Britons should either walk or use their bicycle once lockdown is eased: Minister

More commuters should consider cycling or walking when Britain’s coronavirus lockdown is eased to take the pressure off public transport capacity that is likely to drop by 90% under social distancing requirements, Transport Minister Grant Shapps said on Saturday.

He urged people to continue to work from home where possible, but said those who did have to commute to work should consider cycling or walking rather than using their cars.

The requirement for buses, trains and underground rail services to maintain social distancing rules means they will only be able to carry vastly reduced passenger numbers. But an increase in private car use to commute to work is likely to lead to roads and motorways becoming choked with traffic.

“Even with public transport reverting to a full service, once you take into account the two-metre social distancing rule, there would only be effective capacity for one in 10 passengers in many parts of our network, just a tenth of the old capacity,” said Shapps.

He noted that in some parts of Britain there had been a 70% rise in the number of people using bikes during the pandemic.