Campaigning for dogs to be allowed on the trams

Editor,

In an age where we are encouraged to use public transport for the sake of the environment and to ease congestion it is important that responsible dog owners can travel on all forms of public transport with their dog. 

They can currently use taxis, buses and trains around Greater Manchester, but are excluded from the Metrolink. 

Metrolink state that this is due to Transport for Greater Manchester regulations.  

They also state they are unable to carry dogs as their trams are not built to accommodate them & in doing so would turn Metrolink trams in to a zoo! 

However Transport for Greater Manchester allegedly have asked Greater Manchester Metrolink Network to review this; so far no one is accepting responsibility for this discriminatory rule.

It is worth noting that no other mode of public transport is built to specifically carry dogs but they seem to cope well.

I have never seen an influx of dogs traveling on trains or buses, just because they can; it is rarely more than one or two ever seen at any one time, taking up little more room if any than a suitcase or a few shopping bags! 

Transport for London who carry significantly more passengers are able to cope very well.

Their conditions for carriage of dogs are: 

·         You can also travel with any other dog or domestic animal, unless there is a good reason for us to refuse it (such as if the animal seems dangerous or is likely to upset other customers). 

·         You must keep it under control on a lead or in a suitable container, and must not allow it on a seat. Staff can't take charge of any animal. 

·         You must carry animals on moving escalators or through automatic ticket gates. 

Metrolink is due to expand its line to Sale Water Park a dog haven in addition to Heaton Park which it already services as well as other great dog walking areas such as Oldham, Rochdale and Bury to name a few.

Travel on Metrolink to these areas with dogs would not only provide dogs and their owners with an opportunity to explore new areas but would provide additional revenue to the businesses in these areas. 

Furthermore to add insult to injury travel services were removed from some of these areas that previously permitted dogs to travel! 

It is time Transport for Manchester stopped discriminating against dogs and their owners and fell in line with London and other European cities affording the residents and visitors to Greater Manchester a comparable service.

Please sign our petition: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/dogs-on-manchester-metrolink

Adam

The views expressed are those of the author of the letter and not those of Oldham Chronicle.