Traffic on many major city routes returns to pre-pandemic levels

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This article was published 24/08/2021 (1834 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The pandemic isn’t over, but many Winnipeg streets are bustling with vehicles once again.

Traffic plummeted by 40 per cent in April 2020 as public-health officials urged Winnipeggers to stay at home as much as possible to curb the spread of COVID-19. For a time, that left ample room for especially speedy commutes by a greatly reduced pool of drivers.

However, the number of vehicles began a gradual rebound in June 2020 and has recently hovered around normal levels, the city says.

“Traffic levels have been trending upwards at various locations throughout the city and are near pre-pandemic values (taken between Feb. 29 and March 13, 2020). With that said, the downtown is still experiencing lower traffic volumes from some short-duration traffic observation,” city spokesperson Ken Allen said in an emailed statement.

During April 2020, an average of 21,000 vehicles travelled through five major city weekday routes: Henderson Highway, Inkster Boulevard, Lagimodiere Boulevard, Marion Street and McPhillips Street. That number has risen to 34,700 vehicles this month.

As of Aug. 16, weekday vehicle counts on main Winnipeg routes had averaged about one per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels over the past 30 days.

The figures come as no surprise to a Unicity Taxi driver who saw an influx of vehicles hit the road as public-health restrictions were relaxed.

“We’ve seen people with family, kids going out for shopping, parking lots are full. People feeling like they’re coming out of prison (after) a whole year,” said Gurmail Mangat, a former Unicity president.

However, rush-hour traffic still appears lower than pre-pandemic levels, and taxi rides continue to make up a far smaller component of the total number of vehicles on the road than they did prior to the arrival of COVID-19, he said.

“Our incomes (are) down 50 per cent because of this (pandemic). It affected us all over the city,” he said.

Joe Masi, a spokesperson for the Winnipeg Community Taxi Association, said ride volume is still depressed overall. But it has increased since last summer, he said, as more destinations reopen.

“You’ve got the Bombers now playing again and you’ve got other things happening. People are going out to restaurants more,” Masi said.

A city councillor believes the timing of heavy traffic throughout Winnipeg has become less predictable as the pandemic wears on.

Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) said his morning drive to the civic centre complex on Main Street remains quick, but he’s experienced greater congestion throughout the day. Browaty suspects that could be the result of continued work-from-home options that allow employees more flexibility on the timing of their errands.

New traffic patterns could emerge in the long run if most companies opt to allow remote work permanently, he said.

“If we move to a world where people are working remotely… they’re not going to be on the road (all) at the same time (as often),” said Browaty. “(However), I hope for the sake of our downtown that we see a return to people working in the office.”

Traffic patterns could also change as people become more comfortable riding public transit, Browaty said. At this point, he suspects many Winnipeggers still feel safer travelling alone in their own vehicles where they can avoid possible exposure to COVID-19.

“I think it’s undeniable that, throughout the pandemic, there’s been an extra level of comfort people feel travelling in private vehicles versus group settings, like a bus,” he said.

Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga