Commuter road traffic levels stabilizing after pandemic: study

Commuting trends have stabilized since the coronavirus crisis, but the travel patterns that existed in 2019 have not yet returned. This was stated in the Landelijk Reizigersonderzoek 2024, which is an annual research into the commotion trends throughout the country that is requested by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.

There was an increase in kilometers traveled to work by car last year in comparison with 2023. There was an increase in drivers, but there has been a slight decrease in the average number of trips per week per driver. In 2019, the average driver made seven home-work trips per week. This is now 6.2, with the number of people working from home being seen as a primary reason.

The researchers also saw the same developments during the last few years, but the differences were more significant in those years. “This points towards the stabilization of commuting trends after the Covid-19 pandemic,” the authors wrote.

In addition, the number of kilometers traveled with public transport decreased by over four percent despite an increase in public transport travelers. On average, they travel less often by train each week.

Researchers saw a much larger increase in the number of public transport passengers last year, and the total number of journeys also increased considerably. A similar trend can be seen for the bicycle commuter: more cyclists but fewer journeys.