Van traffic also nearly back to 'normal'
Lorry traffic on Monday this week was back to 97% of what it was pre-lockdown according to government data.
Van traffic was also close to levels not seen since 23 March this year when the Prime Minister ordered the nation to stay at home with 92% of ‘normal’ mileage being recorded.
Overall traffic was back to 83% of what it had been, with car traffic at 79%.
The data – published by the Department for Transport – shines a spotlight on what has been happening on public transport. On Monday:
- National rail travel was at 13% of what might be expected
- Tube 19%
- London bus 37%
- Buses outside London 29%
- Cycling 140%
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said:
“In terms of lorry traffic it’s almost as if Coronavirus didn’t happen, with volumes staying close to pre-lockdown levels throughout. What’s interesting is the extent to which van traffic has come back, which could be good news for the economy and for congestion if those vans aren’t heading into town in the rush hour but are instead making home deliveries throughout the day and into the evening.
“The fact that car traffic is back to four fifths of what it was before the lockdown shouldn’t surprise us, given the Government’s ongoing advice to avoid public transport, but since the Government is also advising us to work from home if we can it begs the question of what these car trips are about and how different they are to our traditional commuting patterns.”
ENDS
Contact:
Philip Gomm – Head of External Communications – RAC Foundation
[email protected] | 020 7747 3445 | 07711 776448 | 020 7389 0601 (ISDN)
Notes to editors:
The RAC Foundation is a transport policy and research organisation that explores the economic, mobility, safety and environmental issues relating to roads and their users.
The Foundation publishes independent and authoritative research with which it promotes informed debate and advocates policy in the interest of the responsible motorist. All the Foundation’s work is available at: www.racfoundation.org