Spatiotemporal changeability of the load of the urban road transport system under permanent and short-term legal and administrative retail restrictions
Szymon WISNIEWSKI, University of Lodz, Poland
Marta BOROWSKA-STEFANSKA, University of Lodz, Poland
Michal KOWALSKI, University of Lodz, Poland
Paulina KURZYK, University of Lodz, Poland
The main objective of the study was to identify spatiotemporal changeability of the load of the urban road transport system under permanent and short-term legal and administrative retail restrictions and to determine its spatial and temporal nature. For that purpose, the authors used three types of source data, i.e., official governmental normative data (acts, ordinances, etc.), informative data (official pandemic announcements issued during ministerial press conferences, governmental social media content, etc.), and objective empirical data (induction loops). The data allowed the authors to ‘search’ for spatiotemporal changeability of the load of the urban system of road transport induced by permanent and short-term retail restrictions. The pandemic restrictions imposed on top of the existing permanent retail restrictions were shown to distinctly shape the weekly distribution of traffic. In weeks with non-trading Sundays, the percentage of vehicle traffic on weekdays was substantially higher than at weekends, which was particularly noticeable during the first year of the pandemic (2020). Long-term observations have also shown that people began to plan their weekends differently upon the initial implementation of Sunday retail restrictions (Borowska-Stefanska et. al 2020ab).
The innovative character of the study stems primarily from the fact that it determines changes in the ‘regular’ transport behaviour of residents in a large city. Another feature that makes this study so innovative is the incorporation of ITS data (Big Data set), since research on transport behaviour plays a crucial role in planning and management of transport systems. Moreover, due to the fact that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt worldwide, the results herein can be compared with research conducted elsewhere.
Mots clés : mobility|urban transport system|retail restrictions|COVID-19|road traffic
A102337SW