Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdown restrictions by the South African
government had an Impact on household travel patterns in Gauteng Province. The
regulations that were promulgated in line with the state of disaster included the imposition
of travel restrictions, as well as the closure of schools and minimisation of non-essential
travel.
In this paper, the authors present the results of a household travel survey undertaken in
Gauteng Province. The impacts of the pandemic on household mobility in the province are
analysed and recommendations are provided on how the results of this research can guide
decision making in the province.
Although the restrictions put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 played a role in the
reduction of travel in the province at different stages during the pandemic, shifts in travel
patterns may have been short-lived. The authors conclude, therefore, that people in the
province will return to pre-COVID-19 ways of travelling for work, shopping and education.
Furthermore, the trends in traffic patterns that were established by previous household
travel surveys in the province will mostly remain intact.
