Don’t drive your car to work
Workers should walk, cycle or take public transport post-lockdown, says Minister
DRIVERS will be urged to ditch their cars once they can start returning to work as part of a radical rethink of the transport system.
Plans to expand walkways and cycle paths in built-up areas – by reducing road space for cars – are set to be announced by the Scottish Government this week.
By banning motor vehicles from lanes on some roads, ministers hope to encourage more people to walk or cycle to work.
The move is a key part of the Government’s strategy for bringing the country out of lockdown and kick-starting the economy.
As and when Scotland starts to return to work, Ministers believe many people will be too frightened to use buses and trains because of the threat of contracting coronavirus.
Consequently, they fear huge numbers will instead use their cars to commute – bringing the country’s roads to a standstill.
As a result, a fundamental shake-up is being considered to ensure people can stay safe by practising social distancing while at the same time not causing transport gridlock.
Key proposals under consideration include: Persuading motorists to ditch their vehicles wherever possible and instead encouraging people to walk or cycle, by taking road space from cars and converting some lanes into cycle paths or walkways that are big enough for large numbers of people to use while still allowing them to keep two metres apart;
Making ‘rush hour’ a thing of the past by encouraging people to work from home and urging ‘staggered starts’ so that commuters are not all travelling at the same time;
Providing more buses and more frequent services – but with far fewer passengers – to allow social distancing;
Imposing similar limits on train passengers. Since it is difficult to operate more, or bigger, trains, it might be necessary to prioritise who can use trains at certain times of day;
Restructuring bus and train stations and airport terminals to avoid dense queues and allow social distancing inside.
Transport Secretary Michael Matheson will start to outline plans in Holyrood on Tuesday.
Edinburgh and Glasgow councils are also set to unveil plans to cordon off parts of city centre roads for pedestrians and cyclists, with Ministers hoping other urban local authorities will follow. That could mean cars are left with one-way systems, traffic lights, or potentially banned from streets entirely.
On Thursday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gave some early thoughts on how the lockdown could be eased, with the possibility of pupils returning to school and some businesses reopening. The Scottish
Government is trying to work out how to make social distancing possible on trains, buses and planes that are usually packed, to help avoid a massive increase in people driving.
People will be urged to work from home where possible and, if they do go to the office, they will be told to stagger their commuting times to dodge rush hour.
In towns and cities, more space will be given to cyclists and pedestrians, with walking and cycling already increasing during lockdown.
New ‘physical distancing lanes’ will also allow people to keep a safe distance from passers-by, as the Government looks at how to prevent a second wave of coronavirus hitting Scotland.
Councillor Anna Richardson, Glasgow’s sustainability convener, said: ‘We are actively looking at how we could introduce temporary footways and cycle paths to help support social distancing. We are still in lockdown, but there are indications that social distancing will remain a feature of our lives for some time to come.’
Talks are already under way with Scottish airports about how to manage distancing in check-in areas, departure lounges and boarding and baggage reclaim areas.
One source said: ‘It might be that airports will have to operate a bit like the supermarkets, with marked spaces between passengers and the number of flights in and out at any time limited. It might be that flights have to operate at no more than onethird capacity.’ As for railway stations, the source added: ‘We might have to find ways to count people in and out of stations and count people on to carriages, only allowing in a number of passengers that can take a seat and maintain the two metres’ distance. It would be similar with bus services.’
Trains could travel direct between Edinburgh and Glasgow without stopping, for example, or with carriages designated for certain stops, to avoid mixing.
But there are fears such complica
tions could put commuters off altogether. Officials have been looking at measures taken elsewhere.
In Winnipeg, Canada, roads have more dedicated cycling and walking lanes, between 8am and 8pm each day, with space for cars limited.
Other models, giving walkers and cyclists priority over drivers, have been introduced in Berlin and Philadelphia.
In Budapest, where bus use has fallen by 90 per cent, a major cycling network is being planned.
Last night, Neil Greig, of drivers’ group IAM Roadsmart, said: ‘If they close main arteries to cars, that would definitely lead to gridlock.
‘There is going to be a big return to people using their cars, as the need for them has not changed.’
Transport Scotland said it was in talks with charity Sustrans Scotland – which aims to encourage people to leave their cars at home – ‘in terms of how we could help support local authorities to reallocate road space on a temporary basis to enable physical distancing for people walking and cycling’.