From Toronto to Minneapolis – the effect of Covid-19 on traffic

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In the last two weeks, the 401, a major highway in the Toronto metropolitan area, has seen a 40% decline of vehicles on the roadway, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and ‘social distancing’ orders. But, while the number of cars has declined, truck traffic has remained the same at about 14,000 per day.

Covid-19 is impacting many communities around the world in a similar way. With a lot of countries implementing ’shelter in place’ orders, the number of roadway users has drastically declined. But data shows that goods and supplies are still being transported.

Similar to Toronto, Interstate 394 in Minneapolis, Minnesota has also seen a significant decline in traffic, although the decrease so far is not as marked. In the last week, the number of vehicles on the road has declined by 22%.

This new data has been provided by Image Sensing Systems’ new RTMS Echo is a powerful IoT-ready sensor that provides access to more actionable traffic data than any other radar on the market. The per-vehicle data accuracy of the RTMS Echo can be easily formatted to deliver the insights every agency needs, as road managers and governments seek to understand how communities are being impacted.

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About Author

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Tom has edited Traffic Technology International (TTi) magazine and its Traffic Technology Today website since May 2014. During his time at the title, he has interviewed some of the top transportation chiefs at public agencies around the world as well as CEOs of leading multinationals and ground-breaking start-ups. Tom's earlier career saw him working on some the UK's leading consumer magazine titles. He has a law degree from the London School of Economics (LSE).