Comparison

Government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., lockdowns) had substantial impacts on vehicular travel behavior. In turn, shifts in vehicular travel behavior during lockdown periods had environmental consequences, for instance related to air pollution and wildlife behavior, which are examined in separate comparisons. This comparison examines the effect of COVID-19 lockdowns on the amount of vehicular traffic in different locations around the world. Overall, lockdown periods were associated with a reduction in vehicular traffic compared to baseline traffic volumes. Most studies in this comparison used traffic volumes from previous years as the baseline for comparison. Despite the reduction in traffic volume, there seems to be a parallel trend towards increased driving speed during lockdowns, which will be explored in a future comparison.