“Connectivity is critical in creating a common identity”
Jon Lamonte, head of Transport for Greater Manchester, explains the importance of creating iconic transport heritage
Jon Lamonte, Chief Executive, Transport for Greater Manchester
A transport network is the veins and arteries in the body of a place. Connectivity is critical in creating a common identity. Greater Manchester gets both bigger in terms of ambition and reach, and smaller as we extend our Metrolink lines to connect the city centre with Rochdale, Ashton, Manchester Airport and everywhere in between. Transport heritage is one of those things that really matters to people. It is surprising how connected people feel to something when they use a service every day, it is all part of the psycho-geography and experience of a place.
Transport has the power to change the whole feel of a place. Bury has benefitted hugely from improved connectivity and opening up its rich history and markets to a wider audience. The Metrolink to Oldham has redefined where its natural centre is, highlighting some of its wonderful — and previously hidden — old buildings along Union Street.
I’m approached all the time by companies and marketing agencies asking if I’d be interested in selling advertising space on the outside of the trams, but I just think they mean too much to people to do that. Like London’s tube, the Manchester trams are an icon in the making and there’s a real sense of ownership of them. It’s a sensitive sharing of space between people and trams and there’s a tacit understanding of those rules of engagement. It’s no place for the hard-sell.
