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All across the Great Western territory => Diary - what's happening when? => Topic started by: grahame on May 19, 2020, 09:56:32



Title: "Social distancing – the death knell for public transport?" - 28.5.2020
Post by: grahame on May 19, 2020, 09:56:32
From the Charted Institute of Logistics and Transport

A "Fireside Chat" on 28th May / 90 minute online event

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/social-distancing-the-death-knell-for-public-transport-fireside-chat-tickets-105514067416?ref=eios

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With COVID-19 lockdown across the world came a sharp reduction in traffic. With widespread enforced working from home came hope that a new normal might see less commuting by car in future. Then came the stark realisation that social distancing and public transport use are incompatible if not mutually exclusive. What does this mean for the transition out of lockdown and for the battle to reclaim use of the streets? Is it now the car versus walking, cycling and homeworking, with public transport in cities mortally wounded?

Running public transport is expensive and cannot be sustained indefinitely without passengers using and paying for services. Psychological scarring could have lasting effects on people’s propensity to use public transport. Conversely, people’s frustration with lockdown could see a rebound in public transport use, irrespective of the public health risks. The silver lining of COVID-19 seemed to be the possibility of an important and positive change in people’s mobility patterns. Is this instead set to become an even darker cloud of despair as people are encouraged to isolate in their cars and enjoy petrol prices of less than £1 per litre? Public transport needs a game plan to survive and to play its part in shaping a better future, particularly for the many who do not have a car.


Title: Re: "Social distancing – the death knell for public transport?" - 28.5.2020
Post by: ChrisB on May 19, 2020, 10:33:00
Transport Focus are running a weekly survey on this - Check the pdf attached for their results. Really not good reading for public transport


Title: Re: "Social distancing – the death knell for public transport?" - 28.5.2020
Post by: grahame on May 19, 2020, 11:20:26
Transport Focus are running a weekly survey on this - Check the pdf attached for their results. Really not good reading for public transport

Very useful, thanks, Chris!


Title: Re: "Social distancing – the death knell for public transport?" - 28.5.2020
Post by: stuving on May 19, 2020, 15:43:04
This is an example of how not knowing what "social distancing" means makes it hard to even talk about the issues.  If you read through the event listing, it's not clear until the bottom which meaning they have in mind.

Up to some time in March, it was having fewer contacts with people, by leaving home a lot less, that was called social distancing. Which is quite logical, based on what the words mean. This included closing schools, bars, restaurants, most shops, and many other businesses, and working from home if possible. This behaviour change affects transport, by reducing demand. Up to now the reduction is large, and outside city centres enormous.

In this sense it has been largely supplanted by "lockdown", though that applies more to the combination of restrictions we have at the moment than any or all of them as a category. This word, too, has changed its meaning during the last few months.

Since then "social distancing" has been used more and more for an otherwise nameless set of rules about physical distancing. These too affect transport by reducing capacity.  I still contend that it's kinda useful to have different names for these two things.

There is another category of behaviours, which we haven't got a name for, which is all the actions (and ways of acting) that reduce virus transmission when we can't social distance (i.e. we do have to meet, in some sense, others). This includes hand-washing, being careful with coughs and sneezes and handkercheifs, wearing masks, and physical spacing.

In French they are gestes barrières, but gestes in that sense doesn't seem to have a good English equivalent. "Gestures" overlaps but sounds wrong for what might become habits but only if habitual. The best might be "barrier measures" - but that would include real barriers (sheets of perspex) too, so still leaving a gap in the vocabulary for the behaviours.


Title: Re: "Social distancing – the death knell for public transport?" - 28.5.2020
Post by: Robin Summerhill on May 19, 2020, 15:55:39
The best might be "barrier measures" - but that would include real barriers (sheets of perspex) too, so still leaving a gap in the vocabulary for the behaviours.

A new future for compartment stock?


Title: Re: "Social distancing – the death knell for public transport?" - 28.5.2020
Post by: eightonedee on May 19, 2020, 19:49:56
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A new future for compartment stock?

Not if my memories of trying to squeeze into the fourth seat on either side of a mark 1 compartment in the early 1980s is anything to go by.........


Title: Re: "Social distancing – the death knell for public transport?" - 28.5.2020
Post by: grahame on May 28, 2020, 16:49:28
Well ... I was hoping to bring you a meeting report. I see on Twitter that 650 signed up ... but when I got there, the room was saying "This Channel does not have any content" ....

An email at 16:20 to say "stay tuned - we're having some technical difficulties" then 20 minutes later ...

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A Message from PTRC Education and Research Services:

Hi everyone,

I'm very sorry to say that due to major technical difficulties we are going to have to postpone this event.

All the speakers are very much looking forward to having this important debate at some point in the near future and we will update you as soon as we can on a new date.

Please don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions brogan.mcpherson@ptrc-training.co.uk

In the meantime, stay safe.

Kindest,

Brogan and the PTRC Team

Oh dear ... I will update this thread as / when / if I get a new date.

P.S.  If 650 people have waited 40 minutes and each draws a UK median salary of £14.80 per hour, that's £6,400 of people's time wasted.   In famous word OOOOze gonna pay for it.



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