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The government will proceed with “extreme caution” when exiting the blockade, the transport secretary said in revealing plans to “get Britain moving again.”
Grant Shapps said the move beyond Covid-19 would be “gradual progress” and not a “leap to freedom.”
He promised £ 250 million for improvements to cycling and walking infrastructure, but did not confirm a 14-day quarantine for passengers arriving in the UK.
A further 346 coronavirus deaths were recorded in the UK, for a total of 31,587.
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Shapps, who spoke a day before the prime minister addressed the country about closure measures, said there were unprecedented levels of walking and cycling during the pandemic.
He said: “While it is crucial that we stay home, when the country returns to work, we should ask those people to continue cycling or walking and to be joined by many other people as well.”
Even if the UK transport network were to operate at full capacity, social distancing rules would mean that only one in 10 passengers would be able to travel, he said.
Pop-up bike lanes, wider pavements, safer crossings and bike and bus corridors will be created in weeks within a £ 250 million emergency fund.
It is the first part of a £ 2 billion cycling and walking package, which was part of a £ 5 billion investment announced in February, the Department of Transport said.
The additional funding is for English local authorities to help disrupt road networks with the aim of removing pressure from the roads and the public transport network.
Issues related to cycling and walking are delegated. For example, Wales had legislation in place to boost both activities since 2013, while Scotland announced the financing of “active travel infrastructure” in April.
The Welsh Assembly has suggested new policies including road or lane closures with cyclist filters, 20 mph limits and sidewalk widening.
In Scotland Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, told the Scottish Parliament that his government had put forth a support package to help local authorities implement “temporary active travel measures” to allow people to walk and riding a bicycle while physically distancing themselves and staying safe from traffic.
Specific measures have not yet been announced in Northern Ireland, although Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon is expected to appoint a cycling and walking champion.
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Aaron Chown / PA Media
Transport Secretary announced £ 250 million emergency fund for bike and walking improvements
Asked by the BBC’s Ben Wright about reports of 14-day quarantine measures for people entering the country, Shapps said he would not announce anything before Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s speech on closure measures on Sunday.
But NHS deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam said the virus had an incubation period of up to 14 days, during which symptoms develop.
Shapps said: “Considering the sacrifice the British people have made for seven weeks and counting, you cannot have a situation where someone is asked to stay home, but others can enter the country.”
The airline industry has expressed concern about the plans with the commercial organization Airlines UK saying that the policy needed “a credible exit plan” and should be reviewed weekly.
And a Heathrow spokesman said any measure must be medically effective, meet public expectations and be delivered by airports.
Announcing £ 10 million for electric car charging points and extending an electronic scooter test in England, Scotland and Wales, the transport secretary said that better air quality had been one of the few benefits of the current crisis.
Shapps was also asked about the apparent increase in the number of people leaving after warnings against sending “mixed messages” with newspaper reports suggesting sunbathing and picnicking on Monday.
He dismissed the allegations that the government’s messaging strategy was confusing and said, “I think most people are more than capable of understanding what it means.”
When asked about social distancing in schools, particularly for younger children who may not follow the rules, Shapps said: “Extreme caution is actually the watchword here. And we’ve seen in other countries where, second Instead, no peaks have appeared, but where social distancing has relaxed and there have been problems, then we will wait to see. “
The government did not meet the goal of 100,000 daily tests for the seventh consecutive day, but there were 96,878 tests delivered in the 24 hours as of 9:00 AM BST on Friday.
The Association of Local Governments welcomed the transportation announcements, but said local councils must have “long-term certainty” about funding.
David Renard, a transportation spokesman for LGA, said: “Local control over infrastructure and public transportation budgets would allow them to deliver the general improvements to promote more active travel.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said funding for walking and cycling schemes was important for people who have to return to work and said allowing people to walk and bike would be “critical to relieving the pressure about our public transportation network. “
RAC chief road policy Nicholas Lyes said the success of the new walking and cycling schemes would hinge on motorists’ attitudes toward short car trips, saying that if e-scooters were to leave to be used as alternative transportation to move around the cities, security must be taken into account.
