Train cancellations and station closures are forcing those who have to travel into close proximity
Boris Johnson’s lockdown announcement last night – though he carefully avoided calling it that – has had zero impact this morning on the crowding of public transport into and around London, with horrific scenes of packed trains:
The failure of the announcement to impact on crowded trains is entirely unsurprising – because the lack of joined-up thinking in the government has created bottlenecks that force those who must travel into close proximity with each other, even though around 80% of travellers in the capital are staying home.
While the Chinese government has increased the number of trains running, to provide space for commuters to keep apart, in the UK forty London underground stations have been closed – and mass reductions in train services mean that rail travellers have to pack together onto the few trains that are running:
Telling people to do something while confusing them and depriving them of the means of doing so is entirely typical of the Tory approach to government. But in this crisis it is going to cost lives – and makes a mockery of the government’s continued attempts to shift blame onto the public.
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Not often I agree whole heartedly with the Skawk but absolutely spot on.
This Govt is unable to organise anything intelligently or effectively. It’s hardly a surprise because Johnson still resists quarantine at 100% because of his fundamental belief in anti Nanny State measures and Rightwing libertarian attitudes to ‘freedom’. There’s nobody else in the Govt allowed to have a voice.
Drivers off sick/ self isolating means a 20% reduction , so may have trains, but no one to drive them ?
Johnson may be ‘ the voice ‘ – but the words aren’t his !!!!
This doesn’t make sense at all, this is Marshall Law, a hidden agenda to bring their New World order, more people die with ordinary flue, and 50,000,000 people died of flu during the 1st world war
Vic
You may well be right.
The phantom ditherer strikes again! Time to step down Mr Putin, sorry, Johnson?
Forcing essential workers onto public transport is beyond ridiculous.
The only way to guarantee no virus spread during travel to work is each worker travelling alone in, and having exclusive use of, the same vehicle every day.
Shut all public transport down immediately.
Requisition vehicles and fuel for all essential workers who are drivers, requisition single accommodation for those who are non-drivers, as near as possible to where they’re needed.
Shift those people enforcing parking and congestion charging regulations, and those managing public transport, onto tasks appropriate to today’s new situation.
Government enforcing their herd immunity strategy by stealth.
Absolutely horrific . With this type of thing going on the death toll will be very high.
Lad next door to me is a London cabbie (Hack, NOT uber). Yes he drives from Wallasey to ‘the smoke’ and back (At weekends) for his work.
He’s been home most of last week; and he’s parked up at home now. Only spoke to him for a moment last Friday, so very little idea of what’s goin’ on but it speaks for itself, really.
I’m wondering ot TfL, sadiq khan or whoever the governing body for Hackneys in London (Local councils?) is, could lower the tariffs by say 30-50% to help them out?
Or are they (Hackney cabs) ‘non-essential’? Are they deemed a bigger contagion risk than an overcrowded tube train?
I guess the irony is for cabbies is that the arse is falling out of the petrol & diesel prices right at the time when the work’s drying up.
And yes, delivery costs to supermarkets will be a lot cheaper but I’m yet to see them drop their prices. They put them up as soon as a penny’s put on the price of a litre in the budget…
The London Carriage Office regulates cabs and has done since they really were Hackney’s – powered by horses. They are famously authoritarian and stubborn but given the huge knock cabbies have taken since Uber I’d imagine delivery services might be welcomed by some; a box is presumably safer than passengers? As largely self employed workers they have been left high and dry.
Toffee
Black cabs with their isolated drivers seem like a great solution, make them free for the duration
Could double down by issuing drivers with face masks, normal rules on underlying conditions would apply
Culling the stock through filling trains like sardines not bad making sure more pop off.
Thought they were going for a lockdown?.Now if the reports are correct that pathological misfit Johnson is Tethering the Herd to get the results they want ,basically Culling the Herd.