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Metro bosses put up signs at stations telling passengers to go home unless they were key workers despite Boris Johnson telling millions of Britons to go back to work, it was revealed today.
The transport for London’s foreboding messages came amid a growing dispute with Downing Street, which insists that trains must return to normal to revive the economy, while London Mayor Sadiq Khan says “the lock has not been lifted. “
It occurred when nine out of ten UK companies closed due to coronaviruses and believe they may restart again within three weeks as millions went back to work for a second day today.
There were more grim scenes on the tube and buses this morning when the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said their survey of 600 companies found that 70% had suspended staff, showing how the job retention scheme had prevented layoffs. .
Nine out of 10 respondents said they would need three weeks or less to reopen, when the government eased the restrictions, while three out of four companies said they could implement social distancing measures and almost the majority were confident of taking remote work measures. .
But there is growing concern about the lack of safe social distancing on public transport, especially in London, where the number of passengers increases 7% in one week. London Bridge Station has seen a 25 percent increase in commuters in the past week, while Waterloo is up 20 percent, according to MailOnline.
A traveler who posted a picture of a full tube car wrote sarcastically today: “Social distancing is going well on the London Underground this morning,” while Nurse Abbie Biddick tweeted a picture of her trip on the Central Line and said: ” Every seat full and people were no more than 10 cm apart. “
The Central Line was dangerously crowded with travelers who had no choice but to go to work in full carriages
Signs like these have appeared in subway stations, but more and more people are following directions to work.
Commuters wearing a variety of masks and face shields are beginning to return to work at the Canning Town station today.
It was impossible for people to stay two meters away as they tried to board a Jubilee Line train to central London.
On board, most did not wear face masks or scarves to cover their mouths and noses despite warnings from a second peak.
This bus in Tottenham was also busy amid mounting concerns about the lack of services offered by Transport for London
Most companies can restart their businesses with a notice of up to three weeks and are confident of implementing social distancing or remote work measures, suggests new research from the British Chambers of Commerce.
Transport for London (TfL) said the number of passengers using the tube between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Wednesday increased 7.3% compared to the same period last week.
Some of London’s busiest roads will be CLOSED to cars to make room for bicycles and pedestrians.
A new plan has been published to ban cars from some of the busiest roads in the City of London to make way for more bicycles and walkers despite increasingly dangerous conditions on public transport due to a lack of trains and buses.
Cars and taxis are banned on some of the capital’s busiest roads to make way for cyclists and pedestrians despite the increase in traffic and social distancing becoming a ‘joke’ on public transport.
The City of London Corporation claims that shutting off major routes through the financial district will be ‘critical’ to keeping people safe during the pandemic despite government council clarifying that: ‘It is highly unlikely that you will become infected if you pass another person on the street. ‘
Transport chiefs want to enforce 12 or 24-hour car closings and divert buses from their main routes, including Cannon Street, Poultry, Lombard Street, Old Broad Street and Threadneedle Street, home to the Bank of England.
Without the vehicles, the pavements will expand, new bike lanes and additional queuing space will be created outside stores and cafes, and the plan is expected to be approved tomorrow by the Square Mile planning committee as the 550,000 workers of the City of London begin to return to the offices as the blockade is facilitated.
But critics criticized the proposals, saying the closings will make matters worse for commuters who must commute to work in London, especially when Boris Johnson has suggested that people drive, walk, or bike to work. Traffic in the capital rose two percent compared to a week ago, according to TomTom, and increases every week as the nationwide travel ban ends.
But defending the plan, Catherine McGuinness, head of policy for the London Corporation, said: “ Even a small increase in the number of people using cars, taxis and private rental vehicles to travel is likely to lead to an unacceptable level. of congestion in central London street network ‘.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan was urged to control and increase services immediately to alleviate the severe overcrowding, which occurred without a massive increase in passengers.
Today around 230,000 subway trips are expected, compared to 4 million preblock, but there are not enough services to transport them safely, with waits of up to 20 minutes by train causing crowded platforms and crashed wagons.
But companies have said they will soon be ready to start again.
BCC CEO Dr. Adam Marshall said: “The job retention scheme has been successful in its goal of protecting livelihoods and its extension will be a great help and a great relief to companies across the globe. United Kingdom”.
‘The government should continue to listen to business and develop the scheme according to what is happening on the ground. In addition, phased support may still be needed for companies that cannot operate for an extended period, or those facing reduced capacity or demand due to current restrictions.
‘The government’s guidance signals major changes in the way many companies operate, and some companies will now need time to plan and speak to their employees so that they can return to work safely.
“Along with this guide, companies urgently need clarity on the future of government support schemes, which must be tailored to help those companies that need to remain closed for an extended period of time or face reduced capacity or demand.”
A government spokesman said: “It is great to see so many companies ready to go back to work and start the engines of the economy.”
‘To ensure that this happens safely, we have published a comprehensive guide to a variety of different workplaces, and we welcome companies that support their staff to work at home.
‘This continues to be a challenging period for companies, and therefore we have expanded our Job Retention Plan, which already supports more than 7.5 million jobs and almost one million companies.
“Businesses can also continue to draw on government commercial loan schemes, as well as the various tax subsidies and deferrals that we have introduced.”
Initial data released on Wednesday indicated small increases in road traffic across the country, but concerns were raised about overcrowding on public transport in London.
There appeared to be no initial reports of an influx of visitors to beauty spots like the Lake District, and now people are allowed to travel to the countryside alone or with members of their homes.
Transport for London (TfL) said the number of passengers using the tube between 4 am and 10 am on Wednesday increased 7.3% compared to the same period last week, an increase that equates to almost 5,700 travels.
An official spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there had been no “significant” increase in travel on the capital’s network.
Social distancing was not possible on the Victoria Line this morning when the second day of the closure of the bullring began and the companies prepared to reopen
Travelers waiting to board a subway train seen at North Acton station, many did not have recommended face masks or covers
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the public should be encouraged to return to work if they cannot work from home.
Earlier in the day, Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps urged people not to ‘flood again’ on public transportation, but the Railways, Maritime and Transportation (RMT) union warned that the message back to Government job was ‘fraught with danger’ amid reports of carriage packaging
Under the last guideline, people who cannot work from home are encouraged to return to workplaces if it is safe to do so.
A manager at the quiet Waterloo station said the footprint during the coronavirus crisis had been around 5% of normal, and had increased to around 10% on Wednesday morning.
He said about 50,000 people per hour generally pass through the station during peak hours under normal circumstances.
On the roads, data released by localization technology firm TomTom showed that the level of congestion in the capital at 8am on Wednesday was 19%, up from 17% the previous week.
During the same period, Manchester experienced an increase from 12% to 13%, Birmingham remained stable at 11%, Newcastle congestion increased from 11% to 13% and Leeds from 13% to 14%.
England’s national parks have already called for caution from visitors planning to return starting Wednesday, with some still telling people to stay away.
Visitors were warned that many facilities, such as parking lots, visitor centers and public baths, as well as cafes and pubs, are not yet open.
A spokesman for the Association of Local Governments (LGA) also said on Wednesday that local councils were reviewing the provision of car parking, but “they would balance this with avoiding gathering large crowds where it will be difficult to maintain social distancing.”
Spokesmen for the Lake District, Peak District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks suggested Wednesday afternoon that it was too early to tell, or were waiting to speak to rangers to see if visitor numbers had changed as the measures dwindled. closing.
But in the Lake District, it seemed that the request to “stay away” from local politicians and public officials was being met.
In Windermere, Bowness, Grassmere and Keswick, there was no influx of visitors to popular tourist spots, with shops, bars and restaurants closed.
Locals suggested that the situation may change on weekends and as days and weeks progress.
Tim Farron, MP from Westmorland and Lonsdale, wrote to Mr. Johnson asking for a maximum limit on the number of miles people can drive to exercise to help stem the increase in people traveling to the Lake District from outside of Cumbria.
On Wednesday, Farron said: It is good to hear that so many people today are following the advice of the Cumbria police, Cumbria tourism and local health officials not to travel to Cumbria.
“Of course, our main concern is what happens over the weekend.”
Colin Cox, Cumbria’s Director of Public Health, said: “I would urge people to really consider whether a visit to the Lake District is the right thing to do right now.”
Malcolm Bell, executive director of tourism agency Visit Cornwall, said he had not seen “a noticeable increase” in visitors to the region on Wednesday.
“I think we have to wait for the first sunny day,” he added, noting that Wednesday’s conditions “were not the best.”
Looking ahead to the weekend, he encouraged people not to travel more than an hour from their local area to enjoy the outdoors and avoid tourist “hot spots”.
Meanwhile, the Canal and River Trust, which cares for 2,000 miles of UK waterways, announced that it would lift restrictions on boat owners who visit their boats.
But the charity said “general sailing” was not yet allowed, as only a minimal trip for essential repairs or services was allowed, and those who visit the ships should expect to return home the same day.
Highways England said people should stay home as long as possible, but urged those who decide to get in their cars for the first time in several weeks to carry out extensive checks to make sure they are safe to ride and safe.
