Travel Levels Before and After COVID-19 Control Measures in Cambridge, UK

Abstract

We used routinely collected traffic data to compare travel before (September 2019 and February 2020) and after (September 2020) restrictions on movement due to Covid-19 in Cambridge, UK. Segmented quasi-Poisson time-series analyses estimated the degree to which travel behaviour had returned to pre-lockdown levels by September 2020, controlling for seasonal trends using hours of sunlight, temperature, and precipitation. In most cases walking and cycling remained below pre-lockdown levels at follow-up. Motor vehicle use was similar to pre-lockdown conditions in many locations, except where roads were closed to motor vehicles to support social distancing and on roads approaching the railway station.