A new bitesize is available showing the impact of COVID on mode of travel at two separate locations in Oxfordshire.

Peak time travel data is included for the period 1st March to 27th July for 2019 vs 2020 from two of the sensors in Oxfordshire County Council’s “Vivacity Lab” (VL) smart detection system which counts road users by type (car, cyclist, pedestrian). 

For the sensor on Magdalen Bridge in Oxford City:

• all forms of travel mode (car, cycling and walking) dropped significantly in April 2020;
• in central Oxford it is likely that part of the reduction in travel was linked to a downturn in tourism, estimated by Experience Oxfordshire as being lower by just over £100m a month during lockdown;
• car use has recovered faster than cycling or walking.

For the sensor on the A4130 outside Didcot:

• car use dropped significantly in April 2020;
• unlike at Magdalen Bridge, cycling and walking increased significantly in April and May 2020;
• by July 2020 car use had increased and cycling and walking had dropped, however active travel at this site remains above the previous year.

The Bikes for Key Workers scheme has handed out free bikes to NHS and Social Workers and has shown a measurable increase in activity of those workers.