Effectiveness of containment strategies and local cognition to control vehicular traffic volume in Dhaka, Bangladesh during COVID-19 pandemic: Use of Google Map based real-time traffic data

Abstract

Background To prevent the viral transmission from higher infected to lower infected area, controlling the vehicular traffic, consequently public movement on roads is crucial. Containment strategies and local cognition regarding pandemic might be helpful to control vehicular movement. This study aimed to ascertain the effectiveness of containment strategies and local cognition for controlling traffic volume during COVID-19 pandemic in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Method Six containment strategies were considered to explore their influence on traffic condition, including declaration of general holiday, closure of educational institution, deployment of force, restriction on religious gathering, closure of commercial activities, and closure of garments factories. Newspaper coverage and public concern about COVID-19 were considered as local cognition in this research. The month of Ramadan as a potential event was also taken into account considering it might have an impact on the overall situation. Average daily journey speed (ADJS) was calculated from real-time traffic data of Google Map to understand the vehicular traffic scenario of Dhaka. A multiple linear regression method was developed to comprehend the findings. Results The results showed that among the containment strategies, declaration of general holiday and closure of educational institutions could increase the ADJS significantly, thereby referring to less traffic movement. Besides, local cognition could not significantly affect the traffic condition, although the month of Ramadan could increase the ADJS significantly. Conclusion It is expected that these findings would provide new insights into decision-making and help to take appropriate strategies to tackle the future pandemic situation.

Risk perceptions of COVID-19 transmission in different travel modes

“…Human mobility significantly declined even before lockdowns were declared and other restrictive measures were imposed to confine viral transmission in the regions where people had more risk-averse attitudes ( Chan et al, 2020 ). Lockdowns and restrictive measures declared by governments and the severity of local outbreaks considerably influenced human mobility behavior during the COVID-19 ( Zafri et al, 2021 , Pan et al, 2020 ). Day-to-day travel reduced significantly due to these governmental measures ( Tirachini and Cats, 2020 , Zafri et al, 2021 , Bucsky, 2020 ).…”

“…Lockdowns and restrictive measures declared by governments and the severity of local outbreaks considerably influenced human mobility behavior during the COVID-19 ( Zafri et al, 2021 , Pan et al, 2020 ). Day-to-day travel reduced significantly due to these governmental measures ( Tirachini and Cats, 2020 , Zafri et al, 2021 , Bucsky, 2020 ). For example, only one-tenth of the people in Karachi, Pakistan, made outdoor trips ( Balkhi, 2020 ).…”

“…Due to the negative pressure on the economic sector, restrictive measures were gradually lifted, and the volume of trips started to increase, although it has not reached the pre-COVID-19 levels ( Zafri et al, 2021 ). Some companies are functioning virtually, and quite a high proportion of educational institutions remain closed or are operating online ( Holmes, 2020 ).…”

“…The actual number of infections is likely to be higher due to underreporting of COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh ( Biswas et al, 2020 ). In the initial period, government responses included border control, closure of offices, businesses, educational institutions, lockdown of places, and restrictions on inter-city and intra-city movements from 26 March 2020 ( Zafri et al, 2021 ). This state continued for about two months, after which all the activities were gradually resumed, except the educational institutions ( Zafri et al, 2021 ).…”

Impacts of COVID-19-Related Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions on Mobility and Accidents in Bangladesh

“…In a recent article, change in average daily journey speed in Dhaka—the capital of Bangladesh—was used to study the effect of different COVID-19-related policy interventions ( 19 ). According to the study, only the closing of educational institutions and declaration of general holidays affected the traffic speed.…”