Longboarding/Cycling in Manchester

Hi guys,

I'm an International student coming to Manchester this September,

I have a few questions about longboarding/cycling.

1. Does Manchester have a conducive environment for biking/longboarding? (bike lanes, etc)
There are some bike lanes, but these can be a bit patchy and sub par in places. Some are on the pavement, and some are on the road, but each is vulnerable to cars / pedestrians wandering into them. It's not the Netherlands, by any means.

2. I'm living in Victoria Hall and would like to use longboard/bikes as a form of transportation to n fro the university. Is this advisable?
I cycled everywhere in Manchester, and would definitely recommend it. From Victoria Hall, I'd recommend cycling along Hathersage Road, and then joining the off road cycle path that runs alongside Whitworth Park, before travelling northward and then filtering into the bus lane that runs through campus.

I will note that longboards aren't common in the UK - I had to google what they were. However, it's illegal to skateboard on the pavement or cycle path (though the extent to which this is enforced is a separate matter) and in any case the local pavements are invariably far too busy and crowded to make longboarding practical. Similarly, the roads are too fast and have too many cars for it to work particularly well.

3. I'm more keen on longboarding since it is more portable. Are longboards allowed on campus? By that, I mean in classrooms and not locked away in a biking shed.
I'm not aware of any specific rules, but you will have to be mindful of the practical considerations - lecture theatres often don't provide much by way of space to store these things. In contrast, there are bike racks outside every university building, which is super convenient.

You should probably also be aware that the general view of skateboards / longboards in the UK is that they are something used by children and teenagers as playthings - you won't find many adults using them.

ps: If this is possible, I would learn in asap!

Anyone else keen to longboard as a transportation?

..

Thank you for your detailed reply.

From that, it seems like Longboarding/Skateboarding is not advisable at all in Manchester.

However, if longboarding/skateboarding is not advisable on the road as a form of transportation, would cycling make it less dangerous? (If this is offensive, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to question your opinion)

Can I actually longboard on the bikers path? (By that I mean the route to the University. Since it's presumed safe for bikers, I assume it should be safe for skateboarders too?) Tho, I understand that it's not common in the UK and is viewed as a 'toy'.

Lastly, if I were to buy a bike... Is a fixed gear type of bike advisable? How much should I allocate for a decent bike?