Global Pandemic Impact on Transport and Mobility
The COVID-19 pandemic has sent a shock wave through our society, and is permanently changing the world as we know it. Our global economy has been severely disrupted, from supply chains and markets, to workers and trade, laying bare the weaknesses in our overall preparedness for disasters and global crises.
We, as the sustainable, low carbon transport community, must reflect on the significant implications the pandemic has had on how we move people and goods, as well as what this will mean for the future of transport. As a community, we must ensure that we use this pivotal moment to advance our vision for more equitable, accessible, and low carbon transport systems, while working together to do our part in combating the spread of COVID-19.
Knowledge and Resources
A new global hub for transport-related information concerning the COVID-19 pandemic
SLOCAT has served as the lead contributor to the knowledge hub, which is coordinated and hosted by the International Road Federation. Click below to learn about sub-sector specific policy responses and recovery pathways emerging in light of the pandemic.
Recent Highlights
SLOCAT seeks to empower change-makers to ensure the economic viability of, the affordable access to and the right investments in transport and mobility services and infrastructure as a vital piece to green, equitable recovery.
- Think tank session co-organised by SLOCAT and IsDB at the 2022 MENA Climate Week explored how social and economic recovery and resilience can be accelerated through increased investment in public, shared and active transport.
- Issue brief on Sustainable Low Carbon Transport in COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery Strategies: A joint analysis by IsDB and SLOCAT for Member Countries illustrates impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mobility in IsDB sub-regions and the role of sustainable transport towards a green, equitable and resilient recovery.
- SLOCAT Report on Transport and 2022 VNRs shows that a number of 2022 VNRs highlight sustainable transport actions in the context of COVID-19 pandemic recovery.
- Regional Infographics on Transport and Climate Change outlines pandemic impacts in Africa, Asia, LAC and MENA.
- SLOCAT Global Status Report on Transport and Climate Change – 2nd edition: Describes escalating transport demand and emission trends through 2019 as well as the temporary disruption to these trends following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020:
- Executive Summary for Policy Makers features the threats, opportunities and uncertainties for transport climate action in a post-pandemic world.
- Chapter 3 on “Responses to Address Climate Change in the Transport Sector” highlights impacts of the pandemic in 10 thematic areas.
- Focus Feature on Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Travel Behaviour.
- SLOCAT Report on SDGs Voluntary National Reviews 2021 highlights COVID-19 impacts and responses to implement the SDGs in the transport sector.
- LEDS-GP Moving Forward Series on Pandemic Recovery for active mobility, jobs, sustainable freight and travel behaviour impacts, authored by the second cohort of SLOCAT Young Leaders.
- Impacts of COVID-19 on Mobility – SLOCAT Preliminary Analysis of Regional Trends on Urban Mobility
- Morning Commute Blog Series: COVID-19 and Mobility – Reflections from the SLOCAT Board of Directors
- COVID-19: Lessons learnt and outlooks for sustainable,
low carbon transport
Aimee Gauthier, Chief Knowledge Officer, ITDP; Armin Wagner, Team Leader for Sustainable Mobility, GIZ; Phaeba Thomas, Regional Manager for South Asia, HealthBridge and Maruxa Cardama, Secretary General, SLOCAT Partnership - COVID-19 and Transport: An exchange between two generations of Young Leaders in Sustainable Transport
First and second generations of VREF-SLOCAT Young Leaders: Hirotaka Koike, Cyprine Odada, Edna Odhiambo, Agnivesh Pani, Érika Martins Silva Ramos, Seble Samuel, Seema Singh and Thomas van Laake - En Route to COP26 Session 4 – Green recovery and transport: what is needed and how to do it?
- En Route to COP26 Session 11 – Contribution of Low Carbon Transport to the Socio-Economic Recovery
- LEDS-Global Partnership webinar on sustainable post-pandemic recovery programs in developing countries
- TUMI Live TV: Fight COVID-19 in Mobility
Additional Resources
- COVID Mobility Works
- IRU Coronavirus (COVID-19) information hub
- International Transport Forum Covid-19 page
- TUMI – Corona Transport Knowledge Platform
- ICLEI’s COVID-19 Resources
- COVID-19 transport resources: Keeping cities moving, ICLEI Sustainable Mobility
- COVID-19 – PIARC’s response
- UIC’s resource page with measures and guidance on rail
- Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports and Apple’s Mobility Trends Reports
- Impacto del Coronavirus en América Latina y el Caribe por BID
- La recuperación post COVID-19: ¿cómo articular respuestas integradas a las crisis sanitaria, económica y climática en América Latina?
por el Programa de la ONU para el Medio Ambiente (PNUMA) - A call for collective action of international transport stakeholders to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic (focus on Low Income Countries)
by High Volume Transport (HVT) Applied Research Programme
- COVID-19 Urban transport response – Opportunities for policymaking in Africa
by HVT Applied Research Programme - COVID-19: Transportation Response Center
City governments and transit agencies – by NACTO - Cities and Coronavirus COVID-19
by C40 - Local Actions to Support Walking and Cycling During Social Distancing
by pedbikeinfo - COVID19 Livable Streets Response Strategies (crowdsourced)
- Local actions affecting walking and cycling during social distancing (crowdsourced)
- COVID-19 Cycling Measures Tracker (Europe)
by European Cyclists’ Federation