Measuring the impact of covid-19 on mobility in Gauteng province, South Africa

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.