An increase in traffic - or not?

[DCBassman]

It seems to be national leisure motorcycling day today, on a 7 mile ride I saw around 30 motorbikes and now I'm home I'm hearing one giving it the beans every few minutes. I think people have clearly just given up on the stay at home message.

Talking to neighbours (appropriately distanced) and observing during rides, it seems that nobody seems to understand the differences between easing the lockdown and lifting the lockdown.
Certainly, one neighbour is convinced it's all over, as if timed to coincide with VE day...

 

[Slick]

I would just like to know where they are all going?

I did a 50k loop today down the A77 cycle path and there were a number of cars on the M77 but not as many as normal on a Saturday, there were loads of people on bikes, some singles, some pairs and yes some suspicious looking groups but who am I to question them. I did meet a group of 4 boys from Ireland who were just enjoying their day, very friendly and keen to chat. There could be any amount of reasons why they are fine to be out together. We passed at 2m spicing so no garm no foul.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

At least it's data and not just someone's unconscious bias.

I don't need data to tell me the roads are busier if I'm sitting waiting to pull out of a road junction that I've been previously just coming straight out of without even having to stop. The same goes for traffic lights. Over the last couple of weeks it's gone from often being the only vehicle at a set of lights, to having three or four other vehicles in front of me. There has been a very noticeable increase in the last week or so, on all sorts of roads in all sorts of areas. A month ago the M25 was like a ghost town even during peak times, now it's probably back to 50% of peak traffic.
People are getting pissed off with the lockdown and more and more are resuming their normal socialising behaviour. I went out on a late evening ride yesterday, and one pub I went past had a group of 12-15 people outside, using the outside seating and standing around. Some had dogs with them, some had bikes, some had even brought cans of beer out with them. They were all having a good chat and a laugh, and none of them were more than 2 or 3 feet apart from each other. The lockdown is going to end by non-compliance very soon if it isn't officially abandoned first.

 

[dodgy]

Well it's a week since that post @SkipdiverJohn and I am also seeing an increase of driving, the biggest thing I've noticed is teens and 20somethings gathering. I passed through a village in Cheshire today (Willaston) with a large group of this age group sat on the village green drinking pop. 🤷‍♂️
Will be interesting to see the Google Mobility reports when updated to see if they are also tracking any changes.

 

[lazybloke]

Been out for a 2 hr ride this afternoon, mostly village roads but also a bit of dual carriageway.

A single close pass on one of the narrow roads, otherwise very courteous drivers and not much traffic. Still load of cyclists about.
Loved it.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

the biggest thing I've noticed is teens and 20somethings gathering. I passed through a village in Cheshire today (Willaston) with a large group of this age group sat on the village green drinking pop. 🤷‍♂️

Yep, a good proportion of the group I spotted outside the pub were 20-somethings.
Also been seeing little groups of yoofs meeting up in public parks after dark, when out on late evening rides. They often bring a ghetto blaster with them (only at low volume to avoid drawing attention) plus some beers to drink and whatever they want to smoke! 😄
You don't see this so much if you only stick to the main thoroughfares, but once you venture down all the little alleys and paths off the beaten track you realise how many people there are meeting up away from the venues they might normally use but can't because they are closed. It stands to reason that if I'm familiar with all these places, a lot of others are too - and they are using them for discreet socialising.

 

[HLaB]

Officially now in the government daily briefing they are saying there's been a gradual rise in motor traffic since lockdown began

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Officially now in the government daily briefing they are saying there's been a gradual rise in motor traffic since lockdown began

Hardly surprising really is it? No-one apart from politicians who exists in their own little bubbles would expect the public to tolerate this nonsense for any significant amount of time. Measures like this have a very short shelf life and the lockdown is getting past it's sell-by date!

 

[dodgy]

There's a reasonably new Google mobility report suggesting that transit stations are seeing a small but gradual lift in activity.
https://www.gstatic.com/covid19/mobility/2020-05-02_GB_Mobility_Report_en.pdf

 

[Slick]

Officially now in the government daily briefing they are saying there's been a gradual rise in motor traffic since lockdown began

To be fair he did say it was a difficult stat to explain as there were a few possibilities for this.

 

[Bazzer]

I noticed it on my ride yesterday. I was out at 8.30am and the traffic on almost every road was noticeably greater than a week earlier. I also noticed that few were commercial vehicles and most seemed to have one or more passengers.

 

[NorthernDave]

While walking the dog this afternoon (my daily exercise), it was like lockdown was lifted.
Lots of social groups, people having BBQs, way more many people in gardens than could possibly live in the attached house. Plod were driving about but not taking any action - and how could they? They can't arrest an entire housing estate.

But what do we expect? There has been little in the media for the last few days other than rampant speculation about how much Boris is going to relax things on Sunday so it's no wonder people have decided to ignore the guidelines. The local paper is all over Facebook tonight with stuff that has no bearing in actual fact.

 

[classic33]

While walking the dog this afternoon (my daily exercise), it was like lockdown was lifted.
Lots of social groups, people having BBQs, way more many people in gardens than could possibly live in the attached house. Plod were driving about but not taking any action - and how could they? They can't arrest an entire housing estate.

But what do we expect? There has been little in the media for the last few days other than rampant speculation about how much Boris is going to relax things on Sunday so it's no wonder people have decided to ignore the guidelines. The local paper is all over Facebook tonight with stuff that has no bearing in actual fact.

Have you had the local police helicopter fly over your area? Currently it's being used to "police" the lockdown. It can cover a larger area, in a smaller time than police on the ground.

 

[gavgav]

It seems to be national leisure motorcycling day today, on a 7 mile ride I saw around 30 motorbikes and now I'm home I'm hearing one giving it the beans every few minutes. I think people have clearly just given up on the stay at home message.

Been the same in Shrewsbury, this afternoon, I’ve heard Motorbike after Motorbike razzing up the A5, no doubt into Wales as well I expect.

 

[NorthernDave]

Have you had the local police helicopter fly over your area? Currently it's being used to "police" the lockdown. It can cover a larger area, in a smaller time than police on the ground.

Aye, and not just the copper chopper - we've had the new shiny police plane too. Not seen or heard of any enforcement from either.