Coronavirus London: Tubes, trains and roads packed despite lockdown

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Thousands of shops and cafés remained open across England today while rush-hour traffic remained high in cities as the second coronavirus lockdown of the year began.

Motoring experts reported a much smaller reduction in the number of cars on the road today compared to the first lockdown, with congestion in London more than three times greater this morning than in March.

The AA said there was ‘definitely no reduction’ in traffic around areas where schools are located, with many families still avoiding public transport and opting to drive their children as the pandemic continues.

Cafes on high streets remained open for takeaway, but big businesses called the second lockdown ‘very déjà vu’ as they told staff to work from home – and wear masks everywhere except their desks if they had to go in.

However motorways in other parts of the country such as the M5 between Worcester and Cheltenham looked eerily quiet today as many employees followed the advice to work from home and avoid non-essential travel.

Congestion in London today was at 38 per cent from 7am-8am and 56 per cent at 8am-9am, with data from location technology firm TomTom also revealing there were 536 jams across 255 miles of roads in the capital.

On the first day of the first lockdown – March 24 – congestion was at 15 per cent at 7am and 16 per cent at 8am, meaning it was 3.5 times greater at the start of the second lockdown at 8am this morning.

However it is still well down on normal levels before the coronavirus pandemic took hold of Britain, with congestion on March 5, a normal Thursday before lockdown, at 57 per cent at 7am and 70 per cent at 8am.

It comes after astonishing traffic was seen yesterday, with queues at levels normally seen in the days before Christmas. There were 1,100 miles of jams in London alone at 6pm and the M25 was brought to a near-standstill.  

Morning congestion today was significantly up from the roughly 28 per cent observed across both times last week, although much of that will have been thanks to the lack of a school run due to the half-term holidays.

But 7am-8am traffic today was down from levels recorded earlier this week of 43 per cent on Monday, 52 per cent on Tuesday and 47 per cent yesterday – and down from a 52 per cent average at the same time last year. 

The congestion level is the extra travel time drivers experience on average compared to baseline uncongested conditions – so a 38 per cent level means a 30-minute trip will take 38 per cent more time than with no traffic. 

During the first lockdown, traffic dropped to well below normal levels, but recovered to be busier than usual once the restrictions were lifted, with more people taking to the road and avoiding public transport.

After a flurry of activity in recent days, the roads are expected to get quieter again, but the difference may not be as dramatic this time with school run traffic still a daily occurrence.

AA president Edmund King, said: ‘Traffic was very busy in many towns and city centres yesterday, reminiscent of Christmas Eve with people rushing to get last minute provisions before lockdown.

‘During the day motorways were generally fine but traffic picked up from four o’clock perhaps indicating some people making a last dash out of some of the cities.

‘Various of the temporary ‘pop-up’ schemes caused chaos. We had first-hand reports of it taking about an hour to travel one mile via Park Row and Upper Maudlin Street in Bristol due to new pop-up cycle ways and traffic calming.’

Ben Sheridan, from the AA patrol of the year, based in the Greater Manchester area, added: ‘Traffic today seems to be at a normal level that you would expect, maybe slightly less volume on some of our local motorways during the morning rush hour. But definitely no reduction around areas where schools are located as people are avoiding public transport and opting to drive their children to school.

‘Over the last few days, however, traffic around shopping centres and generally around Manchester has been really heavy, with people making last minute shopping trips and taking the chance to visit bars and restaurants before lockdown.

‘Over the last few weeks we were seeing regular traffic levels, after lockdown was announced those levels gradually increased leading up to the last few days where they were at the maximum.’

And RAC insurance spokesperson Rod Dennis said: ‘Based on hundreds of thousands of trips taken by RAC Black Box Car Insurance customers, there was a 13 per cent drop in the proportion of vehicles on the road between Tuesday March 16 and Tuesday March 23 (first day of the last lockdown).

‘The reduction in vehicles between last Thursday and today however is much smaller – we’ve seen a drop of just 3 per cent in the proportion of vehicles on the road over this period. 

‘But it’s important to note that in March vehicle traffic appeared to drop more significantly from the second day of the lockdown (March 24), so it will be interesting to see if a similar pattern emerges this time around.’

In London today, many essential workers and managers were shrugging off the gloomy outlook and shuffling into their workplaces as normal.

Solicitor Martin Hall, 35, from Walthamstow, North East London, told MailOnline: ‘My boss asked me to come in so I didn’t really have a choice about it. The whole thing is nonsense if you ask me and the way the issue had been dealt with by government has been a farce.

‘If we needed a lockdown then why not have it for two weeks when the scientists said so instead of a whole month later on. If people are allowed to use the tube then what’s the point of a lockdown at all?

‘My local gym is shut but my swimming pool is open and I don’t really understand why the schools and universities are open either. Town seems emptier than it was last week but not completely abandoned by any means.

‘I think in hindsight it might have been wiser to let the first lockdown go on a little longer. The rave in Bristol a few days ago shows there might be signs of civil disobedience creeping in — just not in the form of mass protests on the streets.’

Fashion brand manager Fikriye Ozkan, 38, from Forest Hill, South East London, said: ‘We’ve given workers the choice of coming in, and quite a few have phoned to say they are already on their way.

‘It’s a mental health issue. A lot of people working for us live in one bed flats and they just don’t want to be stuck at home. I’m not one of those people who blames Boris for what’s happened. Unfortunately it’s necessary and I think he’s made the right choice.’

Crossrail electrician Nigel Crooks, 53, from Chorley, Lancashire, was among those with essential worker status in the capital.

‘I’d stay at home if I could but my wife Amanda and I have a pub in Lancashire that’s been shut since March and so I’ve been staying in West London during the week and coming into Tottenham Court Road every day to work on Crossrail.

‘If I didn’t do it we’d only have £800-a-month to live on from the government and we couldn’t get by on that. My feeling is the government has left it too late again and should have taken earlier action.’

And drinks representative Sarah Webb, 30, from Hounslow, West London said: ‘I drive into work every day and I noticed traffic this morning didn’t seem in any way different than last week. I think it’s a mix of essential workers and couriers.

‘Because I work in the food and beverage industry, we are classed as key workers because we have to fuel the nation. We are in unknown territory as a country and some tough decisions are being made. I’m trying to remain optimistic.’

Yesterday, congestion was worse than normal in 16 out of 24 cities and towns – and, as drivers reported colossal tailbacks, the RAC said breakdown reports were up 15 per cent compared to normal.

The RAC, which said the increased breakdowns were ‘a sign that the roads are much, much busier’, added that the spike yesterday was caused by families heading for pre-lockdown shopping trips and leisure outings.

The rush to stock up saw huge queues outside shops and beer being sold for just 99p a pint before it goes off. Shoppers filled their trolleys before four weeks of having to stay at home and make only essential journeys.  

Today, pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops in England have once again been forced to close and members of the public were ordered to stay at home for the next four weeks in a bid to reverse the spread of Covid-19. 

It comes amid Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirming this morning that the 80 per cent furlough scheme will continue for businesses that have been shut due to restrictions beyond this lockdown period.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has been warned by a group of northern Conservative MPs that they do not want their constituencies ‘locked into lockdown’ indefinitely, as dissent appears to be growing within the party.

Jake Berry, chairman of the Northern Research Group of Tory backbenchers, has called for more clarity from Boris Johnson for a roadmap out of the measures for a second time in little more than a week. 

Last evening, MPs voted by 516 to 38 – a Government majority of 478 – for the new rules, which are due to expire on December 2. But 32 Tory MPs defied the whips to vote against, with two more acting as tellers for the noes.

The new restrictions were then cleared through Parliament after they were approved by the House of Lords. 

The lockdown comes with a number of exceptions, including pupils continuing to go to school, limitless outdoor exercise and ‘safe visiting’ for care home residents and their families.

Under new Government guidelines, care home visitors will be encouraged to meet their loved ones through a window or in an outside setting, following concerns about the emotional damage to residents and their families.

But the guidance, which was issued less than 12 hours before new lockdown measures came into force, was criticised and dismissed as ‘warm words’ by care experts.

Also from today, all students and teachers in secondary schools and colleges in England will be required to wear face coverings when moving around the premises. 

People in Wales will be able to return to pubs and restaurants and schools are set to reopen when the nation’s two-and-a-half week ‘firebreak’ ends next week.

A regional tiered approach to restrictions is in force across Scotland, while in Northern Ireland, pubs and restaurants are still shuttered after being closed for four weeks starting on October 16.