Mobility Restrictions and E-Commerce: Holistic Balance in Madrid Centre during COVID-19 Lockdown

Abstract

COVID-19 has brought about a substantial change in urban mobility, as well as an unprecedented increase in e-commerce throughout the world due to the emergence of new ways of shopping and consumption habits. In this context, urban logistics plays a crucial role in the triple bottom line of sustainability. The present document establishes a holistic vision of the problem aiming to (i) measure and compare the traffic generated in the Madrid Central area (low-emission zone) during the periods before and after the pandemic, and (ii) quantify e-commerce orders made by residents, as well as the Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) required to deliver these parcels, measuring their environmental impact. The results show that road traffic in the Madrid Central area decreased by approximately 2/3 compared to normal levels and 1/2 in the case of LCVs. With regards to e-commerce, the number of parcels delivered doubled. This fact entailed an increase in the number of LVCs dedicated to package delivery in the central district and more pollution, but to a lesser extent than the growth of e-commerce. The challenge faced by urban logistics in the post-Covid era is managing to blend new mobility within large cities with the high volumes of e-commerce deliveries demanded by residents.

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“…Their conclusions are extensive and concern not only movement economics, but also the emotional backgrounds of the students. Conclusions about the benefits of walking or riding a bike are confirmed by other studies [45,46].…”

“…The second group of works [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42] presents results of research of the connection between dynamics of COVID-19 spread, population density, and social-cultural peculiarities of lifestyles. The third group consists of works of general purpose, mainly about the political-economic sphere [43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53]. The fourth group is devoted to COVID-19 s impact on individual aspects of transport system functioning, and demonstration of transport activity .…”

“…This group of work also includes articles on the mass changes of everyday behaviors that took place during lockdown restrictions [39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46], and the risk of a mass spread of infection [47][48][49][50][51].…”

“…The impact of lockdowns on activities were measured by direct [39][40][41] and indirect methods, for example, by evaluation of air pollution in megalopolises [42][43][44]. Such phenomena were explored, including the loyalty of populations to vaccinations [45] and communication changes between people during lockdown periods [46,47]. V. Rafael and A. Monzón [46] showed that, during the lockdown period, people started using e-commerce more often.…”

“…Such phenomena were explored, including the loyalty of populations to vaccinations [45] and communication changes between people during lockdown periods [46,47]. V. Rafael and A. Monzón [46] showed that, during the lockdown period, people started using e-commerce more often. At the same time, researchers in [48] did not find anything fundamentally new in people's behaviors.…”