May 11, urban transport will not escape social distancing. But how to enforce a meter distance in oars crowded during rush hour? We explain the data of the problem.
What did the Prime Minister concerning urban transport?
Wearing a mask will be compulsory for travelers on the metro, tram or bus. But the carriers will also respect barrier gestures ”. In other words, they will have to ensure that there is a distance of one meter between the travelers.
The capacity of the Paris metro will be reduced,
suggests Edouard Philippe. It will be necessary, for example, to condemn one seat out of two, to favor, by markings on the ground, the distribution on the quays, to limit the flows.
Who inspired this decision?
The executive follows the recommendations of the scientific council. Wearing a mask and a distance of one meter appear in the last opinion of the sages.
What do the transporters think?
They are in favor of wearing a mask. But, according to them, this obligation should exempt them from enforcing the distance meter. This would imply mobilizing human resources exceeding our capacities ”,
wrote the carriers in mid-April.
They are skeptical about limiting access to the platforms: “This could result in congestion at the stations, which goes against the objective of health security.
What to cause potential chaos. “
What consequences for the transport capacity?
The distance meter will limit the train occupancy rate. On May 11, the RATP plans to provide 70% of its usual traffic. 70% of our offer is normally eight million trips per day,
recently declared Catherine Guillouard, the president of RATP. With social distancing, we would only produce two million trips. Not sure if it would kickstart the economy, the other goal of the executive.
What about the union side?
For Thierry Babec, from the RATP Unsa, the wearing of a mask does not exempt from the obligation of social distancing. The trade unionist nevertheless recognizes that it will be very difficult to reach the distance meter: It’s utopian. It’s impossible to escape excessive crowds on time.
And condemn one seat out of two in the metro? The company can mark one seat out of two with adhesive or indicate it on posters. But if travelers do not respect it, who will impose it?
So, what to do?
It is necessary to spread the attendance,
advocates Thierry Babec.Service companies must maintain telework. As for employees who must travel, their employers must authorize
service outlets staggered between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. “
A concern shared by Édouard Philippe. It does not exclude reserve transportation at certain times for certain populations ”.
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