The most crowded cities in the world, such as London, are generally connected to public transportation such as subways and buses. However, there may be some changes in urban transportation due to coronavirus.
Bicycle Paths Can Be Wider
With the removal of curfew restrictions in metropolitan cities, traditional transportation vehicles such as metro and bus will now be replaced by their alternatives. Because social distance applications are expected to continue in many parts of the world.
The situation is not very different for London, one of the most crowded cities in the world, and other cities in England.
According to a study, the passenger capacity in the subways is expected to decrease by 2% and the passenger capacity in the bus by 15%, as 12-meter social distance practices continue in London.
But do the cities have the infrastructure to deal with more people on the streets and more cars on the highways instead of public transport?
Professor at the University of London School of Economics. Tony Travers comments:
“If we turn to bicycles, motorcycles or other vehicles for urban transportation in large cities, this requires radical changes in the way roads are used.
“You have to lead people to move faster on the streets, this is the easiest on the main roads. But the main roads are also used by buses, taxis, cargo vehicles and other essential vehicles. It takes time to change the way roads are used. ”
Professor Travers said that busy hours in public transportation should also be phased out, perhaps 'spreading in five hours', thereby providing a more spacious environment for passengers.
But previous experience has shown that peak hours are also not easy to distribute.
Professor “The ball transport operators have been struggling for decades to spread to different time periods during the peak hours,” Travers said. It is difficult to do this voluntarily. "It must be a system where some people are divided into some time intervals."
This can have secondary consequences in different areas of life. Professor Travers says the opening times of entertainment venues should be adjusted accordingly:
“Will there be flexible legal licenses for cafes, bars, restaurants to stay open longer? Or parents who will take their children from school? This will have profound implications for how things work. ”
Then What Can Be The Best Alternatives?
Electric Scooter
Despite being banned on main roads and sidewalks in the UK, the electric scooter manufacturer company Pure Electric says sales have increased exponentially each year.
The company sold 135 e-scooters in one day last week, and last year's sales reached 11.500.
“Electrification is coming,” said Adam Norris, director of another company selling electronic scooters. It is low-cost, environmentally friendly. ”
Norris' company's best-selling electronic scooter model M365 across the UK is produced by China's low-budget Xiaomi brand.
According to Norries, this electronic scooter model with a maximum speed limit of 15 km per hour is ideal for a distance of approximately 5-6 km. Electronic bicycles are suitable for longer distances.
Electronic scooters are used in many cities of the world, from Paris to Los Angeles. But in England they are officially only allowed to be used on private lands.
The British government was planning to seek public opinion on the use of electronic scooters before the coronavirus outbreak. Those who oppose argue that these vehicles pose a danger to pedestrians and vehicles.
British television presenter Emily Hartridge crashed a truck in the south of London while driving an electronic scooter last year and died at the age of 35.
But Norris says it is 'logical' to change the law due to increased consumer demand. He says that I can also provide safety with reflective clothing that increases visibility and new models with wider wheels.
Driving a Personal Vehicle
Anthony Eskinazi, the manager of the platform called Just Park, which acts as an intermediary for individuals to rent their own car parks to others, said that they plan to transform the 300 car parks of their company into a parking lot for scooters and bicycles.
According to Eskinazi, individuals may not prefer to use their own vehicles because of the possibility of traffic intensification:
“I think the demand for parking lots will increase after the restrictions are lifted and this will not be affordable. People now want a real alternative. If the government can make this easier, we will see a huge increase in micro-mobility. ”
Taxi Usage
Curfews and measures were a difficult process for Uber. The company now says they are 'preparing for a new era'.
The company, which provides personal protective equipment and masks to all its drivers, also plans to meet the time it takes to clean their vehicles before getting new passengers.
Uber is also trying to create a new system where drivers will take and record selfies to make sure they are wearing masks.
The company also develops its own production 'driverless vehicle'. But after the accident in 2018, vehicles without a driver were out of use two months ago before they were on the road again in Calofornia.
Drone Taxis
There are 175 drone taxi designs worldwide, but none of them have been put into regular service yet.
Dr. West of England University, aviation and aerospace engineering department lecturer. Steve Wright says robot taxis are also an option:
“I see empty buses passing by me in recent weeks and I think how good it would be to provide small-scale public transportation with robot taxis every time.
“I want these taxis to be a flying taxi too, but I think I will have to wait because the coronavirus will probably set itself in front of it rather than encourage the 'steep take-off and landing' revolution. Meltdown meltdown will probably pull the entire aviation industry down. ”
Source: Republic
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