今日のボヤキ 2/18
２月も半ばを迎え、そろそろ春を感じたいころですが、まだまだ寒い日が続きます..。
そんな”春”といえば！！
おそらく多くの人は”桜”とか”お花見”を連想するのではないでしょうか。
京都も毎年春と秋には大勢の観光客が訪れますが、観光する人には少し残念なニュースかもしれません。
新型コロナウイルスの行動制限がなくなり、昨秋の紅葉シーズンにはコロナ禍前の６～７割の観光客が戻ってきた京都。
観光関連産業の需要回復が期待される一方、観光地に住む人の生活環境が悪化する「オーバーツーリズム（観光公害）」の再燃も懸念される。そうした中、京都市は?混雑緩和大作戦?に乗り出した。安価でお得な市バス１日乗車券を来年３月に廃止して、バスの混雑を緩和するほか、観光地や京都駅など１０カ所の混雑状況をライブカメラで「見える化」する取り組みの利用を呼び掛ける。果たして作戦の効果はいかに。
市バス１日券は、大人７００円で市内多くの観光地を網羅する均一運賃区間（２３０円）内が、市バスだけでなく民間バス２社も含め１日乗り放題となるお得なチケットだ。
コロナ禍前の平成元年度には３２９万枚を販売した。そうした影響もあり、市バスは観光客らで混雑し、バス停の乗客が乗り切れない事態がたびたび発生。生活手段としてバスを利用する市民にも悪影響がおよび、オーバーツーリズムの一因となっていた。
多くの観光客は、市バス１日券を買い求めるとバスだけで観光地をめぐろうとする。ただ、実際は地下鉄も利用した方が移動時間は短くすむ。たとえば人気スポット、金閣寺（北区）へは京都駅から市営地下鉄、バスと乗り継げば３８分で到着するが、バスのみだと通常は５２分、渋滞や混雑を加味すれば１時間以上となる。
バス・地下鉄券にシフト
混雑の一因がバス１日券にあるとみた京都市交通局は、１日券を値上げするか、思い切って廃止するかを検討。利用者の９割が観光客であることから、令和６年３月末での廃止を今月、決めた。交通局の北村信幸局長は「バスの混雑回避というメッセージを伝えるには値上げではなく、廃止の方がより伝わると判断した」と語る。
その代わりに打ち出したのが、もともとあった「地下鉄・バス１日券」（１１００円）への誘導だ。さらに、特に混雑する４カ所のバス停から京都駅へ向かう観光客に、最寄り駅から京都駅まで無料で地下鉄に乗れる振り替え券を配布するほか、大型手荷物のバス内への持ち込みを避けるため、宿泊施設などに手荷物預かりや配送サービスの導入を促す。北村局長は「バスに依存し過ぎる現状を見直し、地下鉄や電車と組み合わせたルートへと誘導することで市民生活と観光との調和を目指したい」と話している。
https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/23734364/
確かに観光シーズンはバスの時刻表はあってないようなものだなとは感じていましたが、１日券はバスを３回以上利用するとお得になるので、観光する人の多くが購入していたように思います。
しかし、地域や生活との”共存”という面から考えると致し方ない判断なのかもしれません。また、収益が減少している地下鉄の収益アップにもつながりそうです。
English edition
Today's blurbs 2/18
It's the middle of February, and it's time to feel spring, but the cold weather is still continuing...
Speaking of "spring"!
Many people probably associate it with "cherry blossoms" and "hanami" (cherry blossom viewing).
Kyoto also attracts a large number of tourists every spring and fall, but the news may be a bit disappointing for those who visit the city.
Kyoto, where the new coronavirus no longer restricts activities, saw a return of 60-70% of the tourists it had before the coronavirus disaster during the autumn foliage season last fall.
While a recovery in demand from tourism-related industries is expected, there are also concerns about a resurgence of "overtourism" (tourism pollution), which worsens the living environment of people living in tourist areas. Against this backdrop, the City of Kyoto has launched the "Operation Congestion Relief" campaign. The city of Kyoto has embarked on "Operation Congestion Relief" to alleviate congestion in the city. The city of Kyoto has embarked on "Operation Congestion Relief. In addition, the city is calling for the use of live cameras to "visualize" congestion at 10 locations, including tourist spots and Kyoto Station. How effective will this strategy be?
The one-day city bus ticket is a special ticket that allows unlimited rides for 700 yen for adults for one day on a flat fare route (230 yen) that covers many sightseeing spots in the city, including not only city buses but also two private bus companies.
In fiscal 1989, before the Corona disaster, 3.29 million tickets were sold. Due to this, the city buses became crowded with tourists, and the passengers at the bus stops were often unable to get on the buses. This had a negative impact on the citizens who use the buses as a means of daily life, and was one of the reasons for overtourism.
Many tourists who buy a one-day city bus ticket try to visit tourist spots only by bus. In reality, however, it takes less time to get around if they also use the subway. For example, the popular Kinkakuji Temple (in Kita Ward) can be reached in 38 minutes by connecting from Kyoto Station to the city subway and bus, but it usually takes 52 minutes by bus alone, or more than an hour if traffic jams and congestion are factored in.
Shift to bus/subway tickets
The Kyoto City Transportation Bureau, which considers the one-day bus ticket to be a contributing factor to congestion, is considering whether to raise the price of the one-day ticket or to abolish it out of hand. Since 90% of its users are tourists, the city decided this month to discontinue the system at the end of March 2024. Nobuyuki Kitamura, director of the Transportation Bureau, said, "We decided that discontinuing the service, rather than raising prices, would better convey the message of avoiding bus congestion.
Instead, they decided to offer a one-day subway/bus ticket (1,100 yen), which was originally available. In addition, tourists traveling to Kyoto Station from the four bus stops that are particularly crowded will be given transfer tickets that allow them to ride the subway from the nearest station to Kyoto Station free of charge. Director Kitamura said, "We would like to review the current situation of over-dependence on buses and aim to harmonize the lives of citizens and tourism by guiding people to routes that combine subway and train services.
https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/23734364/
I have always felt that the bus timetable was not as good as it could be during the tourist season, but I think that many tourists purchased a one-day pass because it was a good deal if they used the bus three or more times.
However, in terms of "coexistence" with local communities and lifestyles, this may be an unavoidable decision. It may also lead to an increase in revenue for the subway system, which has been suffering from a decline in revenue.
