IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i6p2568-d1360862.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Changes to the Transport Behaviour of Inhabitants of a Large City Due the Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Marta Borowska-Stefańska

    (Faculty of Geographical Sciences, University of Lodz, 90-142 Łódź, Poland)

  • Maxim A. Dulebenets

    (Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Florida A&M University-Florida State University (FAMU-FSU), Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA)

  • Piotr Koneczny

    (Institute of Mathematics, Lodz University of Technology, 93-590 Łódź, Poland)

  • Michał Kowalski

    (Faculty of Geographical Sciences, University of Lodz, 90-142 Łódź, Poland)

  • Edyta Masierek

    (Faculty of Geographical Sciences, University of Lodz, 90-142 Łódź, Poland)

  • Filip Turoboś

    (Institute of Mathematics, Lodz University of Technology, 93-590 Łódź, Poland)

  • Szymon Wiśniewski

    (Faculty of Geographical Sciences, University of Lodz, 90-142 Łódź, Poland)

Abstract

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) classified the COVID-19 outbreak as a global pandemic and, in consequence, many countries took steps to prevent the importation and subsequent local transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, resulting in restrictions on economic activity, transport, travel, and daily mobility. Although the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on daily mobility have been widely addressed in the literature, there is a limited number of studies that indicate to what extent these changes have become permanent. The purpose of this study was to determine the nature and scale of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local transport system of a large city in Poland (Łódź) and, above all, to identify the permanence of this impact. To accomplish these objectives, a questionnaire survey was conducted using the computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) technique on a sample of 500 residents, which included questions on daily mobility in the period before (autumn 2019) and after (autumn 2022) the pandemic. In addition, the results of the questionnaire survey were juxtaposed with data from intelligent transport systems (ITS) (data from 20 induction loops, and data on the number of tickets validated in public transport vehicles). Not only did the pandemic change the frequency of spatial motivations, but it also affected trip durations and preferred modes of transport. The most unfavourable changes concern the modal division and the increase in the use of private transport at the expense of public transport. Understanding the durability of the impact of the pandemic on changes in the spatial mobility of the population may help to develop transport policies and increase the resilience of transport systems to possible future pandemics.

Suggested Citation

  • Marta Borowska-Stefańska & Maxim A. Dulebenets & Piotr Koneczny & Michał Kowalski & Edyta Masierek & Filip Turoboś & Szymon Wiśniewski, 2024. "Changes to the Transport Behaviour of Inhabitants of a Large City Due the Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-23, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:6:p:2568-:d:1360862
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/6/2568/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/6/2568/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lateef, Rusan & Alaggia, Ramona & Collin-Vézina, Delphine, 2021. "A scoping review on psychosocial consequences of pandemics on parents and children: Planning for today and the future," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    2. Delso, Javier & Martín, Belén & Ortega, Emilio, 2018. "A new procedure using network analysis and kernel density estimations to evaluate the effect of urban configurations on pedestrian mobility. The case study of Vitoria –Gasteiz," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 61-72.
    3. De Vos, Jonas & Ettema, Dick & Witlox, Frank, 2018. "Changing travel behaviour and attitudes following a residential relocation," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 131-147.
    4. Molloy, Joseph & Schatzmann, Thomas & Schoeman, Beaumont & Tchervenkov, Christopher & Hintermann, Beat & Axhausen, Kay W., 2021. "Observed impacts of the Covid-19 first wave on travel behaviour in Switzerland based on a large GPS panel," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 43-51.
    5. Amy K. Østertun Geirdal & Daicia Price & Mariyana Schoultz & Hilde Thygesen & Mary Ruffolo & Janni Leung & Tore Bonsaksen, 2021. "The Significance of Demographic Variables on Psychosocial Health from the Early Stage and Nine Months after the COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak. A Cross-National Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-18, April.
    6. Donggen Wang & Tao Lin, 2019. "Built environment, travel behavior, and residential self-selection: a study based on panel data from Beijing, China," Transportation, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 51-74, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xue, Fei & Yao, Enjian, 2022. "Impact analysis of residential relocation on ownership, usage, and carbon-dioxide emissions of private cars," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 252(C).
    2. Zhao, Juanjuan & Ren, Huan & Gu, Yan & Pan, Haojie, 2023. "Relationships between the residential environment, travel attitude and behaviour among knowledge workers: The role of job types," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    3. Guan, Xiaodong & Wang, Donggen, 2019. "Influences of the built environment on travel: A household-based perspective," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 710-724.
    4. van Wee, Bert & De Vos, Jonas & Maat, Kees, 2019. "Impacts of the built environment and travel behaviour on attitudes: Theories underpinning the reverse causality hypothesis," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    5. De Vos, Jonas & Mouratidis, Kostas & Cheng, Long & Kamruzzaman, Md., 2021. "Does a residential relocation enable satisfying travel?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 188-201.
    6. Jonas De Vos & Long Cheng & Frank Witlox, 2021. "Do changes in the residential location lead to changes in travel attitudes? A structural equation modeling approach," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(4), pages 2011-2034, August.
    7. Guan, Xiaodong & Wang, Donggen, 2020. "The multiplicity of self-selection: What do travel attitudes influence first, residential location or work place?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    8. Rahman, Mashrur & Sciara, Gian-Claudia, 2022. "Travel attitudes, the built environment and travel behavior relationships: Causal insights from social psychology theories," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 44-54.
    9. Xue, Fei & Yao, Enjian & Jin, Fanglei, 2020. "Exploring residential relocation behavior for families with workers and students; a study from Beijing, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    10. van de Coevering, Paul & Maat, Kees & van Wee, Bert, 2021. "Causes and effects between attitudes, the built environment and car kilometres: A longitudinal analysis," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    11. Bhat, Chandra R. & Mondal, Aupal, 2022. "A New Flexible Generalized Heterogeneous Data Model (GHDM) with an Application to Examine the Effect of High Density Neighborhood Living on Bicycling Frequency," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 244-266.
    12. Hu, Yang & van Wee, Bert & Ettema, Dick, 2023. "Intra-household decisions and the impact of the built environment on activity-travel behavior: A review of the literature," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    13. De Vos, Jonas & Cheng, Long & Kamruzzaman, Md. & Witlox, Frank, 2021. "The indirect effect of the built environment on travel mode choice: A focus on recent movers," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    14. De Vos, Jonas & Singleton, Patrick A., 2020. "Travel and cognitive dissonance," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 525-536.
    15. Ramezani, Samira & Hasanzadeh, Kamyar & Rinne, Tiina & Kajosaari, Anna & Kyttä, Marketta, 2021. "Residential relocation and travel behavior change: Investigating the effects of changes in the built environment, activity space dispersion, car and bike ownership, and travel attitudes," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 28-48.
    16. Kamruzzaman, Md. & Giles-Corti, Billie & De Vos, Jonas & Witlox, Frank & Shatu, Farjana & Turrell, Gavin, 2021. "The life and death of residential dissonants in transit-oriented development: A discrete time survival analysis," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    17. Veronika Harantová & Ambróz Hájnik & Alica Kalašová & Tomasz Figlus, 2022. "The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Traffic Flow Characteristics, Emissions Production and Fuel Consumption at a Selected Intersection in Slovakia," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-21, March.
    18. Van Acker, Veronique & Ho, Loan & Stevens, Larissa & Mulley, Corinne, 2020. "Quantifying the effects of childhood and previous residential experiences on the use of public transport," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    19. Kajosaari, Anna & Hasanzadeh, Kamyar & Kyttä, Marketta, 2019. "Residential dissonance and walking for transport," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 134-144.
    20. Sheng, Lu & Wu, Xiao & He, Yan, 2023. "Impact of residential relocation on activity-travel behaviors between household couples: A case study of Kunming, China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:6:p:2568-:d:1360862. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.