Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Active Travel Mode Choice in Bangladesh: A Study from the Perspective of Sustainability and New Normal Situation

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused incredible impacts on people’s travel behavior. Recent studies suggest that while the demand for public transport has decreased due to passengers’ inability to maintain physical distance inside this mode, the demand for private automobile and active transport modes (walking and cycling) has increased during the pandemic. Policymakers should take this opportunity given by the pandemic and encourage people to use active transport more in the new normal situation to achieve sustainable transportation outcomes. This study explores the expected change in active transport mode usage in the new normal situation in Bangladesh based on the data from a questionnaire survey. The study finds that 56% and 45% of the respondents were expected to increase travel by walking and cycling, respectively, during the new normal situation. On the other hand, 19% of the respondents were expected to do the opposite. The study further identifies the factors influencing the expected change in travel by active transport modes during the new normal situation by developing multinomial logistic regression models. Finally, this study proposes policies to increase active transport use beyond the pandemic and ensure sustainable mobility for city dwellers and their well-being.

Risk perceptions of COVID-19 transmission in different travel modes

“…Modal shift from public transport and shared modes to private modes might be a probable outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic since people perceived that the risk of viral transmission in public transport and share modes is more than private modes. In Bangladesh, studies showed that the use of public buses and shared modes was likely to decrease, and the use of private modes (motorcycle, car) and active modes was likely to increase due to the pandemic ( Abdullah, 2020 , Anwari, 2021 , Zafri et al, 2021 , Zafri et al, 2021 ). Lessons from China, where there was a modal shift from bus/metro to private cars due to the pandemic, are consistent with this speculation ( Ipsos, 2020 ).…”

“…Considerable reductions in travel by public transport are likely to be related to perceptions of transmission risks on board ( Tirachini and Cats, 2020 ). Studies conducted during the preliminary days of COVID-19 had hypothesized that people were likely to avoid public transport owing to the difficulty in ensuring a safe physical distance inside the vehicle ( De Vos, 2020 , Zafri et al, 2021 ).…”

“…The public transport service was allowed to resume from 1 June 2020 after the first wave, on the condition of following some strict hygiene-related and safety guidelines ( Zafri et al, 2021 , The Daily Star, 2020 ). The services were temporarily suspended again from 5 April 2021 for a month as the country gradually went under strict lockdown following the second wave ( Zafri et al, 2021 ). Since 6 May 2021, public transport services have been running again at 50% capacity and charging 60% extra fare under new directives.…”

Inventing the Pandemic Lifestyles: Bicycle Tourism during COVID-19

“…The pandemic outbreak has made humans aware of health aspects completely and taught people how to adapt to new social orders constructed through various experiences of socialization occurring and recurring within communities (Jamal & Budke, 2020;Zafri et al, 2021). Consequently, so many rules and regulations related to health protocols have formed such pandemic cultures transforming from rituals of socialization to cultural performance with specific codes and narratives (Alexander & Smith, 2020).…”

“…Cycle tourism has also gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic which its legacies directly affect tourism mobility (Hannam et al, 2021). Amidst the uncertainty about the duration of the pandemic and its impacts on tourism, tourism players and people as well should adapt in various ways to negotiate with the pandemic situation (Gössling et al, 2020;Higgins-Desbiolles, 2020;Jamal & Budke, 2020;Ntounis et al, 2021;Zafri et al, 2021) such as reinterpreting the process of socialization and how to act in a new social order.…”