Early in the pandemic, bike sales soared and vehicle miles traveled plummeted. As people have been driving more, more people have also been infected with the novel coronavirus.
Andy Olin provides a really thorough overview of the mobility trends in the United States since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March.
The narrative is summarized thusly:
Traffic levels fell dramatically throughout the Houston metro area as people were ordered to stay at home and businesses were closed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 — and it worked. But, as the economy was reopened and people returned to work, restaurants, bars, beaches and more, traffic levels and infection rates increased.
The article includes a mountain of data on bike sales and use, traffic and vehicle miles traveled, and air quality, providing specific examples from around the country and the nation as a whole, before drilling down on air quality data in the Houston area. Much of the information in the article has been reported before in separate media outlets and news coverage, but here we have all the relevant data in one place, clearly put in context and analyzed for potential implications.
But the article also includes a bombshell revelation that could potentially upend the ongoing narrative about density and transit being the most conductive modes for transmission of the coronavirus: when people drive more, more people are infected with the coronavirus.
FULL STORY: Traffic dropped 66%, but it came back and the coronavirus followed
How COVID-19 Impacted Mobility in California
Analysis of cell phone location tracking data shows changes in how Californians have moved around since the pandemic.
Ride-Hailing Companies Have Yet to Recover
While public transit tends to make the most headlines for coronavirus-damaged ridership numbers, ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft aren't exactly raking in new customers.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduced 17% Worldwide in April, Study Says
A recently published study predicts a 4 to 7 percent decline in greenhouse gas emissions for 2020 compared to 2019.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association