The dirt, litter, and chewing gum on pavements, the vomitting etc... is getting worse in town

[NQ Lee]

Originally Posted by PalMalCaught

I once asked one of the food outlets at Piccadilly if they would bin some packaging that I'd finished with. They politely declined and advised me to leave it on one of the concourse seats from which they said it should be collected within 10 minutes. Don't know if it was collected, but subsequent observations confirm that there at least a couple of guys who who push trollies around collecting and disposing of rubbish left in a variety of locations, with many waiting passengers approaching them to place their rubbish in the plastic bags the guys carried on the trollies.

I take mine with me if there is no bin. I would never leave my rubbish on a seat no matter how quickly I am promised it will be cleared. It just encourages a decline in standards and loutish behaviour.

[poshbakerloo]

I saw at least 3 lots of sick on the pavement when I walked from Piccadilly to Peter St

[VDB]

I think some of it is pride in the city. If the city looks like a dump anyway, people are more likely to litter. I wonder what the behaviour is like around Leeds and Liverpool's new city centres?

It would explain why there's hardly any litter in Spinningfields (I know, private land, but it isn't a dump, is it?) and shit tips around Market St.

One of the things that really upsets me about Manchester is that we have a beautiful city centre. Whitworth St, Spring Gardens, Spinningfields, Cross St, Oxford St... but yet the main shopping area - where everybody goes on a Saturday afternoon - is Market St/High St/Piccadilly Gardens - the biggest dump in the entire city

[WingTips]

Originally Posted by VDB

I think some of it is pride in the city. If the city looks like a dump anyway, people are more likely to litter. I wonder what the behaviour is like around Leeds and Liverpool's new city centres?

It would explain why there's hardly any litter in Spinningfields (I know, private land, but it isn't a dump, is it?) and shit tips around Market St.

One of the things that really upsets me about Manchester is that we have a beautiful city centre. Whitworth St, Spring Gardens, Spinningfields, Cross St, Oxford St... but yet the main shopping area - where everybody goes on a Saturday afternoon - is Market St/High St/Piccadilly Gardens - the biggest dump in the entire city

Having been in Liverpool last week, I must say the Streets are spotlessly clean, and the omni present Chewing Gum on the pavements in Manchester is almost non existent in Liverpool, Manchester City Council seriously needs to clean up its act, or the City will very shortly get itself an Internationally bad reputation for its appearance.

[VDB]

Originally Posted by WingTips

Having been in Liverpool last week, I must say the Streets are spotlessly clean, and the omni present Chewing Gum on the pavements in Manchester is almost non existent in Liverpool, Manchester City Council seriously needs to clean up its act, or the City will very shortly get itself an Internationally bad reputation for its appearance.

Agreed, I would send an email to the council with a link to this thread but they probably won't bother replying or doing anything, as usual.

[VDB]

Quick draft;

Good evening.

I'm writing with what may seem like a rather trivial nag. But firstly, may I start by saying that I am a very proud Mancunian who wants only to see this city succeed in future.

But that is why I'm writing to you. Over the past few months or so, I've been observing the city centre's streets, particulary around Market St/High St and Piccadilly Gardens and I've watched as they get increasingly filthier. That entire area is, in essence, very tired-looking and in need of major regeneration. I do hope you're considering implementing this into some sort of framework or masterplan in the very near future.

In short, the city centre and retail area is a dump. More so than ever before. Meanwhile, Liverpool and Leeds city centres - our nearest rivals - are looking cleaner than ever before. Chewing gum, cigarettes, food wrappers etc etc litter our streets. At the weekend, I had friends over from Lincolnshire and quite honestly I made deliberate plans to stay away from that entire area out of sheer embarrassment for my own city; because the area is a total dump.

I realise that there is a recession and councils such as yourselves are making severe cuts, however;

1) How can Leeds and Liverpool's councils maintain a tidy city in these straining times? and;
2) If you are so strapped on cash, where is the money for Ian Simpson's Library Walk coming from?

Piccadilly Gardens is a mess, High St is a tired looking dump and the upper end of Market St around Debenhams is an embarrassment for anyone. The Northern Quarter and Piccadilly are all always littered from last night's party hooligans, too.

Manchester City Council and Pat Karney in particular are never short of complements regarding our supposed "UK second city" status - however if I were to base it on my trips to other UK cities recently and the way their city centres are maintained - and remain tidy - I'd say we're slipping down rapidly. Manchester's retail area in particular needs a quick-stab regeneration injection.

If this carries on - and there is no immediate plan for regeneration of High St and Piccadilly Gardens - Manchester will no longer be able to retain its Second City Status - and for me, that will be upsetting. Leeds and Liverpool's retail areas look fantastic now - with the opening of Trinity Leeds and Liverpool One. Manchester had New Cathedral Street and the rebuilding of part of the Arndale centre - but the rest was left to the dumps, and even though Piccadilly Gardens was refurbished too many agree with me when I say that that looks terrible also.

What I would like to know is what is stopping the council from clearing up the city and making it clean and tidy for Saturday shoppers, and whether or not there are any long-term plans or frameworks to regenerate this downtrodden area of an otherwise great city.

Yours sincerely,

*****

(Please don't ignore as usual)

[NQ Lee]

I think the council needs to be directed towards this thread. Perhaps it will hammer home just how strongly people feel on this subject. I want to be proud of the city I live in, not ashamed of it.

[LongRipple]

I understand Manchester removed many of its litter bins during the IRA threats of the 1980’s and early 90’s. Subsequent development has failed to reinstate them in sufficient quantity to impact on the increase of footfall in the city.

Maybe litter bins are an affront to architect’s visual sensibilities?

NOMA is a case in point where there are now 3000 extra office workers migrating through the area but aside of a couple of narrow bins within the public plaza there are no litterbins along any of the new ring road or around the numerous car parks which border the site and seem to be a magnet for fly tippers.

With political turnout amid city centre residents at less than 15%, little is demanded of the elected councillors and issues too easily ignored even though Council Tax remains one of the highest in the country. As city centre spokesperson, this is exactly the issue Pat Karney should be focussing on rather than dancing jigs to the idea of fairground rides in the city that only exacerbate the problem.
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