ITS Monday: Edition 30, 2020

Coronavirus social distancing rules on NSW public transport relaxed amid overcrowding

‘A report prepared for the NSW Government proposed loosening coronavirus social distancing rules on public transport as many crowded bus, train and ferry services were violating health advice.’ This report has come to light as fodder in a bunfight between the NSW Government and the Opposition, but name calling and point scoring aside there are some important points discussed here.

Cycling and walking can help drive Australia’s recovery – but not with less than 2% of transport budgets

Authored by Matthew Mclaughlin, PhD Candidate, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, and Trevor Shilton, Adjunct Professor, School of Public Health, Curtin University. From these backgrounds you’d expect a health-related piece, but this goes further than that, into the economics of the mode and necessary investment in infrastructure.

Global bicycle shortage puts brakes on biking boom

So yes, the article above included we’ve added a few stories in ITS Monday on the win/win of encouraging people to use bicycles in terms of health, congestion, etc., and of building cycling-friendly infrastructure. But first, people need bikes. Have you walked into a bike shop in the past few months? Pickings are slim!

Cycling and walking plan for England

Same topic, cycling (and active transport), but different continent. The UK wants to go all in on active transport, and on this page is a link to download Transport for London’s brand new document of what and how, called Gear change: a bold vision for cycling and walking. ‘This plan describes the vision to make England a great walking and cycling nation. It sets out the actions required at all levels of government to make this a reality, grouped under four themes:’

Better streets for cycling and people; Cycling and walking at the heart of decision-making; Empowering and encouraging local authorities; Enabling people to cycle and protecting them when they do

We’ll build thousands of miles of protected cycleways, pledges Boris Johnson

First, Boris was on board for Brexit. Now for: Bikentry! This is more about the Gear change: a bold vision for cycling and walking document and plan mentioned above, which Johnson sees as ‘the most radical change to our cities since the arrival of mass motoring.’

National protocol to reduce cross-border freight confusion

Back to Australia, and to the unhappy and now long-running topic of COVID-19. ‘A joint national protocol to enable smooth freight movement over closed borders has been agreed upon by state and territory governments and the Commonwealth.’

How road transport rallied during the pandemic

Last, we hear about what’s been happening with freight on the roads of New Zealand. ‘Like many industries, commercial road transport was seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, operators and their employees stepped up to the plate and their actions have been widely praised.’