When the world and people's rhythms were normal, there were certain hours called rush hour. Between, say, 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., many people would leave their homes to go to work or school, filling the streets, buses, cars, subways, and bike lanes. Then, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., they would return home again or go out for some outside work or a walk.
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But then the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdowns hit, and things calmed down for a while. By early spring 2020, vehicle miles traveled were down 40%, according to the company StreetLight Data. Those living near highways and usually busy city streets enjoyed clear skies and quiet.
Now, rush hour is back. Streetlight Data estimates that American vehicles “traveled” 20% more miles in March 2021 than a year ago. But traffic patterns are very different. In New York City, for example, morning traffic is usually the busiest. Instead, traffic is now slowly building up throughout the day, peaking in the afternoon.
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In the San Francisco area , for example, vehicle miles driven this winter fell by about half during the 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. rush hour compared to last year. But miles driven during the 5 to 6 p.m. rush hour were down by only a quarter.
The movement is volatile, experts say. Now, as more Americans get vaccinated, return to work and school, and resume their social lives, government officials are eager to figure out which parts of the pandemic-era “travel behavior” are related to lockdowns and which ones stem from more extensive remote work policies that could be here to stay. Some cities are conducting studies to examine these questions. The answers will likely shape each city’s future.
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The behavior of people who work from home is not as simple as it seems. Research has shown that people who work from home tend to commute in the afternoon. Jonathan Stiles, a postdoctoral researcher at Ohio University who has studied people's commuting behavior, found that people with flexible work schedules tend to use that flexibility to stay home in the morning, but then go out.
Source of information: wired.com
