Traffic and Pedestrian Safety, Pre and Post Covid-19

Abstract

The effects of planning initiatives aimed at increasing bicycle use have been little studied in relation to decreased auto use, injuries and pollution. As most programs promote the idea those public investments in bicycle lanes, traffic calming engineering of streets and valuing bicycling as economic and environmentally sound, this article assesses the goals and results. While bicycle use for commuting has decreased in recent years and congestion increased, focus on the effects of engineering streets for calming and bike and pedestrian use were found often to be associated with increased driving times, increased pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and increased pollution. While the economic slowdown due to Covid-19 has reduced traffic, use of existing traffic design has produced intensified conflicts which will be continuing patterns when full economic recovery takes place. The article makes use of data from a number of countries and original fieldwork.