Public Transport to Travel for Exercise

[Flaxmeadow]

We can travel to exercise from Wednesday and there is no limit on how far (England). How do people without a car feel about using public transport again?

Is anyone on MN using public transport at the moment? What's it like and do you have any advice or tips for those who will be about to use it again this week?

[LilacTree1]

Flax “ Kind of ironic that those of us who were not polluter car owners might now be told we can't travel on public transport. ”

IKR? It can’t last that long, it doesn’t fit with their green agenda and is a blatant source of discrimination. That’s why I was relieved to see the 50 pp talking about getting transport back to normal.

[Flaxmeadow]

greenlynx and avroroad

The no travel for exercise was before though. It's changed now.

We are all being told that we can go to "green spaces" and I think "day trips" have been mentioned by some in government as well. That means a bus or train for many people.

As lilac suggests, it isn't easy or even safe, to just walk around urban areas, high crime, nuisance people and so on, even if there is the odd tree spouting up here and there

If they didn't want people using PT then they would have stopped travel for 'exercise IN green spaces" for car drivers as well.

[Flaxmeadow]

and is a blatant source of discrimination

Yes class discrimination. Us peasant wagon people wouldn't stand for it. Especially after so many smashed the red wall for Boris in the election.

Many car drivers have relatives who use PT and would also see it as unfair

Don't think they will bring restrictions in now on PT, so long after lockdown, and people would just ignore it anyway I think

[LilacTree1]

Flax “ Especially after so many smashed the red wall for Boris in the election. ”

Hands up, I was one of them.

good point re your work, a train driver being pissed off that people use transport for pleasure when it’s actually allowed is the sane as if you got angry if people were buying anything apart from bread and veggies!

I admit, I was approached by a drug dealer in the park and we had a nice chat. I live alone so even a socially distanced chat with a stranger was appreciated and I had been seriously on the edge that day.

But the following day I went at a different time because you don’t want people like that latching on to you.

I think MNers in naice areas with cars to drive wherever they want now, will perhaps not really get the situation some of us are in.

[Waxonwaxoff0]

I don't own a car. Haven't used public transport at all since lockdown, but I live opposite our local park and it's huge so I've just been going there.

The only thing I'd be concerned about is being stopped and asked where you're going.

[ErrolTheDragon]

Lilac - yes I do realise not everyone can use a bike, it was a question.

OP - a cheap second hand bike would do for transport. I used to live in Birmingham and elsewhere and used a bike for transport there (before the concept of 'bike friendly' existed.

It really is a huge issue that this pandemic is going to make public transport problematic when for environmental reasons of all sorts it's such a good idea. I don't think there are any easy answers, but there may be lessons to learn from a Japan on minimising risks - mask wearing and awareness of hygiene (I believe it's unacceptable to blow ones nose in public for instance, which probably makes for less snot transfer.)

For now, it seems unwise to use PT unless absolutely necessary even though it may not be illegal.

[avroroad]

The no travel for exercise was before though. It's changed now.

Yes, I understand that. It's not compulsory though. If you don't have a car then you don't travel.

[ErrolTheDragon]

There never was a 'no travel for exercise' rule. The police guidelines for what would probably be deemed reasonable was if the exercise took 'far longer' than the driving time.
It's not clear to me that a reasonable rule of thumb has actually gone ... travel is still meant to only be for one of the essential reasons inc exercise.

[ErrolTheDragon]

I guess if you want to risk it then at least travel well off peak times and wear a mask.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/coronavirus-facemasks-required-for-public-transport-as-usage-sets-to-ramp-up-7b7t2fphg?shareToken=f06d465ecc215087247a64846f685448

[Flaxmeadow]

The wording "travel to green spaces" is the term used in the Gov rules/guidelines

It wouldn't be fair if this only applied to people with cars.

Yes good idea Errol, to try to travel off peak

[LilacTree1]

Errol I wasn’t having a go, I just get a lot of horror when I say I never learned to ride a bike.

OP as you’re working in a shop, I don’t think you’re even increasing your risk.

I probably have no immune system left after total isolation....bugger.

[LilacTree1]

Flax “ The wording "travel to green spaces" is the term used in the Gov rules/guidelines”

Thanks, I’ll be emphasising that if anyone stops me!

[Fortyfifty]

Hmmm, I can see both sides here. It's not essential travel and if everyone did it, the re would soon be to many people doing it to be safe and more transmission of the virus

On the other hand, if the bus is running and the driver is following a protocol to limit the amount of passengers and you intend to travel outside of commuting times and follow good self hygiene rules, I don't see why it is a problem conscience-wise (provided you won't get fined) . Immersion in green spaces is so important for many people and essential for some people.

[eeeyoresmiles]

It's not fair that people with cars have more opportunities to go out into the countryside than those of us who don't, but that doesn't mean the right response is to just go anyway on public transport. "it's not fair and I want to go to green spaces too if they can" isn't a good enough reason for increasing the risk to other people, including the drivers, by going on the train just for a jolly. Trains and buses won't stay clean and empty and safe for work travel for long if lots of people do that.

I know it sucks (I don't drive either) but we need to try to do the right thing here. Non-essential use of public transport isn't the right thing to do - yet. One day it will be again.

[NotEverythingIsBlackandWhite]

'Yes good idea Errol, to try to travel off peak"
If companies have to make adjustments such as changes to shifts so that workers can social-distance when do you think off-peak will be?

[ErrolTheDragon]

If companies have to make adjustments such as changes to shifts so that workers can social-distance when do you think off-peak will be?

People who want to use public transport will obviously need to figure out for themselves when that's likely to be on their routes - on an outward journey at least they can presumably make some assessment of whether a bus is emptier or fuller than they'd usually expect at that point.

If there is no 'off peak' because of staggered working then I'd guess that would put most people off trying to use PT for less essential trips.

[LilacTree1]

eeyore but we can buy what we like in the shops that are open.

I live right by the bus depot so it will be easy to see when quiet times are. There’s been so little change to regulations I think instead of seeing one to three people on the bus, it will be five? I doubt anyone will be using it for the nature reserve but I think the big Tesco further on has massive queues.

Ive already chatted with some bus drivers as they smoke outside my building. As ever, there are some who are freaked out and some who don’t give a shit.

I won’t lie - I don’t miss the deliveroo guys outside, it’s been quieter at night without them!

[YeOldeTrout]

public transport where I live is still empty. I mean, like 1-2 persons per 30 seats.
DH says that govt has completely taken over costs of public transport in our county. Else it wouldn't run at all.
There are different decisions in other locations, I acknowledge, but where we are, i can't see that random people using public transport to access transport would present > zero risk.

[eeeyoresmiles]

There are different decisions in other locations, I acknowledge, but where we are, i can't see that random people using public transport to access transport would present > zero risk.

You only need two or three people per bus trip to make that decision, even in your location, and you've potentially tripled the risk to the bus driver. Bus drivers are already more at risk than average and lots of have died.

Sure, if you could guarantee that you and you alone on one single journey would start using public transport like that, and no one else would, then the increase in risk would be negligible, but that's not likely to be true if the idea that it's fine to use the buses as they're quiet gets around.

[Mnthrowaway20202]

I got into a car accident recently & couldn’t drive for a few weeks, it was actually awful trying to manage grocery shopping and travelling to work (I’m a key worker). I think some drivers posting here have taken their freedoms for granted and don’t realise how privileged you are during lockdown.

Whilst I wouldn’t say travelling to green spaces is worth covid transmission- I feel for people who can’t drive. I agree that it’s not fair that they’re essentially trapped in their immediate area, particularly if they don’t live somewhere safe/nice. It can wreak havoc on your mental health. Who knows when driving lessons/tests will resume too, so they’re stuck.

I certainly think back to some of the places I used to live, eg my uni halls, and am thankful that I’m not there anymore as lockdown would have been that much worse.

I notice that train operating companies have been quiet on travel for exercise on Twitter recently. They’ve been responding to people by just reiterating their guidelines without outright saying “no, you can’t”. Seems like a bit of a grey area for now - I assume they will have to assess and see how many more people are travelling before outright saying no. As I said before, prior to Sunday they weren’t policing passengers anyway.