Digital Signage To Help Re-Open High Streets Safely
May 2020 feels like a lifetime ago and especially so to those retail businesses that have shuttered during the current lockdown. But May 2020 was when the UK Government announced £50 million of funding to help UK councils re-open their high streets safely. The Reopening High Streets Safely Fund, earmarked from EU coffers, is intended to help councils in England introduce a range of safety measures in a move to kick-start local economies, get people back to work and customers back to the shops. It is also intended to support a range of practical safety measures including new signs, street markings and temporary barriers to help get businesses to prepare for when they can begin trading safely, not only in high streets and town and city centres but also in other public spaces such as amusement parks, theatres and the seaside.
Alongside the safe re-opening of high streets is the imperative of getting people using sustainable transport. As cities gradually exit COVID-19 quarantines and reopen their economies, some critics have suggested that public transport might increase contagion risk and that private cars should be considered the only safe alternative. However, this perspective is based on perception rather than facts and that promoting widespread car use stands a good chance of impeding recovery and comes with a host of negative side effects, especially for the low-income.
The risks from failing to re-open our economy are clear; from increased unemployment, business failure and food poverty, to lower tax revenue and an associated shrinkage of public services. Avoiding these outcomes, whilst managing the contagion risks of increased human contact, even as the vaccination programme gathers pace is a major preoccupation of civic authorities across the UK and elsewhere.
Trust Is The New Coin Of The Realm
Centre-stage in re-opening our high streets and encouraging the public to return to public transport is trust. People need to feel safe when visiting, enjoying hospitality, shopping and travelling. After many long months of collective action, people need to be sure their hard-won freedoms are protected and enshrined within the built environment.
How Can PassageWay Help Civic Administrations Re-Open High Streets Safely?
COVID 19 demonstrates the power of community, to act selflessly for the benefit of all. PassageWay mirrors this, enabling community-based connected screens to be transformed into ad-hoc public information networks, displaying hyper-local COVID 19 health alerts, visitor guidance and real-time multi-modal public transport information, tailored to the specific place.
What’s more, leveraging screens within and across the community ensures all segments of society can access the same information, without the need to have the right device, register, download or log in. Whilst from a budgetary perspective, leveraging community screens means that no marketing budget is required to advertise an App-based solution, no CAPEX costs, reduced development costs and speed to market.
Find Out More
To find out more and to discuss a project please visit PassageWay or email Chris Johns
