New rules as lockdown starts to ease

FOR the past two months, Londoners have been abiding by lockdown rules.

This is most evident by the massive fall in traffic on the London Underground. But with Boris Johnson due to announce the easing of lockdown measures from this week, many are now wondering what that means for our transport network.

Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced some new measures that are being put in place to help the public avoid both public transport and driving, such as new cycle lanes and pedestrianising areas.

However, our Tube network caters to 325,000 passengers every 15 minutes when it’s at full capacity. A leaked report two days ago revealed that after lockdown, there were plans to impose the two-metre social distancing rule that many of us have been abiding by in supermarkets and on our daily walks or runs.

This would then mean that Tube services could only handle transporting 50,000 passengers every 15 minutes. There’s also talk of people only being allowed to use the service if they’re wearing a face mask.

With so much uncertainty surrounding how the Underground will function after lockdown, we asked TfL what plans are in place.

A spokesperson revealed that they aim to build up service levels gradually, but have confirmed that the network will not return to what it used to be before the coronavirus pandemic began.

They also urged those who can continue to work at home to do so. TfL is currently working alongside the Government to put together a practical plan on how the Tube can go forward as the capital comes out of lockdown.

However, the details of those plans remain unclear.

A TfL spokesperson said: “Whatever happens over the coming weeks and months, everyone who can work from home must continue to do so for some time yet.

“Our intention is to progressively build up service levels, but it is clear life simply won’t be returning to what it was before. We are working with Government to understand how the restrictions on travel may be lifted - including their expectations on social distancing.

This will dictate how many people can be safely carried alongside extensive mitigating measures like re-timing journeys to spread demand out of peak times and managing stations differently.

“When workplaces re-open there will be significant challenges in enabling those Londoners who cannot work from home to get to and from work while social distancing rules are still in place.

“We expect that there will be an enormous travel demand challenge that we will all need to overcome together, and planning is underway on how to meet that challenge and help London get moving again, safely and sustainably.”