Whats it like around Manchester?

willhub · 3 Jul 2008 at 23:37

I'll be moving to manchester in like 3 months for Uni, hopefully living around 3-10mile from the college that I will be going to, the thing is, I will have to cycle there, and in the winter it will be dark on way back home, so just wondering, anyone know what the cycle lanes and all that is like in manchester? From what I have seen so far there is not much of it? Just worried It might actually be a very bad idea to cycle. Also plenty of people keep telling me about a risk of been stabbed and crap like that in manchester, getting me worried that is, surely if I am cycling in the dark for about 30mins I'm not going to get jumped on??

Thanks
Willz.

FrostedNipple · 3 Jul 2008 at 23:38

I heard manchester is pretty scummy, although knifes havn't caught on up there just yet, so you should stay alive.

Bike lights? And chavs are on allyways, not roads, from that aspect, you should be ok.

willhub · 3 Jul 2008 at 23:41

My mum refers to it as the london of the north :confused:

, I noticed some streets look like something off GTA IV, all shutters everwhere, all closed, some parts look really nice though, when I'm off college I plan to escape from manchester and run to the hills.

Azza · 3 Jul 2008 at 23:42

Ill direct Tefal to here once he gets back off holiday for you as he goes to Manchester Uni.

willhub · 3 Jul 2008 at 23:44

Cheers, I also hope there is some cyclists on this forum who cycle in manchester, but I have never seen so many dual carridge ways in my life, every road there is a dual. I think I found some decent accommodation too in a place called Ashton, well the house is called ashton house, 68quid a week, ensuite and shared kitchen with 5 people.

Solari · 3 Jul 2008 at 23:45

Mad fer it!

ojste · 3 Jul 2008 at 23:45

from my limited experience the surroundings seem pretty nice, town is nice, loads of shops and nightlife seems decent but its FULL of chavs. i mean seriously full of them

Van Hellseek · 3 Jul 2008 at 23:46

willhub said:
Cheers, I also hope there is some cyclists on this forum who cycle in manchester, but I have never seen so many dual carridge ways in my life, every road there is a dual. I think I found some decent accommodation too in a place called Ashton, well the house is called ashton house, 68quid a week, ensuite and shared kitchen with 5 people.

Willhub
Ashton house
Ashton
Manchester

Want to give us your mobile number too?

willhub · 3 Jul 2008 at 23:47

.

You wont know where I am!, there is like 40 rooms, I can just pretend I'm someone else!

FrostedNipple · 3 Jul 2008 at 23:48

there would be tell tale signs. Someone would say something that sounds fake, then you would say 'i call shenanigans' we'd know it was you

willhub · 3 Jul 2008 at 23:49

Meh, its not like OcUK is going to hunt me down

Van Hellseek · 3 Jul 2008 at 23:49

willhub said:
Meh, its not like OcUK is going to hunt me down

That sounds like a challenge!

willhub · 3 Jul 2008 at 23:52

seek said:
That sounds like a challenge!

It'll be harder than you thought, seems like there is no place called ashton in manchester

Any on a serial note, any cyclists or people that cycle in manchester? It would be interesting to know what the chances of been ran over are.

uv · 3 Jul 2008 at 23:56

willhub said:
Any on a serial note, any cyclists or people that cycle in manchester? It would be interesting to know what the chances of been ran over are.

I live in Manchester and bike around.. you'll be fine.

It's pretty hectic biking through Rusholme during rush hour - they seem to have no concept of Road Safety.

Manchester's an awesome place, you'll love it..

Can't think of any place I've been that I'd rather live in

*edit* what are you doing at Uni?

Van Hellseek · 3 Jul 2008 at 23:57

willhub said:
It'll be harder than you thought, seems like there is no place called ashton in manchester

Well, not 'in' exactly, but there's one nearby. And funnily enough it's next to a place called 'failsworth'.

M0T · 3 Jul 2008 at 23:58

I drove to manchester a few times, and I got lost the first time. I can only say it was quite frightening, I was only about a street away from some of the main studenty areas (Curry mile my friend called it) and it was a dump. Not only that but there were groups of people just sitting on their garden walls chucking stuff about and shouting into each others faces. Its the sort of place you'd drive through with your windows and doors locked.

Second time I went to my mates student house (first time was uni halls), anyway the area was a popular student accomodation area and quite a few people had been stabbed around it. None of them would go out unless there were at least 5 of them after dark.

The residents were a bunch of nutters as well, one of my mates friends had a party that they had okayed with the neighbours (was a friday night) because they were worried about the noise. Next day they went out and when they came back the neighbours had poured glue into their locks for keeping them up, so they had them replaced and they did it again.

From my small experiences I would say its not the sort of place where you'd want to be out alone at night.

uv · 4 Jul 2008 at 00:00

M0T said:
From my small experiences I would say its not the sort of place where you'd want to be out alone at night.

Must have been a different Manchester tbh.. I've lived here for donkeys, and I've never had a problem. I wouldn't exactly blend in with the crowd either.

I guess some areas are notoriously rough, but even those (hulme, moss side etc) have had massive regeneration in the past few years.

willhub · 4 Jul 2008 at 00:06

Whats miller street like (A665)? You ever been round there? Thats near where I will be staying hopefully, its too late to back out of moving to manchester now it would ruin my whole life that, I know it's stupid but I find it quite scary atm, I have never lived in a city, especially one of the biggest in the uk and its like a different country litrally and when you dont know anyone it is even worse. I have to look for a job too.

toosepin · 4 Jul 2008 at 00:16

Jesus, Manchester is not as bad as people here are making out.

If MOTs student friends lived in an area like that (probably Moss Side / Longsight / Hulme) then it's their own fault for choosing such a bad place to live. If they had stuck to the main student populated areas like everyone else (Fallowfield, Withington, Didsbury, Victoria Park, Rusholme) they they wouldn't have problems like that.

As with all cities you get violence and crime but it's no more so here than a nice part of Bristol/Birmingham/Newcastle. Oxford Rd is perfectly fine and full to the brim of students.

In the city centre (past Oxford Rd - further North than the Unis) there are quite a few chavs lunging around, mainly because they get the Metro in from places in Gtr Manchester like Bury, Oldham etc but in general it's no more than a lot of cities I've been to.

East/South London are so much more violent than any of Manchester.

willhub · 4 Jul 2008 at 00:19

Is the A62 (Oldham road) and A664 (rochdale road) bad places as the place I am interested in is like right near this area, found it on Manchester Student Homes.