84% Россиян боятся летать на самолетах

22.08.2006 

NEWSru.com

Безусловный лидер пассажирских перевозок в России - автомобильный транспорт, а самый безопасный - железнодорожный, свидетельствуют исследования социологов Всероссийского центра изучения общественного мнения (ВЦИОМ). Согласно результатам опроса, услугами автобусов, маршрутных такси и другими видами автомобильного транспорта пользуется большинство граждан РФ - 82%, причем 57% - часто, передает "Интерфакс". На втором месте по популярности - железнодорожный транспорт, которым пользуются 64% россиян, из них 46% - 1-2 раза в год, а постоянных клиентов заметно меньше - 18%. Авиационные и водные перевозки охватывают меньшее число респондентов - 15% и 13% соответственно; причем, как правило, такие путешествия опрошенные позволяют себе 1-2 раза в год, а доля постоянных пользователей не превышает 1-2%. Самый безопасный, согласно общественному мнению, вид транспорта - железнодорожный. Положительную оценку его безопасности дают 70% опрошенных, из них 15% считают этот вид транспорта "безусловно безопасным". Наибольшие страхи у респондентов вызывает авиация - 84% респондентов полагают, что такие путешествия опасны, в их числе 33% - что "очень опасны". Водный транспорт также имеет негативный баланс оценок: 39% воспринимают его как безопасный способ передвижения, 44% - как опасный. Уровень безопасности самого популярного вида транспорта - автомобильного - оценивается неоднозначно: 48% считают его безопасным, 50% - опасным. Комфортными все эти виды транспорта считает большинство респондентов (65-77%). Самое большое число отзывов "безусловно комфортный" получает авиационный транспорт - 36%, тогда как железнодорожный, автомобильный и водный виды - по 19-21%. Негативные отклики реже всего звучат в адрес авиационных перевозок (11%), чаще всего по поводу автомобильного транспорта (23%). С финансовой точки зрения самые недоступные для опрошенных - авиационные перелеты - 84% респондентов считают их слишком дорогими для себя. Стоимость железнодорожных и автомобильных путешествий вполне демократична: 62-65% опрошенных считают их не дешевыми, но и не слишком дорогими, а 9-12% -дешевыми. Затраты на водные поездки затрудняется оценить почти треть опрошенных - 29%, среди остальных преобладает мнение, что этот вид транспорта им "не по карману" (43%). Опрос ВЦИОМ проводился в июле в 153 населенных пунктах в 46 областях, краях и республиках России. В нем приняли участием 1600 человек.

Class 2 train travel

1. Read the article. Sum it up in 10 sentences. Use the topical vocabulary from the box.

Explain why the accident "spooked" the rail industry.

HOW HATFIELD CHANGED THE RAIL INDUSTRY The October 2000 train disaster had far-reaching effects on Britain's railways www.guardian.co.uk Press Association September 6, 2005

The Hatfield rail crash was by no means the worst train disaster in terms of fatalities but it had a devastating effect on rail services that was to last for years.

The disaster in October 2000 also hastened the demise of Railtrack, thus ensuring a new approach to the way the railways are run.

An edition of Rail magazine, appearing less than a month after the Hatfield derailment, proved to be spot-on with its assessment that the accident "seems destined to change the face of Britain's railway network forever".

Passengers were quick to notice the changes - their trains were subject to severe disruption.

Huge delays were caused by Railtrack's decision to impose hundreds of speed restrictions throughout the national network so that rails could be checked for possible cracks.

Service levels slumped, with long-distance operators such as Virgin Trains particularly badly hit.

Shortly after the Hatfield accident, Virgin Trains chief executive Chris Green - an admired official with many years of rail experience - said: "We are now living through the biggest disruption to the rail network that I have ever experienced".

It is only now, nearly five years on, that punctuality has finally returned to its pre-Hatfield level among passenger train companies.

Railtrack's chief executive, Gerald Corbett, offered his resignation immediately after the derailment but his board rejected the offer.

While passengers endured a dreadful winter of 2000/01 on the railways, recriminations began. The Strategic Rail Authority chairman, Sir Alastair Morton, bemoaning the numerous speed restrictions, said the accident had "spooked" the rail industry, adding that operators could have coped better with the crisis.

The deputy prime minister, John Prescott, said passengers had become "increasingly fed-up at what they see as continuing and unnecessary delays in getting the rail network up to speed".

The crisis certainly got to Railtrack. In November 2000 Mr Corbett did resign and the full extent of Railtrack's failings were exposed in the Health and Safety Executive's January 2001 second interim report into the Hatfield crash.

The HSE said cracks in the track at Hatfield were not picked up during a visual inspection just a week before the crash.

No speed restrictions were in place at the time of the crash and the HSE said that Railtrack had a system that was not optimised to look at the sort of cracks that were occurring at Hatfield.

It was at the time of the publication of this second report that the HSE said that senior Railtrack and Balfour Beatty executives could face manslaughter charges as well as prosecution under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

It would not be until July 2003 that six rail managers and engineers, including Mr Corbett, were sent for trial for manslaughter.

By then, Railtrack was long gone. In May 2001 it had announced a £534m loss and further calls for money from the government prompted the then transport secretary Stephen Byers to take steps to put the company into administration in October 2001.

There was no doubt that the Hatfield accident had sparked the cash crisis which saw the company's shares fall from a one-time high of more than £17 to less than £3.

A recent report by rightwing thinktank the Adam Smith Institute said that Railtrack "simply panicked in its reaction to the crash".

The report said: "It seems that the lack of detailed knowledge of engineering and railway operations in Railtrack's senior management was the problem."

a rail crash; a train disaster; fatalities; to have a devastating effect on rail services; the way the railways are run; derailment; to be destined to change the face of Britain's railway network forever; to be subject to severe disruption; to cause huge delays; to impose hundreds of speed restrictions; rails – to be checked for possible cracks; service levels – to slump; disruption to the rail network; to become "increasingly fed-up at continuing and unnecessary delays in getting the rail network up to speed"; to expose the full extent of Railtrack's failings; a crack in the track ; to be/not to be picked up during a visual inspection; to face manslaughter charges; to be sent for trial for manslaughter.