Today was a quiet Tuesday morning for London, with Britons continuing to work at home.
The congestion level reported by TomTom in the capital between 7am and 8am today was 48 per cent – the lowest for that period on a Tuesday since before the summer holidays, when half-term is excluded.
These figures show the time it takes to complete a journey in a given situation versus free flow. Therefore, a trip of 30 minutes will take you 14 more time if there is no traffic.
Comparatively, London congestion on Tuesdays has ranged between 53 to 54 percent for five consecutive weeks. It peaked at 66% on September 14th, shortly after schools reopened.
It fell to 35 percent in half-term, but it fluctuated between 24-27% during the summer holidays. It was 34% on July 20th, the last time it fell below 48% outside of term-time.
This week, rail and road use plummeted as the Government returned to working at home. Traffic levels across England fell by almost half.
Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of England, urged citizens to return home as soon as possible, which was a step in the right direction for the UK.
Yesterday morning, a quiet road was opened near London Euston station. The Government advised people to work remotely.
Commuters on a Bakerloo line London Underground train car at 5.25pm yesterday in the evening rush hour
TomTom data revealed that London roads are the most quiet since July.
Transport for London, the operator of London’s Underground system and buses, reported yesterday a 18% reduction in Tube trips up to 10 am. The use of buses also fell 6 percent. The actual data are yet to be published.
Network Rail reports that there was a drop in commuters at stations during traditional rush hour hours of 6.30am to 9.30am yesterday.
Cannon Street, in the City of London, saw the greatest week-on-week drop, with demand dropping by 38%.
The next was Leeds (35%), followed by Waterloo (35%) and King’s Cross Stations in London. These stations saw declines in demand of 34% and 28%, respectively.
Other places saw a 24% drop in Birmingham New Street demand, a 20% decline at Manchester Piccadilly, 1% at Edinburgh Waverley, and 2% at Manchester Piccadilly.
These figures are especially bad news for rail, which is still being bailed by taxpayers to an estimated billions of pounds.
This raised concerns that services might be reduced or not returning to their pre-pandemic level on certain routes in order to maintain financial viability.
TfL warned that 100 buses routes may be closed or the Tube route shut down if there is no new package of bailout.
Although the latest package expired on Saturday, ministers confirmed that it was extended to this weekend as a compromise.