Traffic remains below pre-Covid levels as work habits change

Nearly two years after widespread Covid-19 lockdowns began, traffic in the world’s cities still hasn’t returned to normal.

Global traffic congestion — a measure of mobility — was 10% lower in 2021 than in 2019, largely due to changes in work habits, according to a report by location technology specialist TomTom NV.

As home offices, teleconferences and flexible work hours became a standard for many companies, congestion during peak hours fell by an average 19% in 2021 compared with 2019. Still, many cities saw congestion swing from extreme lows to extreme highs as travel restrictions followed the ebb and flow of new Covid variants.

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