![\"traffic](\"https:\/\/www.scrapcarnetwork.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/traffic-jam-resized.png\")
<\/p>\nAfter a nationwide lockdown unlike anything else in living memory, the UK is finally starting to ease restrictions, as the nation returns to work. But things aren\u2019t quite the same as they were the last time we were all behind the wheel. We\u2019ve already recently talked about how some people have slightly forgotten how to drive, but there are other changes on the way too; ones which might have even more lasting effects on society. We\u2019ve grouped some of the biggest into three main sections below – so here\u2019s what the future may hold!<\/p>\n
You probably know by now that enclosed public spaces have been identified as presenting the highest Covid-19 risk, and although the government recently encouraged the general public to start using buses and trains again, understandably the majority are still very wary.<\/p>\n
According to a study of 2000 adults by breakdown recovery firm Green Flag, about 60% of the general public will still try and avoid public transport for the time being. What\u2019s more, a third of respondents (32%) said they\u2019ll be getting a car after the lockdown was lifted, and judging by the resilient state of the used car market at the moment, lots of them are sticking to that resolution!<\/p>\n
It probably won\u2019t shock you to find out that certain demographics were particularly wary of public transport, including city dwellers and young people. In fact, more than 75% of 18-34 year olds were planning on finding alternative transport. We should say: not all of them meant buying cars. And that brings us neatly onto our next point\u2026<\/p>\n
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There\u2019s been lots of news recently about the positive environmental impact of the lockdown, even though it did come at a heavy cost. Lots of people reported enjoying cleaner air across the UK, linked largely to a decrease in traffic. So, thousands of people pledged to do their part to keep it that way. A fifth of Londoners, for example, told Green Match that they intended to get themselves a bike as an alternative to public transport.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, city authorities and councils are taking more concrete steps to support these decisions as they scale up their on environmental targets. Take Manchester City Council for example, which is looking at closing some roads permanently to traffic, potentially opening up that space for pedestrians and cyclists. Brighton, Glasgow, Liverpool, Leicester are all amongst cities that are all considering similar changes.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve spoken before about smart motorways<\/a>, and the technology they brought to some of the UK\u2019s biggest highways. But they\u2019ve also been dogged by increasing safety concerns<\/a> about them in recent years, and now a new study suggests those fears are likely well-founded. It\u2019s the only published five-year study currently available to the public, and its findings indicate that collisions on a smart motorway across the M6 rose by 50% over the last three years, and by 34% over the last five years – a \u2018statistically significant\u2019 figure, according to experts.<\/p>\n Obviously, the next question is: will these measures be enough? Unfortunately, it\u2019ll be very difficult to tell until we\u2019re another few years down the line, at which point our roads may well look very different anyway. Really, lots of it is speculative at this stage!<\/p>\n We\u2019ll tell you what\u2019s not speculative though – here at Scrap Car Network, we\u2019re the very best people to get you the best price when you scrap your car. In fact, you can find out how much it\u2019s worth in just 10 seconds. Seriously. 10 seconds is all it takes to\u00a0fill out a few details using the fields on our homepage<\/a>, and get your own instant online quote. So \u2013 want to find out how much your car is worth?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After a nationwide lockdown unlike anything else in living memory, the UK is finally starting to ease restrictions, as the nation returns to work. But things aren\u2019t quite the same as they were the last time we were all behind the wheel. We\u2019ve already recently talked about how some people have slightly forgotten how to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":2359,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n![\"Busy](\"https:\/\/www.scrapcarnetwork.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/The-Road-To-Progress-What-Are-Smart-Motorways-Doing-For-Us-Feature-image.png\")
<\/p>\nThe government\u2019s taking a number of steps in response, including:<\/h3>\n
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