Transport for London (TfL) has released travel advice to help construction workers in London get back to work safely and sustainably
TfL is helping to get those who cannot work from home back to work. To keep the construction sector moving and working safely, sustainably and as quickly as possible TfL is encouraging employers to take a number of measures.
These measures include:
- Enabling and encouraging workers to walk and cycle all or part of their journeys
- Changing operating hours or staggering shifts to help workers avoid the busiest times on the network
- Reducing and retiming the delivery of goods and services to and from sites.
Many of TfL’s contractors working at large sites, such as the Northern Line Extension, Bank Station Upgrade and the Barking Riverside Extension, have changed the way they work with a focus on enabling construction workers to not only walk and cycle to work more easily but also to maintain social distancing while working with reduced numbers onsite.
New bicycle racks and new welfare areas with additional lockers and showers help provide people with more travel options to get to work in a sustainable way.
Segregated canteen areas have also been established with limits on how many staff can use these facilities at one time.
TfL is working with the wider industry, its contractors and membership bodies to ensure that construction workers who are unable to work from home and need to use public transport may be able to have new start and finish times in an effort to avoid the busiest times or stations on the network.
Workers who are able to walk and cycle to work should be allocated the shifts that start and finish around peak travel times. Deliveries to sites should be kept to a minimum, and where possible, done outside peak times.
The construction industry briefing also contains specific travel advice for workers in areas of concentrated construction that are nearest to some of London’s busiest stations including:
- Vauxhall/ Nine Elms
- Westminster
- The City of London
- Canary Wharf
- Stratford.
Navigate the new ways of public transport
Stuart Harvey, director of major projects at TfL, said: “We have seen how important the construction industry is to the economy, and with more workers returning to our worksites as well as other construction projects around the capital, this new guidance will help workers to travel to sites or offices safely and sustainably.
“The construction industry, its membership bodies and contractors have been vital in supporting our response to coronavirus and it has been great to have them encourage their members and their workforce to walk and cycle.
“This briefing should also help everyone in the industry to easily navigate the new ways that public transport is having to operate as a result of the pandemic.”
TfL is inviting companies and suppliers in the construction industry to share their examples of best practice in encouraging and using sustainable travel or reducing road freight traffic by emailing tdm@tfl.gov.uk.
You can download the briefing here: https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/coronavirus-publications
