Covid-19 And Transport: Impact And Suggestions

In this article, Sharif Qamar says that in the post-COVID world there should be more focus on moderating travel demand, non-motorized transport, public transport, shared mobility, and railways. He discusses the potential impact and suggestions in this regard. He feels the travel demand management measures such as work-from-home, staggered working hours and encouraging online shopping should become a part of the ‘new normal’. Also, increased focus should be there on bus and bus systems, especially in non-metropolitan cities of India.

- Sharif Qamar

The total number of people affected by the coronavirus and the number of deaths is increasing rapidly and would, unfortunately, continue in the coming days and months, till a reliable cure is discovered. The virus, which is too small to be seen using an optical microscope, has brought the world to its knee—quite literally.

Transportation has been worst affected as economies have been under lockdown. This also means that people are not going to their offices, factories, and other places of work. During a ‘normal’ period, that is, pre-COVID19, transportation was the second largest contributor to global emissions, after the electricity sector. It accounted for about 24 per cent of total global CO 2 emissions in 2018. 1 During the ongoing pandemic, the adverse impact of transportation on air quality has drastically come down. Indian cities, which are known to appear in the list of most polluted cities in the world, have been witnessing considerably improved air quality during the lockdown period.

Opportunity in Crisis

There is no doubt about the devastation that COVID-19 virus has brought upon the entire human race. There is a new thought emerging about people adapting to the ‘new normal’, who also wish for cleaner breathable air under the blue sky. The nature of ‘new-normal’ is dependent on factors like: How long will the current crisis last? Overall drop-in activities? How much recovery would happen and what would be the path? Will this help people shift to environmentally-conscious options? And, other such questions.

Transport sector is one of the most vulnerable sectors affecting all of us. Here are some of the areas and measures that are recommended to improve the way Indians travel. Also, some of these measures are encouraged even during normal times and not only during the ongoing crisis.