The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on transport and land use

The ITC’s report on the longer term impacts of the pandemic on transport and land use in Britain

In the wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic, which has had the most serious impacts upon domestic and international travel since the Second World War, the ITC has been exploring the effects upon transport and land use policy. We commissioned a consultation with industry leaders and corporate members in Spring 2020 and this was followed by a series of online interviews. The findings from this consultation and Call for Evidence were distilled into a submission for the House of Commons Transport Select Committee enquiry in Autumn 2020 and published by their Secretariat. The ITC then developed a more detailed paper looking at the policy impacts and implications, which was published during Autumn 2021 under the title: The Covid19 Pandemic, Transport and Land Use in Britain: key issues for policy makers. A Discussion Dinner was held in Autumn 2022 to review developments in travel trends.

With more data emerging on the reshaping of travel demand and behaviour it became possible to examine the extent to which travel and wider behaviours have been permanently changed, and the imprint this has left on transport and land use in the UK. Using a range of publicly-available data sources, the ITC prepared a full report to assess the legacy of the pandemic and its implications for policy makers.

This report examines the legacy of the Covid-19  pandemic on domestic transport demand and behaviour as well as on cities, land use and placemaking in Britain. It reviews the potential implications of these changes on infrastructure planning, urban design and strategic policy making. The recommendations reflect the strategic objectives that have been outlined by the Government in recent years.  It is anticipated that the findings will be of interest to all those with an interest in transport and land use policy.

A copy of the report, entitled The longer-term impacts of the pandemic on transport and land use in Britain, can be downloaded here.