Analysis of road traffic pattern changes due to activity restrictions during COVID-19 pandemic in Chennai

In the absence of pharmaceutical interventions for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), countries have taken drastic steps like quarantine, prohibit large-scale gatherings, limited transport, social distancing, curfews, and lockdowns to curtail the spread of the virus In light of these events, the current study attempts to understand the short-term changes in road traffic patterns, using data from two Wi-Fi MAC Scanners deployed at strategic locations in Chennai, India The results indicate that the road traffic activities significantly reduced due to the restrictions in non-essential trips, workplace suspensions, and strict surveillance during lockdowns However, as the lockdown rules eased, the road traffic activities began to recover It is found that complete closedown is most effective in reducing road travel activity, but ad-hoc short duration complete closedowns may only yield temporary benefits Also, extended lockdowns without proper enforcement may be ineffective since the public appeared to ignore the advisory after a while [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Transportation Letters is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )