Data says city’s staying home
Traffic volume at lowest since reopening after lockdown last spring
The latest round of pandemic restrictions has been effective in convincing Torontonians to stay home to fight COVID-19, according to city traffic data.
Numbers released Friday show traffic volumes are at their lowest since the city began to reopen after the first lockdown in May and June of last year, indicating residents are heeding calls to limit their travel to stop the spread of the virus.
According to counts taken through Watch Your Speed signs located in school zones throughout the city, during the first lockdown traffic volumes in the afternoon rush hour sunk to 68 per cent of normal, but climbed to 87 per cent during the fall as restrictions eased. They have dropped back to 73 per cent of the baseline after the latest measures were imposed.
The effect is more pronounced during morning rush hour, which has been heavily affected by school closures. Traffic counts between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. dropped to just 44 per cent of normal last spring, rose to 80 per cent in the early fall, and have dropped again to 50 per cent.
In a press release, the city stressed that data from the Watch Your Speed signs isn’t necessarily representative of activity on all roads, but provides a “snapshot of changes in neighbourhoods across Toronto.”
Separate counts collected through traffic monitoring technology at select downtown intersections indicates daily car traffic in the heart of Toronto dropped to 44 per cent of typical volumes during the first lockdown, rebounded to 73 per cent by the fall, and fell again to 63 per cent after the latest measures were introduced.
Pedestrian volumes downtown have been low throughout the pandemic, plummeting to 17 per cent last spring when the first wave of the virus hit. Foot traffic is now at about 21 per cent.
The Ontario government imposed a provincewide lockdown on Dec. 26, and on Jan. 14 declared a new state of emergency and issued a stay-athome order.
City officials had said they couldn’t equate less movement with less COVID-19 spread in Toronto until they saw updated virus indicators.
They got them Thursday with data showing the seven-day averages for daily new infections and new hospitalizations both dropping steadily since Jan. 10.
But Mayor John Tory and Dr. Eileen de Villa urged Torontonians to not start venturing out more or ease up on physical distancing and other virus-curbing behaviours, warning that the virus could come quickly roaring back.
With the vaccine rollout on pause due to supply issues, they said it’s too early to talk about lifting restrictions on businesses and the provincial stay-athome order.