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. 2020 Oct:88:102846.
doi: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102846. Epub 2020 Sep 2.

Slowly coming out of COVID-19 restrictions in Australia: Implications for working from home and commuting trips by car and public transport

Matthew J Beck  1 , David A Hensher  1 , Edward Wei  1
Affiliations

Slowly coming out of COVID-19 restrictions in Australia: Implications for working from home and commuting trips by car and public transport

Matthew J Beck et al. J Transp Geogr.2020 Oct.

Abstract

With the onset of COVID-19 restrictions and the slow relaxing of many restrictions, it is imperative that we understand what this means for the performance of the transport network. In going from almost no commuting, except for essential workers, to a slow increase in travel activity with working from home (WFH) continuing to be both popular and preferred, this paper draws on two surveys, one in late March at the height of restrictions and one in late May as restrictions are starting to be partially relaxed, to develop models for WFH and weekly one-way commuting travel by car and public transport. We compare the findings as one way to inform us of the extent to which a sample of Australian residents have responded through changes in WFH and commuting. While it is early days to claim any sense of a new stable pattern of commuting activity, this paper sets the context for ongoing monitoring of adjustments in travel activity and WFH, which can inform changes required in the revision of strategic metropolitan transport models as well as more general perspectives on future transport and land use policy and planning.

Keywords: Australian evidence; COVID-19; Coronavirus; Frequency of modal commuting; Household surveys; Ordered logit WFH model; Poisson regression; Travel activity; Working from home (WFH).

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Daily New Cases of COVID-19 in Australia. Source:https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert
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Fig. 2
Number of Days Worked in Week.
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Fig. 3
Number of Days Worked from Home in Week.
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Fig. 4
Workplace Policy towards Working from Home.
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Fig. 5
Attitude towards Working from Home.
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Fig. 6
General Attitudes towards COVID-19 Related Issues.
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Fig. 7
Productivity of WFH compared to Normal.
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Fig. 8
Aggregate Days like to WFH in the Future.
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Fig. 9
Average Commuting Trips in Last Week (and Planned Next Week).
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Fig. 10
The Model System.
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Fig. 11
Impact of proportions of people directed to WFH on average number of days of WFH.
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Fig. 12
Impact of agreement levels on average days WFH.
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Fig. 13
The increase in car commuting trips with a decrease in WFH.
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Fig. 14
The increase in public transport commuting trips with a decrease in WFH.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

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