old Trafford, and they will be using French in some of their tweets to help the visiting supporters.