TRAFFIC VOLUMES IN IRELAND DURING THE COVID 19 RESTRICTIONS

Covid 19 has had a fundamental impact on all our lives over the past few months. Of course when the reasons to be out and about are removed, when we are encouraged to work from home, limit our social interactions and close the places we typically go to, then it follows that traffic volumes will plummet, and plummet they did. However it is worth observing how quickly the volumes recover, what modes bounce back, and what if any will be the lasting effects on travel behaviours.

IDASO has been actively involved in monitoring volumes over this period, below is an info-graphic of a junction in North Dublin surveyed in January 2020 and then again during each phase of the restrictions. Whilst this is just one junction, it does give a good indicator of commuter traffic in Dublin and how quickly volumes have increased. The latest survey was conducted at the end of Phase 2, the schools remain closed albeit now for the summer holidays so we would expect volumes to be down anyway. The am peak is still well below normal flows, where as the differences for the rest of the day are less pronounced. It will be interesting to see the results of the next survey schedule to happen at the end of this phase.