A free 'parking spot' in the city centre is set to be blocked permanently by the council.
For months now, cheeky motorists have been parking directly under the motorway for free instead of using car parks.
Parked cars and vans on the central reservation beneath Mancunian Way (between the Princess Road roundabout and the Cambridge Street junction) have become a common sight in recent months.
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Manchester City Council, which says its hands have been tied until now because of 'a legal technicality', says enough is enough.
Council officers say vehicles entering and exiting the area to park are posing a risk to other road users and pedestrians, while also damaging the resurfaced area.
Motorists have continued to get away with it as the land is neither a highway or a pavement, meaning officers have no legal powers to issue fines.
It is also owned by Highways England and does not fall within the council's adopted road network, meaning the council is unable to introduce Traffic Regulation Orders to curb the behaviour.
But the local authority has now set aside a reported £5,000 to install metal barriers along the length of the central reservation and a reported £5,000 to repair parts of it.
Work on the temporary measures will begin at 5am tomorrow (Wednesday September 15), before being replaced with a permanent wooden rail, costing a reported £45,000, in the coming weeks.
While the barriers are installed Manchester council will be working with Greater Manchester Police to prevent breaches of the perimeter fencing.
Councillor Tracey Rawlins, executive member for environment, said: “People taking it upon themselves to park under the Mancunian Way were posing a serious threat to other road users and this was something we could not allow to keep happening.
“The road is fast moving and leads into other major routes in and out of the city and frankly, it is amazing that a serious accident has not taken place as a result.
“A lot of money has been wasted to rectify damage caused to the landscaping areas, and even more will now be spent to close this area off permanently.
“There are thousands of other car parking spaces in the city centre which I would encourage drivers to use, or, for those who are able, walk, cycle or take advantage of public transport links which run in and out of Manchester.”
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