Thanks, as always for your thoughts, Dave.
The cycle lanes were placed on busy roads to encourage cycling, in order to allow people (especially key workers) to avoid public transport and therefore facilitate a bit of distance for those who had no option but to get on a bus. When I first saw the signs, I was a bit confused too!
My take on the two figures was that they had just arrived in town for the first time in months, masks in hand and emerged from the car park into the usually bustling centre, wide eyed and wary of the danger all around.