Automobile regains its rights despite the third wave

After a spectacular decline in travel on our roads at the beginning of the epidemic, the automobile is in the process of regaining its rights in Quebec. Despite telecommuting and the third wave, more than 80% of normal traffic was returned.

Also read: The car wins over the bus and the metro

Data sent by the Ministry of Transport to our Bureau of Investigation clearly illustrate the detention effect imposed on Quebecars since the declaration of a health emergency on March 14, 2020.

A year ago, when Quebec was put on a “break,” traffic fell by more than half. On the province’s major bridges and roads, the average daily flow is 40% oscillating compared to the previous year.

This phenomenon is far from the main centers.

The growing trend

Travel across Quebec has increased, with variations in terms of actions announced. At the American border, surprisingly, as well as catching up in Laurentian Park is slow.

“Initially there was a very strong impact, which gradually subsided. Now we are recovering somewhat in traffic,” said Francisco Ciari, a teacher at the Polytechnic de Montreal and an expert in transportation planning.

“We are back to a level that is very close to what it was before,” said Mary-Helen Wandersmissen, an expert in land use planning at Laval University.

There is a risk that the telework will evaporate

Although the office towers are now almost desert and the intensity of the rush hour is no longer the same, Jean Dubey, a professor at the Higher School of Land Use Planning and Regional Development at Laval University, emphasized the limited impact of televerking on road traffic.

“Travel has slowed down but probably not as significantly as one might think. Considering teleworking, we are already at 80% everywhere. Not because you “televised” tomorrow morning, you will no longer pick up your car and you will not leave your home. ”

Mr. Dubey also induces the clumsy effect of “induced demand”, a phenomenon well known in the scientific literature.

“When it circulates well, it speeds up the journey and people decide to choose the car, but if everyone does, it will create a traffic jam at some point. “

Professor Emeritus Mario Police at the National Institute for Scientific Research (INRS) also called for caution in the long-term impact of teleworking.

“We do not yet know whether this will significantly reduce congestion. You have to be very careful before you go to conclusions. There is a kind of backlash against teleworking. People are struggling not to see coworkers anymore. 100% teleworking, it does not exist, we see hybrid solutions. We’ll talk about it again in a year! “

Towards a return to normalcy

Honor-Mercier Bridge

• Current situation: 78%
• Fall: 41%

Greenville from A50

• Current situation: 88%
• Fall: 27%

American border (A55)

• Current situation: 74%
• Fall: 37%

Decori Highway

• Current situation: 91%
• Fall: 53%

Metropolitan Highway in Acadia

• Current situation: 85%
• Fall: 55%

A20 to Saint-Julie

• Current situation: 81%
• Fall: 41%

Maderic-Martin Bridge (A15)

• Current situation: 87%
• Fall: 41%

Felix-Lecklerk Highway (1st Avenue)

• Current situation: 87%
• Fall: 41%

Laurentian Highway (Jean-Talone Bloody)

• Current situation: 79%
• Fall: 43%

Laurentians Park (R175)

• Current situation: 65%
• Fall: 20%

L’Isle-Verte from A20

• Current situation: 83%
• Fall: 31%

Pierre-Laport Bridge (A73)

• Current situation: 80%
• Fall: 38%

Charles-de Galley Bridge (A40)

• Current situation: 85%
• Fall: 41%

A peak in the east last summer

Last year, travel to places such as Boss-Saint-Laurent, Gaspeci and Sagune-Lock-Saint-Jean reached record levels in Midsummer, with excursions taking the storm.

New cases of COVID-19 were almost non-existent then and the K క్యూbakers were able to benefit from significant mitigation measures between the first and second waves.

“In July, you have more than 100% [des niveaux habituels] In L’Isle-Verte and Laurentian Park. People don’t go to the United States for vacations, they stay in Quebec, “said Emeritus Mario, an INRS professor of urban economics.

Methodology

The current situation corresponds to the volume of traffic in March 2021 (average daily flow) compared to the month of March before the epidemic.

• For example, on the Maderic-Martin Bridge (which connects Montreal and the Laval), traffic is currently 87% higher than normal.
• The bottom out is that April 2020 is usually the first full month in which very strict control measures have been put in place.